Companion (2025) is directed by Drew Hancock and stars Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quiad, Lukas Gage, Harvey Guillen, Megan Suri, Rupert Friend, Marc Menchaca, Jaboukie Young-White, Woody Fu, and Younus Howlader. The film follows Iris (Thatcher) and Josh (Quaid), a seemingly idyllic “item” who set out to spend a couple’s weekend at their billionaire friend Sergey’s (Friend) lakeside estate. When a surprising death leads to revelations that shake the various friends to their core, Iris quickly finds herself in a deadly game of cat & mouse that forces her to reconsider her past decisions. As the group spirals further into violence, Iris is forced to embrace her newfound independence if she hopes to make it out alive. 

SPOILER ALERT from here on out. If you haven’t seen the movie, revisit this review once you have.   

After breakout roles in films such as The Boogeyman (2023), Heretic (2024), and now this, Sophie Thatcher solidifies herself as the current reigning “Scream Queen.” She’s improved with each performance, but it helps that this is easily her juiciest role. Unless you’ve avoided the film’s marketing completely, you should know that her character is essentially a highly intelligent sex/relationship robot. She nails this aspect of the performance – perfectly balancing (similar to Alicia Vikander in Ex Machina) human and robotic traits which in turn provides the best of both worlds. It’s not a character the audience hasn’t seen before, but it doesn’t matter when the script is this good. We’ve seen her before, but the scenarios she finds herself in feel wholly original. 

As for Jack Quaid, he doesn’t do anything particularly new with his performance, but it is one of the better versions of the kind of character he’s made a name for himself playing. Once it’s revealed that he’s essentially the film’s main antagonist, I was a bit nervous that it would feel like a jarring shift. Thankfully, the script writes the character in such a way that his evildoings/motivations never feel unrealistically over-the-top. He’s a bad guy who’s willing to commit crimes but afraid to get his hands dirty and constantly comes up with some admittedly compelling reasons to justify his behavior. He’s only willing to kill people who he sees as deserving and only treats Iris with such carelessness because he somewhat understandably sees her as nothing more than a machine that he rented. Yes, we still hate him regardless (and rightfully so), but there’s something uncommonly authentic about the motivations behind his actions. 

On top of these two uncommonly strong lead performances, the film also features some standout supporting turns. Lukas Gage is perfectly cast in this kind of horror-comedy and his relationship with Harvey Guillen’s character (likewise perfectly cast) provides some of the film’s best laughs. Rupert Friend is also great as a successful Russian drug dealer – sporting a thick Russian accent, a scraggly beard, and a mullet. The role is small, but memorable to say the least. The script also does a great job of not only making these characters enjoyable but also integral to the plot. Even when characters die, it affects the survivors in ways that naturally drive the plot forward. Even the smallest details mean something whether the viewer catches them or not – the telltale sign of a tightly written script.

The film’s biggest strength is its ability to work as a full-blooded horror-comedy that never misses a step in either genre. Besides one particular recurring joke that felt out of place tonally, the comedy is well-written and consistent in delivering big laughs but also avoids diminishing the more serious elements. The jokes are written in a way that allows them to feel natural for the characters but self-aware for the viewers. The film realizes that people often use “self-awareness” not as a buffer to check themselves (how it should be used), but as a justification for their crappy behavior. The individual knows they’re being a selfish asshole, but somehow thinks it’s more acceptable because they can admit to it. Self-aware characters can often feel unrealistic, but this movie gets it right by showing how self-awareness manifests in the real world.

Although the story eventually leads to an ending that feels a bit too similar to a film like the previously mentioned Ex Machina (2014), the journey feels roaringly original. It’s an ending that never really lives up to the twists and turns that precede it, but by that point, it’s easy to forgive. The first 9/10 set up big expectations, and although the ending doesn’t quite meet them, it’s solid enough not to detract from the experience.
 

Overall, this is one of the more original thrillers I’ve seen in a long time as well as one of the more effective horror-comedies. The performances are spot-on, the pacing is lean and mean, and the tonal balance is near-perfect. Marketed as being from the team behind Barbarian (2022) – a film that I adore –- Companion mostly lives up to the comparison. It’s distinct from that film in terms of tone, but what they do have in common is that they are both well-written and unique spins on recognizable genre films that also feature a handful of effective twists/turns. In terms of January releases, they don’t get much better than this. This is a thriller you don’t want to miss. Other than one or two instances of nasty gore, I think it’s even pretty accessible for viewers who find themselves to be 50/50 on horror. Whether you end up liking it or not, it’s hard not to be impressed by such an original (and effective) script. B+