Featured Audience Ratings

• Daniel M

  
  People always complain about film adaptations of books never living up to the source material, and yet when novelists turn to filmmaking the results are hardly extraordinary. The problem is often that novelists are so attentive to verbal content that they neglect the visual… More
  People always complain about film adaptations of books never living up to the source material, and yet when novelists turn to filmmaking the results are hardly extraordinary. The problem is often that novelists are so attentive to verbal content that they neglect the visual characteristics of great cinema. Stephen King's adaptation of The Shining may follow the original story more closely, but it isn't half as scary or discomforting as the Stanley Kubrick version. With Westworld, the task is made doubly difficult by the sheer number of genres involved. Michael Crichton's first film contains elements of pretty much every genre apart from rom-com, musical and gothic horror. It's an odd little number, shifting rapidly from western and action-adventure elements into conspiracy thriller territory, borrowing from horror as it goes along. While it never quite comes through with the goods in the way that we would like, it remains an interesting debut effort and a decent 1970s cult film. The first thing in Westworld's favour is its achievements on a technical level. It was famously the first film to utilise pixelated graphics, showing certain short sections of the action from the androids' point of view. Original footage shot on celluloid was scanned into a computer and processed digitally, creating a blurred and distorted image which makes Yul Brynner's killings seem all the more merciless. The old-fashioned effects are pretty good as well. To create the effect of acid being thrown into Brynner's face, the production team mixed ground-up indigestion tablets into his make-up; when water was thrown at it, it would fizz to give the impression of skin being dissolved. The make-up and prop-making in general is impressive, particularly when it comes to the robots themselves. Brynner's face mask is very life-like, and seeing his charred body stagger into close-up without a face is quite creepy. Westworld's chief significance, however, is in its influence on subsequent thrillers. Crichton would rework the central premise of an elaborate amusement park gone wrong for Jurassic Park, one of Steven Spielberg's biggest and best blockbusters. Yul Brynner's Gunslinger was the Terminator of its day, with the same jerky, mechanical posture and relentless desire to kill. And there is some discussion about robots being indistinguishable from humans and being used as "sex models", subjects which would later be tackled in Blade Runner. The various worlds of the Delos complex allow Westworld to dip in and out of various genres, picking and choosing as it sees fit. It only becomes a conspiracy thriller in its third act, with the duel between Yul Brynner and Richard Benjamin becoming the driving force of the plot against a background of total chaos. In fact, one of the weaknesses of Westworld is that it dabbles a little too much. It gets so distracted by the various sub-plots - for instance, the knights duelling in Mediaeval World - that when all hell breaks loose, you don't feel quite so threatened by it. The film attempts to address a number of ideas which have become archetypal of low-budget 1970s cinema. Most obviously, it deals with the idea of a perfect machine going wrong, and by extension how mankind's increasing dependence upon technology will eventually come back to haunt them. But whereas Kubrick approached this idea from a conceptual or philosophical platform in both Dr. Strangelove and 2001, Crichton is more interested in the mechanics of such a rebellion. It is not so much a case of discussing morality as predicting the course of destruction that would occur, with Crichton steering closer to the work of Arthur C. Clarke in his matter-of-fact treatment of technology. The Delos complex functions like the robots which populate it. On the surface it may appear incredibly sophisticated and refined, but it is ultimately a very fragile creature, reliant on constant input and highly sensitive to changes in its surroundings. Long sections of the film focus on the scientists surrounded by computer banks, endlessly checking temperatures and humidity levels, tweaking the system to respond to individual needs and weeding out any renegades. The repair sessions which take place at night resemble the A&E ward of a hospital, with doctors working against the clock just to maintain the status quo. Westworld also tackles the idea of mankind's nostalgia for the past. Like Deliverance a year earlier, its characters make the trip to experience an alternative to their carefully ordered, incredibly dull lives. There is the same desire to 'be at one with nature' or live in the past, while at the same time romanticising it. If, as Alfred Hitchcock said, drama is reality with all the dull bits cut out, then Westworld contains all that is fun and jolly about the American West without any of the drawbacks - disease, death, boredom or hard work. Within this there is also a comment about the compartmentalisation of violence, and the difference between the simulated world and the reality. Part of what attracts our heroes to Westworld is the ability to get away with murder on a daily basis. They can go around firing off guns without fear of getting killed or being thrown out; when Richard Benjamin is thrown in jail, it is merely the set-up for the jokey stunt that gets him out. Yet when things turn nasty and reality intervenes, Benjamin runs instead of confronting Brynner; even though the latter is still a robot, our hero cannot bring himself to practice what he has preached up until that point. While all of these ideas are enticing, they are somewhat undercut by the film's execution. Crichton, for all his skill as a writer, is not a brilliant director, at least when it comes to sustaining and building tension. Because the film was shot using anamorphic lenses on MGM's sound stages, it looks a lot more professional than something equally ideas-driven like The Clonus Horror. But the tone remains uneven, so that even when it works really well you can't help wishing the whole film had been as good. This is exemplified by Fred Karlin's erratic soundtrack, which dithers between subtle underplay and energetic bursts in the manner of Bernard Hermann. The performances in Westworld vary from the intensely memorable to the completely forgettable. Brynner is great, sending up his role in The Magnificent Seven right down to wearing the same costume. He exudes menace and tenacity, and his delivery manages to sound stilted without tipping over into comedy. His co-stars, however, fare less well. James Brolin - father of Josh - is decent but has little in the way of character development, and Peter Morgan is not charismatic enough to carry the final section on his own. Without the Gunslinger constantly hunting him, the film would fall completely flat. Westworld is an entertaining and insightful film hamstrung only by its uneven execution. Its campy visual style may have dated, and it isn't constructed half as consistently as many would have liked. But when it does pull itself together, it meets all the requirements of a decent 90-minute thriller, giving us enough in the way of both ideas and suspense to sustain our attention. A decent start to Crichton's career in film, which would culminate twenty years later.

