I’ve just come out of a screening for Drew Hancock’s “Companion.” I had to see it, the reviews have been stellar since the embargo lifted yesterday — 89% on Rotten Tomatoes and 78 on Metacritic. I expect these scores to go slightly down as the film isn’t that good, but it’s still very much worth seeing, especially for a January release.
Apart from some minor quibbles I had with the final stretch, “Companion” works. It’s amazing the kind of things you can do with sci-fi on a budget that’s reported to be under $10M. No, really, this film has creativity and style to spare.
I refused to watch the trailer, which I’d heard revealed way too much, but having now seen the trailer, it actually doesn’t spoil most of the twists. I still recommend you go in not knowing a thing about it — the main twist, which occurs at around the 30-minute mark, does get revealed in the ads. But there’s many more surprises in store for the viewer.
Starring Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid, “Companion,” follows a weekend getaway among friends at a remote cabin, which unravels into chaos after a revelation upends the festivities. I won’t say more. Just go in cold if you can. The first 70 or so minutes are immensely entertaining.
Hancock, who also wrote the script, has given us his feature directing debut, and he shows a lot of promise here. The staging of the shots, the pacing, and atmosphere-building is exemplary. I just wished he could have controlled himself a bit during the climax which is a tad too over the top. I adored Sophie Thatcher as Iris.
No surprise then that Zach Cregger is the producer on this one — there are definitely “Barbarian” vibes here. Warner Bros. is distributing the film which is set for January 31, 2025 theatrical release.
Netflix and Skydance Animation have also called it quits. The two sides announced Monday that they're ending the animated film deal struck back in 2023, framing it as a mutual decision.