HBO Max's Sci-Fi Thriller With Near-Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score Is One Of Its Best

2 hours ago 4

Published Apr 23, 2026, 5:40 PM EDT

Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more.

Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics."

HBO Max subscribers can find many exciting sci-fi releases on the streaming service, and one of the genre's best movies on the streamer is this intense sci-fi thriller that was released just one year ago. Those looking for sci-fi movies and shows will have a field day on HBO Max. After all, the streamer's library of TV shows includes Westworld, Raised by Wolves, Station Eleven, and many more.

Some of HBO Max's best movies also come from the genre, with sci-fi hits like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dune & Dune: Part Two, Inception, and more helping make the streamer's roster of genre movies a treasure trove of iconic releases. In recent years, the sci-fi genre has grown in exciting new ways, with both big-budget and lower-budget genre movies finding success either on streaming or in theaters.

2026's sci-fi movie lineup follows that trend, with smaller releases like Markiplier's Iron Lung and Project Hail Mary both being very successful within their scopes. On streaming, Mercy became a global hit on Prime Video, while War Machine took the lead on Netflix. Now, for those looking at an intense sci-fi movie that transcends just that genre to enter thriller territory with bloody deaths, a harrowing twist, and a moral debate, there is a must-watch on HBO Max.

Companion was released in theaters on January 31, 2025. With a contained budget of just $10 million, the movie needed to land in the $20 million to $25 million range by the end of its box office run to break even. It accomplished that, standing at a $36.7 million total. Companion is available on HBO Max, and the movie is one of the best sci-fi offerings on the streamer for multiple reasons.

Companion's Positive Reception Places It Among The Best Movies On HBO Max

Companion's box office success was aided by the sci-fi movie's overwhelmingly positive reception. On Rotten Tomatoes, Companion boasts a near-perfect 93% critics' score, landing the coveted Certified Fresh status. The sci-fi thriller also achieved a high audience score at 88%. Companion's critics' consensus commended the R-rated movie for putting "the demented into domestic bliss" and having more to say than just its plot twists.

Companion's positive reception from critics and the audience alike put it among the best movies on HBO Max. The R-rated sci-fi thriller finds itself in the company of movies like Dune: Part Two, The Batman, Weapons, Barbie, and more varied releases that managed to land well on both sides of the coin, having the necessary style and substance to make them soar.

In ScreenRant's Companion review, critic Alex Harrison gave the sci-fi thriller movie a 7 out of 10 score. According to the writer, "this entertaining thriller is built to last." Harrison notes how Companion works because it does not try to be too clever for its own good. It has clear themes that it wants to explore, but does so with the right dose of levity and darkness, having the goal of entertaining above all and delivering a thrilling experience.

Why Companion Is Worth Watching On HBO Max

Iris (Sophie Thatcher) looks on while standing in a grocery store in Companion

Companion hinges on the performances of Jack Quaid (The Boys) and Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets). Quaid gives life to Josh Beeman, who starts the story as a charismatic, if not the brightest boyfriend to his perfect girlfriend, Thatcher's Iris. After a terrible event leads to Iris murdering a man in self-defense, she discovers that her life is a lie, as Iris is a companion robot that Josh is renting.

From that moment on, everything shifts, as Companion descends into true thriller territory that allows Thatcher to play a complex character who is just starting to understand her limits and the real world, and Quaid to showcase how he can be a serious, menacing villain, the polar opposite of his star-making The Boys turn as Hughie. Companion is an action-packed, thoughtful, intense, and above all, entertaining ride, making it the perfect sci-fi movie to watch on HBO Max.