• AJ V

  
  I half liked this movie and I half dislike it. The whole robots going crazy thing is always a plus for me, but I didn't care for much of the actors, and the movie is slow for the most part too. I don't know, see it for yourself.

• Conner R

  
  Probably one of the greatest science fiction premises of all time, the idea of a theme park turning into a death trap is just ingenious. So there's really no way this can be as good of a movie, the expectations become too high. There's nothing all that wrong with it at all.… More
  Probably one of the greatest science fiction premises of all time, the idea of a theme park turning into a death trap is just ingenious. So there's really no way this can be as good of a movie, the expectations become too high. There's nothing all that wrong with it at all. In fact it's pretty flawless for the first hour, it's just in the last 30min where it loses momentum. I will give it to Yul Brynner, this was a smart career move. Virtually no acting was required since he is a high functioning android in real life. Too bad James Brolin wasn't the surviving character, he was way more interesting and believable as a protagonist who has to survive mayhem.

• Randy T

  
  A bit of nostalgia that becomes a little less ominous and a little more ridiculous with each passing year.

• Michael G

  
  Westworld is possibly one of the most overrated exercises in drawn-out nonsense known to man. Granted, this was probably Michael Crichton's monumental fuck up that allowed him to get Jurassic Park halfway right (if you think about it they're the same thing) but that… More
  Westworld is possibly one of the most overrated exercises in drawn-out nonsense known to man. Granted, this was probably Michael Crichton's monumental fuck up that allowed him to get Jurassic Park halfway right (if you think about it they're the same thing) but that doesn't make Westworld any easier to watch. Yeah, yeah. An interactive amusement park that recreates the wild west with robots that go haywire and start killing people. The movie was still about a half hour too long (never thought I'd say that about a 90-minute movie.) I'll give half a star for Dick Van Patten's voice, another half for the genuine creepiness of the Yul Bynner robot right before it died, another half for James Brolin's hair and the last half for the 70s hotness/robot sex. More specifically, Arlette. Mmm. Arlette...

