Written by: Kevin Berge
What they don't show you in this picture is that Westworld goes full Da Vinci. They don't censor any body parts. (Image Courtesy of: picturethemotion.com)
Quick Take: Westworld Season 1 adapts the science fiction and western 1973 film into a compelling and intense ten-episode adventure through a world that revels in base desires but holds heavy mystery underneath. Tightly constructed and well acted, Westworld is enticing and powerful.
***The following is an opening season review for Westworld, introducing new viewers to the series. It contains no spoilers beyond basic outlining of the concept and characters.***
The concept of reality has taken on many meanings over the years. Philosophy has been questioning the very reality of our existence and the world we inhabit. As technology grows, science fiction though brought on a new question of reality: the virtual.
Westworld, adapted from Michael Crichton's 1973 film, is an exploration of the next step in virtual reality, an amusement park where the wealthy can revel in a multi-layered western-style land that caters to their basest desires. In many ways, it's simply a live action video game.
Every character, or host, the paying customers, or guests, in Westworld encounter is a robot, built to be as lifelike as possible even with intense emotions. This makes the guests actions toward the hosts often frightening as they revel in their own ability to act without consequence.
Westworld plays with its world's foundations, forcing not just the guests but also the viewers to wonder where the boundaries lie. As circumstances evolve around numerous mysteries, it can become hard to even tell who is real and who deserves to be real.
Fresh off Person of Interest, Jonathan Nolan (The Dark Knight) takes another step away from his brother's work and into the world of television science fiction, taking the reigns on an HBO show that has the same level of violence, nudity, and intelligence as other great shows on the network.
The concept of reality has taken on many meanings over the years. Philosophy has been questioning the very reality of our existence and the world we inhabit. As technology grows, science fiction though brought on a new question of reality: the virtual.
Westworld, adapted from Michael Crichton's 1973 film, is an exploration of the next step in virtual reality, an amusement park where the wealthy can revel in a multi-layered western-style land that caters to their basest desires. In many ways, it's simply a live action video game.
Every character, or host, the paying customers, or guests, in Westworld encounter is a robot, built to be as lifelike as possible even with intense emotions. This makes the guests actions toward the hosts often frightening as they revel in their own ability to act without consequence.
Westworld plays with its world's foundations, forcing not just the guests but also the viewers to wonder where the boundaries lie. As circumstances evolve around numerous mysteries, it can become hard to even tell who is real and who deserves to be real.
Fresh off Person of Interest, Jonathan Nolan (The Dark Knight) takes another step away from his brother's work and into the world of television science fiction, taking the reigns on an HBO show that has the same level of violence, nudity, and intelligence as other great shows on the network.
Anthony Hopkins chose an odd time in his career to go full sci-fi. (Image Courtesy of: hbo.com)
He and Lisa Joy (Pushing Daisies) crafted the series with both holding multiple writing credits throughout the first season. Nolan also directed the pilot and finale before giving the rest over to a crew that include Games of Thrones directing veterans Neil Marshall and Michelle MacLaren and Person of Interest's Frederick E. O. Toye.
The acting cast is equally stacked as you would expect from HBO television these days, starring Evan Rachel Wood (The Wrestler), Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs), Thandie Newton (The Pursuit of Happiness), Ed Harris (A Beautiful Mind), James Marsden (X-Men), and Jeffrey Wright (Casino Royale).
Among the group, Evan Rachel Wood is the standout with a breakout sympathetic performer as host Dolores. This is also among the best performances of Ed Harris' career who revels in his character's self-appointed role at the park as villain.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is Marsden whose host character is hard to pinpoint for a long time, but you can honestly sympathize with him at each turn. His ability to adapt and evolve his character with his character's evolving narrative makes his performance the most affecting by the end.
Westworld is not quite perfect in the way it presents itself, falling into a trap uncovered by Mr. Robot last year of giving the audience too long to contemplate its web of mysteries. If you dive too deep into the narrative, you can end up drowning, either discovering everything before its time or just coming up with an answer you need to be right.
This is the type of show though worth being wrong and right about. It connects so many threads together in such a satisfying manner that the only thing that holds Westworld back is personal perception. I, for one, allowed myself to embrace its story as it is and came out feeling more satisfied with Westworld than almost anything else this year.
The acting cast is equally stacked as you would expect from HBO television these days, starring Evan Rachel Wood (The Wrestler), Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs), Thandie Newton (The Pursuit of Happiness), Ed Harris (A Beautiful Mind), James Marsden (X-Men), and Jeffrey Wright (Casino Royale).
Among the group, Evan Rachel Wood is the standout with a breakout sympathetic performer as host Dolores. This is also among the best performances of Ed Harris' career who revels in his character's self-appointed role at the park as villain.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is Marsden whose host character is hard to pinpoint for a long time, but you can honestly sympathize with him at each turn. His ability to adapt and evolve his character with his character's evolving narrative makes his performance the most affecting by the end.
Westworld is not quite perfect in the way it presents itself, falling into a trap uncovered by Mr. Robot last year of giving the audience too long to contemplate its web of mysteries. If you dive too deep into the narrative, you can end up drowning, either discovering everything before its time or just coming up with an answer you need to be right.
This is the type of show though worth being wrong and right about. It connects so many threads together in such a satisfying manner that the only thing that holds Westworld back is personal perception. I, for one, allowed myself to embrace its story as it is and came out feeling more satisfied with Westworld than almost anything else this year.
