Companion 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Companion 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

"You read the user agreement, right?"

Reviewed by Randy Miller III March 27, 2025

Artificial intelligence is hardly new fodder for movies, with enduring examples dating back to the great Terminator 2 and even decades before that with trailblazing productions like 2001. More modern fare such as Her, Ex Machina, and obviously A.I. (in descending order of greatness) have attempted to thread the needle differently by trading in "good vs. evil" for ruminations on robot rights, individuality, and mankind's treatment of its own creation. Writer-director Drew Hancock's first feature-length film Companion lands comfortably within the latter group yet still clearly flirts with broad mainstream appeal, lacing a few high-concept ideas with traditional horror/thriller tropes and plenty of fun twists along the way. It's not a flawless fusion, but there's a lot to like here providing you go in mostly blind... so for that reason, I'll try to keep this review spoiler-free aside from one that's basically impossible not to.

There's no getting around it: something's a little off about Iris (Sophie Thatcher, most recently seen in Showtime's Yellowjackets), the demure young girlfriend of Josh (Jack Quaid) who she first met at a grocery store produce section. She's not particularly intelligent, kind of socially awkward, and seems eager to please, so Iris cautiously approaches their weekend getaway with Josh's friends Kat (Megan Suri), Eli (Harvey Guillén), and his boy toy Patrick (Lukas Gage) at a remote lake house owned by Sergey (Rupert Friend). It's only a minor disaster at first but things get much worse after a one-on-one encounter goes south the next morning, leaving several guests struggling to cope with a sudden turn of events. Iris is as confused as anyone, since violence isn't normally part of her programming.

Yep, she's the artificial intelligence in Companion, an "emotional support robot" that Josh rented from faceless tech corporation Empathix. She's capable of a lot, according to the user settings controlled by his phone: high intelligence, aggression, multiple languages... but nope, Josh basically makes her a subservient sex bot and trophy girlfriend that's easy to control. Domineering Kat hates her for something she can't change, Eli and Patrick see her and Josh as a cute couple, and Sergey -- who treats Kat in a similar way -- can't help but wonder if she's another easy target.

The fallout from that above-referenced turn of events, not to mention the "robot revelation" which even unspoiled new viewers might see coming, drives the bulk of Companion's story. It's admittedly light on narrative and thus a bit thin at 97 minutes (some of which are slightly padded), yet thankfully everything doesn't hinge on that one hook. Additional plot twists are dropped in regularly throughout the first half and even beyond, and to its credit the film also has a few interesting things to say about the human condition and interpersonal relationships that stand in sharp contrast with its more traditional horror/thriller tropes. Ultimately the latter wins out in Companion's bloody finale, but it's an admittedly fun (and surprisingly funny) ride that might just stand up to repeat viewings. All told, this is big enjoyment on a small budget that trades in A-list actors and excess CGI for something a little more... real, even if portions of Companion could still be described as "over the top" and a few barely-hidden plot holes rear their heads on occasion.

Budgeted at just $10M, Companion proved to be a decent little hit despite its foreboding January release date, and a second surprise arrives with Warner Bros.' decision to actually grant it a 4K release in addition to the separate Blu-ray; that's sadly no longer a given these days. Both contain proportionately solid A/V presentations but are sadly light on bonus features, yet the solid strength of the film itself grants Companion an easy pass on either format.

Companion 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: These screenshots are sourced from the included Blu-ray, available separately and reviewed here.

Presented in its native 4K on this gorgeous 2160p/HDR10 transfer, the only downside of Warner Bros.' UHD is that it doesn't include Dolby Vision support as it did in select theaters; that means I can't quite award it perfect marks, but this is otherwise as close to a 5/5 presentation as possible. Buttery smooth with excellent fine detail and accurate color representation, it's a consistently strong and stable image that will look quite impressive on large screens where fans can truly appreciate the additional clarity and precision afforded by the format. That said, it's often quite subdued at times and the HDR10 layer seems appropriately subtle, rarely pushing colors into overdrive but offering added support in the areas of perceived shadow detail and brighter whites. There's really not much to say other than it feels like an authentic presentation of its source material, and what's more is that it's capably encoded on a dual-layered disc and runs at a very supportive bit rate from start to finish, typically hovering right around the 70-80Mbps mark. Simply put, this is a great-looking disc that fans will love, even if the Blu-ray comparatively holds its own as well.

Companion 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Dolby Atmos mix isn't far behind, offering strong sonic support with a decently immersive presentation that doesn't push the genre's envelope but still easily gets the job done. A heavy mood is established at critical moments, while the excellent original score -- including a lovely main theme that plays over the opening titles -- is provided by composer Hrishikesh Hirway, who's apparently released several albums under the band name "The One A.M Radio". (Incidentally, I've owned his first album The Hum of the Electric Air! since the early 2000s, so perhaps I'll try to pick up more in the near future.) This music, which includes more than a few abstract and atonal elements, does a lot of the heavy sonic lifting and it's no surprise why: Companion only features a handful of characters stuck in a very remote location, so there's not much room for organic surround use save for occasional nature-based ambience including a thunderstorm near the film's climax. As such, dialogue is well prioritized up front and there's occasional channel panning in the form of stray gunshots and other scenes of action, with everything enjoying a generally front-forward presentation that intermittently opens up into substantially more stylized and gripping atmospheric territory.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature and all the extras listed below.

Companion 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed cover art, a matching matte-finish slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption code. The bonus features are unfortunately on the thin side and include three 4-5 minute featurettes with participation from actors Jack Quaid, Sophie Thatcher, Harvey Guillén and Lukas Gage, as well as director Drew Hancock, costume designer Vanessa Porter, and other key members of the crew.

• I Feel, Therefore I Am - A general overview of the film's story, themes, and characters, as seen though a handful of interviews and on-set footage. It's fairly promotional in nature but worth a look.

• Love, Eli - Eli and Patrick's relationship is compared and contrasted with that of Iris and Josh in this like-minded piece. Oddly enough, though, all the goddamn swear words are fuckin' bleeped out.

• AI Horror - Similar to the first piece, this general featurette offers a slightly more in-depth examination of certain character motivations as well as a welcome look at the film's use of practical and visual effects.

Companion 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Writer-director Drew Hancock's Companion is a subversive and engaging sci-fi thriller with elements of horror and comedy as well as a boatload of twists and turns along the way. It's a little light on actual story and contains a few nagging plot holes but easily gets by thanks to terrific performances, strong cinematography, great music, and well-done special effects. This is the kind of movie that works best if you go in blind yet it should still hold up to repeat viewings, which means that Warner Bros.' separate 4K and Blu-ray editions are worth a purchase depending on your format of choice. Each boasts proportionately solid A/V merits and only a few extras. Firmly Recommended.