• Anthony L

  
  Classic sci-fi from Michael Crichton and the inspiration for Jurassic Park

• Drew S

  
  I was surprisingly invested in this. Yul Brynner's performance is deceptively complex and it really projects a great deal of thought. If at all possible, he humanizes this robot. The film itself is a little slow at times, using drawn-out chase scenes to pad the low budget (they… More
  I was surprisingly invested in this. Yul Brynner's performance is deceptively complex and it really projects a great deal of thought. If at all possible, he humanizes this robot. The film itself is a little slow at times, using drawn-out chase scenes to pad the low budget (they used a bunch of stock sets for the environments), but otherwise it remains compelling. Some of the imagery is especially evocative and even haunting. Highly recommended for the discerning sci-fi fan.

• Lafe F

  
  Before Jurassic Park, there was Westworld! An earlier work from the same writer, Michael Crichton, it involves a theme park got wrong. It's the kind of place I would like to go! Android "actors" inhabit the three worlds of the park: Roman World, Medieval World and West… More
  Before Jurassic Park, there was Westworld! An earlier work from the same writer, Michael Crichton, it involves a theme park got wrong. It's the kind of place I would like to go! Android "actors" inhabit the three worlds of the park: Roman World, Medieval World and West World. I would have such a fun time there. Human guests can basically role play as much as they want. Sadly, in this movie, the androids malfunction and go on a killing spree after all humans. A suspenseful action film. I wondered what I would do in such a situation. Great concept for a theme park and a movie. I guess if they had a plot where everything ran smoothly and the androids didn't go on a killing spree, it wouldn't be very exciting. I rate this highly.

• Jason S

  
  I liked the movie but I think it could use a face lift in the form of a remake. The whole idea behind the movie is a good one and I liked all the characters we were given but the end fell a little flat. There was a whole action sequence at the end with no music and it was too… More
  I liked the movie but I think it could use a face lift in the form of a remake. The whole idea behind the movie is a good one and I liked all the characters we were given but the end fell a little flat. There was a whole action sequence at the end with no music and it was too noticeable that it was missing. It felt anti climatic.

• Tsubaki S

  
  Not so dear hollywood: We need more movies these days about cowboy robots going berserk and killing people.

• Curtis L

  
  I really liked the build up of this movie. Everything up to the disaster part was awesome- great ideas (micheal crichton style) and fun. Once the machines went bad though, all things logical went out the window and nothing made sense anymore, nor was it that exciting or fun. It was… More
  I really liked the build up of this movie. Everything up to the disaster part was awesome- great ideas (micheal crichton style) and fun. Once the machines went bad though, all things logical went out the window and nothing made sense anymore, nor was it that exciting or fun. It was just a guy getting chased and he wins in the end. Might have been a better novel instead.

• xGary X

  
  A bit of a sci-fi cult classic this, in which a theme park populated with life-like androids goes haywire and homicidal whackiness ensues. A bit lacking in substance, but it's a great idea, and Yul Brinner matches Arnie in the robotic acting stakes as a coldly murderous version… More
  A bit of a sci-fi cult classic this, in which a theme park populated with life-like androids goes haywire and homicidal whackiness ensues. A bit lacking in substance, but it's a great idea, and Yul Brinner matches Arnie in the robotic acting stakes as a coldly murderous version of himself in The Magnificent Seven.

• vieras e

  
  I can now see where Cameron got his inspiration for Terminator.

