Companion (2025) Review: A Surprise Horror Hit in Late January

Jack Quaid and Sophie Thatcher star in Drew Hancock's horror/thriller to kick off January.

An AI robot gains consciousness and decides it wants control and freedom. Now, I know that sounds like a movie that has been done a million times, but what separates Companion from its predecessors is its charm—along with Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid being delightfully sleazy once again.

Clocking in at just 100 minutes, Companion is a perfect date-night movie and the best movie of January by far. It also somewhat breaks the notion that movies released in January are never good. The movie is well-paced once it gets past the initial 20 to 30 minutes of setup, and once you understand the twist—unfortunately spoiled by the marketing—the film kicks into high gear with its concept.

The film follows the story of Josh, played by Quaid, a sort of sleazy character who gets into a relationship with Iris (Thatcher). The two embark on a weekend getaway with his friends and when, after an accident, Josh reveals to Iris that she’s an AI robot companion, everything starts to go wrong.

What I really enjoyed about Companion is that it takes a dark twist. It isn’t a super scary movie. Rather, it’s more of a thriller with some gore splashed in, and it’s refreshing to see a familiar concept executed with such a fresh take.

After watching Sophie Thatcher in Heretic last year, I knew she was someone who would have a place in the horror genre for years to come. After seeing her performance as Iris in Companion, that prediction is 100% true—she is a delight. She really shines in conveying robotic yet human-like expressions, and as she starts to gain more intelligence, her performance evolves just as her character does.

Jack Quaid is one of those actors I enjoy more and more every time I see him in something. He was a great villain as one of the Ghostface killers in Scream 5, but here, he has this sleaziness that is very unnerving. He plays a guy who is honestly just a loser, trying throughout the entire movie to convince not only himself but also his robot girlfriend otherwise. His comedic timing is on point here.

The only real negative I have about the movie is how it was marketed. I wish I hadn’t known the surprise reveal, which makes me wonder if the studio lacked confidence in an original concept and felt people wouldn’t show up for a horror movie that wasn’t part of a franchise. It’s kind of a head-scratcher move. In the third act, too, some characters make silly decisions that require you to suspend disbelief and remind yourself it’s just a movie. But without being too nitpicky, it didn’t really bother me.

Final Thoughts

Companion is one of the best, if not the best, new film to release in January. So, if you’re looking for a refreshing, original movie—something a lot of people constantly complain we don’t get anymore—go see Companion. Don’t wait for it to hit streaming. Support original films, and we’ll get more like this.

4/5

 
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Brock Engi
Brock Engihttps://letterboxd.com/bdiddy937/
Movies have always been a huge part of my life. I can remember the first movie I saw in theatres was Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2002. And from there I fell in love with movies. I tried to watch as many different types of movies as I can to get myself a well-rounded film palette, but I just love going to the movies and just sitting down and escaping to a world for a couple of hours. I’m just a normal dude who decided to start talking about movies in front of a camera and some people decided they like to listen to me. My 4 favorite movies are: Spider-Man 2, Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith, Training Day, The Matrix.
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An AI robot gains consciousness and decides it wants control and freedom. Now, I know that sounds like a movie that has been done a million times, but what separates Companion from its predecessors is its charm—along with Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid being...Companion (2025) Review: A Surprise Horror Hit in Late January