Stunning AI Horror Tops Max Charts: “A fascinating and refreshing take”
We’re going to be getting a lot of AI horror in the coming years. It’s not M3GAN’s fault, either, though I think that diva bears at least some responsibility. According to the Pew Research Center, 52% of Americans are more concerned than excited about artificial intelligence, a sharp increase from the reported 37% just two years prior. Artificial intelligence is everywhere, and like the most frightening things we can imagine, AI is shapeless. It means so much, and is such a nebulous threat, it’s easy to understand why the country at large is kinda frightened.
And since horror is politics and politics are horror, it makes sense that the current genre landscape would endeavor to reflect those anxieties back at us. It’s not always successful, such as with Subservience and Afraid, and the best examples are less allegorical, more camp. The latest in what’s liable to be a subgenre unto itself is Drew Hancock’s Companion, which is currently the most-streamed horror movie on Max.
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Per Max: When Iris realizes that she is a made-to-order AI companion for her boyfriend, Josh, she must embrace who she is and fight to survive.
Companion won’t work for everyone. If you’re expecting some profound commentary on gender politics or the encroaching threat of AI, you’ll likely leave disappointed. If you instead just want to see Sophie Thatcher play a powered-up sex robot going full Michael Myers, you’ll find a lot of companionship in Companion.
In our 3-star review from earlier this year, we wrote, “Companion asks a lot of really interesting questions about the near future, but ultimately trips up in landing an impactful message. Hancock delivers plenty of shocking surprises and quippy dialogue to keep the film entertaining until the very end. But as the credits roll, you may find yourself feeling empty, wishing for more.” That’s pretty spot-on with my experience. I had fun, but Companion isn’t going to be the consummate commentary on either sex or robotics. At least in retrospect, I can better appreciate what Subservience tried to do.
Still, Companion is a riot with the right expectations, and with the new release now streaming on Max, now’s the time to check it out if you missed the film in theaters earlier this year. When you do, let me know what you think over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
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