• Stephen E

  
  Michael Crichton's slow-burning sci-fi western tale holds up quite well thanks to an eerie score, awesome concept and solidly creepy performance from Yul Brynner as an android gunslinger. Surprisingly, it hasn't dated as badly as most other classic sci-fi films have and its… More
  Michael Crichton's slow-burning sci-fi western tale holds up quite well thanks to an eerie score, awesome concept and solidly creepy performance from Yul Brynner as an android gunslinger. Surprisingly, it hasn't dated as badly as most other classic sci-fi films have and its themes still seem pretty relevant. I think that its setting and characters could have been explored a little bit more, but as it stands, "Westworld" is an intriguing, original and sometimes bleak look at the setbacks of living in a fantasy world.

• Jonny C

  
  Classic sci-fi movie where futuristic amusement park becomes a deathtrap when the androids and computer systems used in it begin to murderously run amok. Westworld is lighthearted for the first hour, and then when gunslinger android Yul Brynner starts to go haywire and kill for real,… More
  Classic sci-fi movie where futuristic amusement park becomes a deathtrap when the androids and computer systems used in it begin to murderously run amok. Westworld is lighthearted for the first hour, and then when gunslinger android Yul Brynner starts to go haywire and kill for real, things get a little tense. Even though it lacks the thrills and substance of Jurassic Park, but it's still a lot of fun.

• David S

  
  An odd film that mixes up it's genres and when it was released probably caused some confusion. Now anyone who's seen Chrichton's 'Jurassic Park' will know what to expect here but I find this film quite terrifying towards the end when Brynner appears to be… More
  An odd film that mixes up it's genres and when it was released probably caused some confusion. Now anyone who's seen Chrichton's 'Jurassic Park' will know what to expect here but I find this film quite terrifying towards the end when Brynner appears to be unstoppable. The film starts as a sci-fi comedy and Chrichton is clever to have the double act of Brolin (the hero type) and Benjamin (the nerd) playing off each other. When the shock twist occurs halfway through it really surprises you but the film works better for it. It then descends into full blown horror and you can see where Cameron got the inspiration for 'The Terminator' from. The film looks terribly dated now and on repeated viewing you sort of wish the chase could begin sooner but it's still a very good sc-fi film and with this and 'The First Great Train Robbery' Chrichton showed that he was a decent film director (at least of his own material!).

• Sylvester K

  
  We will never forget a sci-fi western, will we?

• Lauren D

  
  I loved the idea of it, and the movie was pretty awesome as well. I can't believe how much James Brolin looked like Christian Bale and that freaked me out for a while. I HATE westerns, but this was much more sci-fi than western, so I enjoyed it quite a bit.

• Jim W

  
  To quote Jeff Goldbluim in Lost World: Jurassic Park "first there's ooh and ahh, then there's running and screaming". That's how WestWorld plays out, which is also from Michael Crichton the writer of Jurassic park. WestWorld is about robots that look… More
  To quote Jeff Goldbluim in Lost World: Jurassic Park "first there's ooh and ahh, then there's running and screaming". That's how WestWorld plays out, which is also from Michael Crichton the writer of Jurassic park. WestWorld is about robots that look human, that make your fantasy vacation come true. Living in a town with cowboys, bar fights and drawers is all fun at first. Then, all the robots go crazy and start killing people. Yul Brynner alone is a good reason to see this movie. He's creepy as a cowboy robot who keeps wanting to have a drawer with one of the guests (Richard Benjaman). So, when he becomes out of control, Benjaman is who he starts to hunt. WestWorld may be old and have it's corny moments but it's still interesting and original. While the last half is still gripping. A remake is rumored for this year but it's not needed.

• alan j

  
  Yul Brynner is the original Terminater. Brolin and Benjamin provide capable performances, but make no mistake, Brynner steals the show and is downright chilling in a fantasy park where the guests live out their dreams..only problem is once the robots are infected with a computer… More
  Yul Brynner is the original Terminater. Brolin and Benjamin provide capable performances, but make no mistake, Brynner steals the show and is downright chilling in a fantasy park where the guests live out their dreams..only problem is once the robots are infected with a computer virus, their dream becomes a nightmare in this finely written story.

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