The Horror Thread 2U • Page 945

Companion was really fun. I’ve seen people complain that it doesn’t have anything new or interesting to say and I definitely agree but I don’t think the movie was really trying to be anything other than dumb and clever and fun, so I didn’t really care? It was at its worst when it got serious but that’s a very tiny fraction of the movie

 

Nosferatu is already on Peacock? Nice!

 

second viewing of I Saw the TV Glow. even better this go-around

 

I need to rewatch that

 

I’ve seen it at least five times now. Better each time.

 

As unsubtle as the comparison of men controlling women and robots is, it's just really, really well executed in a movie that has a blast with its premise.

 

I watched Companion today as well and loved it. I do wish I hadn’t known about Iris being a robot because that would have been a fun reveal going in blind. It didn’t dampen my enjoyment at all, just would have been a neat moment. I wasn’t spoiled about Patrick being a robot but I did read a review that hinted there was another so I kind of figured that would end up being the case because I was actively looking for who might be displaying the characteristics. The bit that did get a good surprise out of me was when the Empathix employees tell Josh that Iris records everything she sees and that her memory is actually stored in her stomach, not her head, and then they walk out of the house and nonchalantly reveal that they know he’s lying and totally murdered her and that he’s “fucked.” That got a good laugh out of me.

A moment that stood out the most to me was that Patrick’s inserted memory of his meet cute with Eli is immediately followed up by a celebratory dance number and that’s all we ever see. When we see Iris’s inserted meet cute with Josh, we then cut to Josh having sex with her immediately, which is the real first time they met in his apartment after he unboxed her. So for Josh that really is all she ever was to him, but we never see the actual meeting between Eli and Patrick because it doesn’t matter how that played out. As Patrick tells Eli, “it’s real to me” and because Eli actually genuinely loves Patrick, it’s real to him too. Even when Josh tried to override the memory and place himself there in Eli’s place, his objectification couldn’t overcome love. Josh’s meet cute was also the inverse of Eli’s where, in his, Josh chooses the option that makes him a lovable oaf, which is all part of his deceptive charm. Eli chooses the option where Patrick is the one who clumsily steps on Eli’s costume - a costume that accentuates his short stature and notably makes his own voice seem small in Patrick’s memory - thereby giving Patrick a chance to apologize and Eli the chance to forgive him as they “fall in love at first sight”. So Eli’s choice puts them on an even playing field. Appreciated that little touch.