WESTWORLD 2016

WESTWORLD 1973
There has been word that there will be a Westworld remake or a series adaptation for television for the past couple of years, and Jonathan Nolan and J.J. Abrams names are tied to the project.

Westworld was the first film that made me fear the dawn of the robot age – that computer embedded and wired life-like human operational machines can take over. Notice that I didn’t mention android or artificial intelligence? The reason being is because this film was released in theaters in 1973. It was very rare that anyone referred an intelligent robot as an android or artificial intelligence to some extent; the terms were far-fetched to the greater public at the time and not widely used.

The film begins as two businessmen take a very rare simulated Wild West adventure vacation of their dreams and in the midst of it – there is an eerie moment where, Peter Martin, Richard Benjamin ’s character is disturbed after killing a gunslinger at a Saloon bar. He asks his partner, “are you sure he was really…(a robot)?” – which leads him to wonder a bit about shooting anyone or do what-not to anyone in Westworld. So there’s a momentary psychological and emotional twist as we read Richard Benjamin’s face, but he immediately gives into the fantasy as his partner played by James Brolin reassures him that it’s absolutely okay because they’re robots- that they can shoot down anyone or have sex with any saloon damsel – even if they die like humans and feel like humans – it’s all for the pleasure effect of living out their fantasy. Well the fantasy sneaks up on them when the tables turn! The programmed computer system of Westworld goes haywire and the bad-guy gunslinger robot played by Yul Brynner, self- upgrades his gun slinging quickness with a grin and goes on a man hunt for the human that’s shot him down twice.As a new television series or prequel or sequel, the film is open for many directions, because there are so many futuristic possibilities and the unexplained origins of the Westworld amusement park.

What I like about Westworld is that it actually makes you think if the latest films are anything but new because after some thought; this film is very much like the Terminator or the latest Ex Machina with different storylines. What I’m saying is that you can definitely see where some great ideas of newer films have come from.

Westworld was Michael Crichton ’s first full feature debut, written and directed by him – and it was the first film to use 2D CGI (computer generated imagery). Here’s the 1973 Poster of the film.