Out of nowhere came Companion. Paul Chato from YouTube, who’s an ex-TV producer (and worth a follow), mentioned it the other day. He said about not spoiling anything, but to just watch it. Which is what I did… and you should too.
The cast for Companion is Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suir, Harvey Gullen, and Rupert Friend. Drew Hancock is the writer/director and he nails it.
The Story
I’m not going to spoil the story, but if you have seen the poster you might guess what it is. It’s the old trope: a group of people in a cabin in the woods. However this is, I think, a very original take on it.
Three couples head to a house in the woods. It’s not a cabin but it’s a playboy’s house with all the mod-cons. The first act introduces you to everyone; one of the girls, doesn’t like the other one, there’s a rich Russian who owns the house, and a gay couple.
Everything is going nicely until one of them ends up dead. Acts two and three, then turn the ‘cabin in the woods’ theme on its head.
As I said, I’m not going to spoil it, but I would highly recommend Companion for a good, fun watch.
No Spoilers
This is going to be a weird review because I don’t want to spoil the story. If you have seen the poster you might guess where it’s going, but that is only the tip of the iceberg.
I found Companion to be a very well-thought-out thriller, with a dark sense of humor. The cast is excellent, especially Thatcher, who plays Iris. She’s the focus of the movie and she carries it well. That’s not taking anything away from the others. Friend is having the most fun, chewing the scenery.
Companion worked because everyone was having fun and serving it up a little tongue-in-cheek. This is a dark comedy, with a good sense of humor.
It was also nice to see things thought out properly. There are setups that pay off later and it’s just clever, not overly, but in a fun way. There are probably some major plot holes that I missed, but honestly, it doesn’t matter in a movie like this. It’s not taking itself seriously, it’s having fun so the audience can.
Overall
Sorry this review is so short, but honestly, if you go into Companion blind, as I did, you’re in for a treat. This might even be one of my Favourites of the Year already.
It starts as the same old trope but puts a very clever twist on it and is just an enjoyable ride. It’s not the most amazing movie in the world, but it was nice to see something original, at least, a new take on an old, worn-out story.
I highly recommend Companion. Try to miss all the spoilers, posters, and reviews, find it, stick it on, and have fun with an original script and a good cast of characters. We might have to update this, which will include spoilers. If you have seen it already, try and keep the talkback spoiler-free. It should be a criminal offense to spoil movies for others.
Companion is still on at some cinemas, or on Apple TV. Watch it, you’ll have fun. I’m giving it a solid 4.5 out of 5, which will probably go to a 5 out of 5, with some rewatches, which I will definitely be doing.
