“Companion”

(Science-Fiction/Thriller: 1 hour, 37 minutes)

Starring: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid and Lukas Gage

Director: Drew Hancock

Rated: R (Strong violence, sexual content, and strong language)

Movie Review:

“Companion” is one of the best intelligent, original surprises as a cinematic debut. It is a science-fiction thriller with some embedded dark humor by Drew Hancock, a mainly teleplay writer and director. It also may be one of the better-advertised movies. The trailers give just enough to understand the story without giving away too much of the plot. It is uniquely invigorating and well-executed.

Iris, played by Sophie Thatcher from 2024’s “Heretic” and the television series “Yellowjackets,” and her boyfriend Josh, Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Jack Quaid, to a remote countryside place. There, they join three friends, Kat (Megan Suri), Eli (Harvey Guillén) and Patrick (Lukas Gage) at the spacious summer house of a Russian oligarch Sergey (Rupert Friend). While there, a murder happens, which starts a chain of events that progressively become more dreadful.

Hancock’s script becomes a thriller filled with surprises. He constantly weaves in new material so viewers cannot predict what is next. These continual revelations inspire one to find other hidden nuggets before they are revealed.

But without giving anything away, “Companion” involves artificial intelligence (AI). Knowledge of such will not stop the surprises this movie contains. This movie uses this new technology in a shocking and inspiring manner simultaneously.

Plus, the cast nicely plays their roles. They provide suspenseful moments that make them all attractive and memorable, even those with unscrupulous intentions. The dialogue by Hancock (“Tenacious D: Time Fixers, 2006”) is also engrossing, especially moments concerning love in relationships. These elements make “Companion” the perfect movie to view with a companion.

Grade: B+ (Expect the unexpected with this perfect movie for you and your companion.)

“Valiant One”

(Action/Thriller: 1 hour, 26 minutes)

Starring: Chase Stokes, Lana Condor, Desmin Borges, Daniel Jun and Jonathan Whitesell

Director: Steve Barnett

Rated: R (Violence, and language throughout.)

Movie Review:

“Valiant One” is a military survival movie. It is an energetic thriller action movie for nearly its entire runtime.

Several military personnel must find their way out of North Korea after their helicopter crashes during a technical mission. Sergeant Edward Brockman (Stokes) becomes the group’s reluctant leader after the mission’s senior officers’ deaths. He is a military tech specialist, who wants to work for a Silicon Valley technology giant in the future. He is not suited for the battlefield, something he expresses after his selection for this mission. Regardless of his doubts, he must quickly become the team’s leader and get them through multiple incursions with hostile combatants in the Demilitarized Zone.

In between all the running and shooting, “Valiant One” does something nice; it gives you a little chance to know the men and women in uniform and the one civilian technical specialist assigned to them. Director Steve Barnett in his directorial debut and his team offer audiences a chance to know individuals of this armed forces group through good performances. Barnett and fellow writers provide motives for why they wish to serve their country. This makes the movie invitingly tangible when the action becomes redundant and the plot typical.

Grade: B- (Valiant enough to complete the mission.)

“Dog Man”

(Animation: 1 hour, 29 minutes)

Starring: Pete Davidson, Lil Rel Howery and Isla Fisher

Director: Peter Hastings

Rated: PG (Action/violence and rude humor)

Movie Review:

“Dog Man” is an animated movie based on Dav Pilkey’s series of children’s novels. Entertaining, it stretches the imagination, even for a kid movie. The plot lacks focus with several subplots that are all over the place.

Petey the Cat (Davidson) is a diabolical feline nemesis to OK City and the municipality’s police department under the administration of its chief (Howery). Police officer Knight (Hastings) and his canine companion Greg are injured while trying to capture Petey. A medical staff team decides to take Greg’s good head and place it on the good body of Officer Knight. Thus, Dog Man (also voiced by Hastings) is created and becomes a hero to the city by repeatedly arresting Petey.

“Dog Man” has cute endearing moments that allow this movie to shine. Like a robot in this movie called 80-HD, a play on the acronym for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, this movie suffers from a cinematic equivalent of that disorder.

The story has five tangents that finally all come together to form one movie. The problem is multiple storylines also have digressions that do not help. Several of Dav Pilkey’s book renderings appear jumbled together. Additionally, action sequences go over the top, even for the wacky universe in which these characters exist.

Grade: C (Nothing to bow wow at.)