HBO Max subscribers looking for a superbly entertaining thriller to watch should definitely consider checking out Companion while it's still on the service - but if they do, they should go in completely blind and avoid all trailers. Available to stream right now HBO Max, Companion released earlier this year to rave reviews from critics, earning an impressive 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and securing a strong 89% audience score in the process.
Companion, directed by Drew Hancock and starring Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid, premiered in theaters on January 31 and grossed $36.7 million against a $10 million budget. It's one of the higher-rated new movie releases of 2025 to date, and is even better if you go in knowing as little as possible. I highly encourage anyone that hasn't seen it yet to seek it out ASAP on HBO Max, especially if they know nothing about it. The rest of this article will discuss what was ruined in the marketing, but won't go into actual Companion spoilers.
Is Companion Streaming? Where And When To Watch It
Companion didn't hit theaters all that long ago, but the movie is hitting streaming sooner than most would have expected.
Basically, the plot of Companion is that a company is selling highly advanced companion robots that can be programmed to do whatever their human owners want. The first act of Companion showcases the relationship between Sophie Thatcher's character Iris and Jack Quaid's character Josh, detailing their affection for one another and how Iris is insecure about what Josh's friends think about her. As events in the film progress, it is eventually revealed that Iris is a companion robot, which could have been a shocking twist that left the rest of the movie unpredictable if Companion's plot wasn't given away by the trailers.
You Should Watch Companion Without Looking Anything Up
Movie trailers have a long history of showing way too much, and while the argument can be made that Companion would have been way harder to market without revealing this detail, it's still a shame that it was ruined for so many. The rest of Companion after the initial twist is still a blast, offering a wildly entertaining blend of horror, comedy, and sci-fi thriller, but those that go in without knowing that Iris is a robot will likely come away with an even higher opinion of the film.
It's because of situations like this that I try to avoid seeing movie trailers whenever possible. I purposefully arrive at movies after showtime to try to avoid most of the trailers, but I'm still subjected to some of them. As far as upcoming movies go, I'm greatly looking forward to Weapons on August 8, a film by one of Companion's producers, Barbarian director Zach Cregger.
- Release Date
- January 31, 2025
- Runtime
- 97 minutes
- Director
- Drew Hancock
- Writers
- Drew Hancock
- Producers
- Roy Lee, Zach Cregger, J.D. Lifshitz, Raphael Margules, Josh Mack
Cast
-
Sophie ThatcherIris -
Jack QuaidJosh -
Lukas GagePatrick -
Megan SuriKat
