The first great movie of 2025

How can you even start talking about “Companion” without giving away the game? Before we go any further, let me get something off my chest: a lot of people have become spoiler-phobic. At some point, some people decided so any and all Part of the movie is considered a spoiler. Maybe it has to do with how the now-fading Marvel Cinematic Universe dominates the cinematic landscape and It turned spoilers into such a big dealMaybe not. All I know is that people can be really angry about what they consider to be spoilers. Even talking about the smallest details about the movie can infuriate someone who says out loud, “Thanks for ruining things, you idiot!” To be clear: I don’t think marketing-approved details — things that appear in an official synopsis or trailer — count as spoilers. If the studio is announcing these details in advance, it’s clearly fair game. However… “Companion,” the new horror film from writer-director Drew Hancock, presents me with an interesting and somewhat difficult dilemma.

Late last year, First teaser for “Companion” It was dropped and immediately caused a stir among fans of the genre. The images were striking, evocative, and even shocking, all while offering absolutely nothing about the film’s story. It was a really exciting teaser, the perfect way to build hype for a movie. In my humble opinion, the teaser was so effective that the folks at Warner Bros. They could have stopped there and released the film without any additional marketing. But that’s not what happened. Instead, as the release date approaches, A.J A new trailer for “Companion” has arrived. -And he gave the game away. To be fair, the trailer still plays things (mostly) close to the vest. However, it also reveals one of the film’s biggest twists. And part of me can’t help but think that the movie would have played better if these details had remained a secret. At the same time, as I now review the film, I have to ask myself an important question: How much do I have to give up here? I have to say that I strive to keep my reviews as spoiler-free as possible. However, the people responsible for marketing “Companion” have already let the cat out of the bag.

So let me issue a friendly warning: With the film’s official marketing in mind, nothing I say here will be a spoiler. However, if you’ve somehow avoided watching the latest “Companion” trailer, you’ll probably be back now. Just know that “Companion” is the first great movie of 2025 — a funny, fast-moving, sharply crafted horror thriller with a killer performance from lead Sophie Thatcher.

As “Companion” opens, self-proclaimed “nice guy” Josh (Jack Quaid) and his girlfriend Iris (Sophie Thatcher) are heading out for a weekend in the woods with some of Josh’s friends. The iris is tense. She thinks Josh’s friends don’t like her, especially Josh’s best friend Kat (Megan Suri). Others on the getaway include Kat’s Russian boyfriend Sergei (Robert’s friend), and cute couple Eli (Harvey Guillen) and Patrick (Lucas Gage, Who was recently seen smashing his face in “Smile 2”). While Kat actually gives Iris the cold shoulder almost immediately, and Sergei is creepy and vaguely threatening, Eli and Patrick seem to be genuinely nice to Iris. Meanwhile, it’s clear that Iris is completely devoted to Josh, almost obsessively. She is not ashamed to confess her love, and treats Josh as the most important person in her world.

And there’s a big reason for that: Iris is a robot under Josh’s control. The film keeps these details secret for as long as possible, and again, I’m at a loss about revealing them here. But it’s in the trailer, and it’s hard to talk about “Companion” without mentioning it. All that said, I’ll admit that knowing this big twist in advance (I saw the film the same day the revealing trailer dropped) didn’t hurt the film for me. In fact, there are subtle and clever clues to Iris’s true nature scattered throughout the early scenes, and knowing the twists helps you spot them while adding to the enjoyment.

Iris has no idea that she’s actually a cuddly robot, the kind of faux friend that our geeky tech brethren only dream of. She is so convinced that she is a real person, she does not realize that Josh is able to control her actions via an app on his phone. But all that is about to change in a big and disturbing way. After something goes wrong (with bloody consequences), Iris is shocked to learn that her entire life has been a lie. It is not an independent human being, it is a manufactured piece of hardware. Her lover, Josh, is not her boyfriend, but rather her owner. What would a highly skilled, extremely powerful human-like robot with advanced artificial intelligence do?

“Comrade” balances difficult relationship issues with questions of morality, autonomy, empathy, morality, and compassion. What do we as humans owe to artificial beings who seem capable of thinking and feeling? Are Iris’s emotions and feelings real? How “intelligent” is intelligent AI? Do androids dream of electric sheep? These questions pile up, and yet “The Comrade” doesn’t get too involved in them. Let’s not confuse matters: this is a smart film, but in the end, the film doesn’t want to deliver a message, it wants to shock and entertain, and it does so with gusto. When we get down to brass tacks, this is a B movie with a shiny sheen, and I say that with love and affection.

Constantly funny and surprising, “The Companion” is smart when it needs to be, without ever forgetting to excite. I’m deliberately avoiding saying too much about what’s going on here, but just know that Hancock’s script keeps making twists and turns that never feel cheap or unearned. Furthermore, the writer-director is building an excellent world here. Without resorting to cliched exposition, we learn everything we need to know about how Iris works, and within the logic of the film, it all makes sense. It would be all too easy for Hancock and company to take easy shortcuts to get the job done, but “Companion” plays it fair while also creating its own sense of reality. In other words, this movie about a sex robot gone crazy feels about as believable as a movie about a sex robot gone crazy can feel, and that’s kind of impressive.

It helps that the cast is game, especially Thatcher, who is designed and styled to be as engaging as possible here, while doing a great job of making Iris feel like a fully realized character. we He knows That when you get right down to it, Iris is neither TRUE person. However, we can’t help but sympathize with her and support her at every turn. It is more humanitarian than humanitarian. Quaid, with long arms and a goofy smile, is also very good, playing the quintessential “good guy” who never stops to think carefully about his decisions.

With shades of Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, “twilight zone” “Black Mirror,” “Gone Girl,” and even “I Spit on Your Grave” and “Companion,” he’s not shy about putting his influences on his covers. However, the film never comes across as derivative, often feeling fresh and energetic, full of wild, funny energy that keeps you addicted and exhilarated. Even at its darkest and bloodiest, that is Hazar The movie, oh my goodness, it felt so refreshing to enjoy watching movies again. This is Drew Hancock’s first feature film, and he immediately proves himself as a filmmaker to watch out for.

Would “Companion” have been a better movie if I hadn’t known about the twist on Iris’ entrance? I’ll never be able to say for sure. However, this prior knowledge certainly didn’t hurt the movie for me. In fact, it ultimately makes “Companion” the kind of movie that will definitely be fun to revisit so you can spot all the little hints and clues that are thrown in early on, making the entire endeavor that much more enjoyable in the end.

January is often considered a wasteful place, as studios send films to die. But “Al-Rafiq” is proof that the beginning of the year does not have to be dedicated to forgotten trash and waste. I firmly believe I’ll still be thinking about ‘mate’ even come December 2025 – it’s a very good thing. Moviegoers often shout that they want new, original films rather than more remakes and endless sequels. Well, here you go. “Companion” is exactly what you are looking for. Don’t miss it.

/ Movie rating: 9 out of 10

“Companion” will be released in theaters on January 31, 2025.