Directed by:
Michael CrichtonScreenplay:
Michael CrichtonCinematography:
Gene PolitoComposer:
Fred KarlinCast:
Richard Benjamin, Yul Brynner, James Brolin, Norman Bartold, Victoria Shaw, Alan Oppenheimer, Dick Van Patten, Linda Gaye Scott, Majel Barrett (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
For $1,000 a day, vacationers can indulge whims at the theme park called Westworld. They can bust up a bar or bust out of jail, drop in on a brothel or get the drop on a gunslinger. It's all safe: the park's lifelike androids are programmed never to harm the customers. But not all droids are getting with the programme. Michael Crichton wrote and made his directing debut with this futuristic thriller that heralded moviemaking's future as the first feature to use digitized images. Richard Benjamin and James Brolin portray pals confronted by a simulated reality turned real. And Yul Brynner is their stalking, spur-jangling nemesis. It's man vs machine - in a tomorrow that isn't big enough for the both of them. (Roadshow Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (6)
A very unconventional sci-fi film set in the wild west. The story is not exactly brimming with action and suspense, but watching good old cowboy fights makes the viewer feel at home and the special atmosphere adds colour. The best, however, is Yul Brynner, who fits perfectly into the plot with his uncompromising gaze. It's not a smash hit, but it's a nice and original spectacle for one viewing.
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Crichton may be a writing mastermind at evoking the hidden dangers of technological toys, but the actual result of his work behind the camera is reminiscent of his scientists' creations - a semi-functional vehicle that beckons with original tinsel, but which shuts down at the first dramatic collision. Yul Brynner walks around fiercely over eighty-eight minutes, but in hindsight, it feels more ridiculous than threatening. It took two decades for an eccentric billionaire to fish lizards out of mosquitoes in a similar vein. PS: The idea is so strong that despite the shabby treatment, I actually understand Abrams and Nolan's need to turn it into a series.
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An interesting sci-fi film, reflecting the anxieties and dark visions of Western society in the 70s. It was a time when the green movement emerged, criticism of the consumerist lifestyle spread, and fear of an over-technologized future emerged. Crichton's film is about how seemingly perfect technology turns against people and the robots that are meant to serve in an amusement park massacre both customers and staff. Yul Brynner plays the lead role of a rebellious gunslinger robot. I was somewhat bothered by the combination of sci-fi and western genres, but it was understandably a positive aspect for the American market. Overall impression: 55%.
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The massive potential is wasted, but quite possibly this is due to when it was filmed. Yul Brynner is excellent, but we see very little of him. Surprising good music. This is begging for a remake; shame that one with Schwarzenegger didn’t work out.
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Even a robot has only one nerve, so when Yull Brynner gets shot by a laughing vacationer for the umpteenth time, it just can't end well :) I once loved Westworld immensely, and I still vividly remember the horror that gripped me especially at the end, when everything is at stake. Well, after years the film has dried out a bit and it must be admitted that it drags on almost unbearably in places, but fortunately its idea remained the same.
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It's such a strange, peculiar film that I stopped enjoying it towards the end, but it has ideas. It's obvious that Crichton knew how to come up with a good story and make it interesting. It can't take away from its interesting visual and special effects execution, which is great in places. But as it progressed, I didn't pay much attention to it anymore.
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