The 2025 science-fiction horror movie Companion provides a darkly humorous take on Westworld‘s premise. Inspired by Michael Crichton’s 1973 Westworld movie, the HBO show aired for four seasons from 2016-2022. The series takes place in a future where guests are able to interact with and do as they please with humanoid robots, known as hosts, in a park known as Westworld. This status quo is upended when the hosts begin to gain awareness of their horrifying reality, which leads to Westworld‘s many memorable plot twists.
Like Westworld, Companion takes place in a future where humans have the ability to misuse humanoid robots. The Boys‘ cast member Jack Quaid plays Josh, a disturbed individual who abuses his Sєx robot, Iris (Sophie Thatcher). The trailers show Josh lighting Iris’ hand on fire and smiling as he watches the flames. Similar to Westworld‘s hosts, Iris eventually becomes aware of her situation, and retaliates against Josh and the cruel world that has taken advantage of her.
Companion Takes A Key Westworld Scene & Turns It Into A Black Comedy
Iris Has A Moment Remiscent Of Westworld’s Maeve
One of the most important scenes in Westworld is when the host Maeve Millay (Thandiwe Newton) takes a tablet and adjusts her settings. She has been programmed to have her intelligence and other attributes modified to fit the needs of the character she plays in the park and to ensure that she can be controlled. When Maeve adjusts her settings, she increases her intelligence and other attributes in an empowering scene that sees Maeve taking control of her future.
The Companion trailer features a similar scene, but makes it darkly comical when Iris sees that her intelligence is only programmed to 40%. She dryly says, “Wow, Josh,” before pushing her intelligence up to 100%. The way the scene is presented in the marketing focuses on the dark humor of Josh intentionally making his Sєx robot unintelligent, only for Iris to make herself a genius who will make him suffer. The dark comedy takes precedence over the moment being empowering as it is for Maeve in Westworld.
Companion Continues Sci-Fi’s Ongoing Obsession With Robots Taking Control
It Remains A Timely Topic
Companion releasing approximately nine years after Westworld season 1 debuted is indicative of the science-fiction genre’s ongoing obsession with robots and artificial intelligence taking control of the world. This premise is not unique to Companion or Westworld, with the Matrix and Terminator movies being two other popular examples of the concept being explored. Westworld season 1 sees the hosts becoming aware of their subjugation, but season 2 sees them exercising their free will while in control of the park, and seasons 3 and 4 take this further when the hosts enter the outside world.
Real-world advancements in technology and the increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence makes robots taking control a topic that is still timely to explore. At the same time, Companion and Westworld offer a more sympathetic perspective to the robots, showing from their perspective what it is like to be abused by humans, and for them to become aware of their sentience and ability to use free will. This added nuance to Westworld, but it remains to be seen how nuanced Companion will be.
