I picked this film up about a week ago. I hadn't seen it since it premiered back in the 1970's. It made no impression on me whatsoever on that first viewing. Boy has time and its simplicity improved it, the second time around! This is a very timely film and I think people of all ages should take a look at it.This film moves from humour to fantasy to horror almost seamlessly. And the funny thing isthe fact that Crichton didn't get caught up in atmosphere or look; he concentrated on two characters simply going to a future resort, however fantastic the idea seems, to release and experience what in fact become examples of some of the darkest pleasures or most violent impulses inside of all of us. It really presses the right buttons and asks questions about what we find fun or entertaining.
I don't want any review I write to spoil the films for the people yet to see the work so, let's just saywhen the tables turn and 'we're on the receiving end ', there's a real numbing truth to what this film drives home. More so today then when it was released. Think of some of the 'reality based darkness' that now litters our airwaves and the unfortunate numbers who seem to be tuning in to watch it.
James Brolin really nails the 'who cares' feel his character needs. Richard Benjamin has to be the one who feels silly at first, then joins in with a sort of reckless abandon. And Yul Brynner is an example to everybody today (in acting, directing, effects and make-up ), of how you can scare the hell out of someone with a look, a smile and two small silver contact lens. (You'll know what I mean when you get to the scene). Benjamin really balances him from that point, having to portray the fear the new reality hits him with.
I won't do the Jurassic comparisons. I thought it when Jurassic came out but Jurassic was a rollercoaster ride. Westworld is the tale with the real bite.
I highly recommend this movie. It's an entertainment that quickly turns to a truth I think we all need to keep thinking about. What do we really find entertaining? Or more to the point... why?
...until the computers develop a virus that sends them off into a learning curve that screws everything up. The first hint that something might be amiss happens over in Medievalworld, when a robot harlot decides she is tired of being a sex object and smacks a customer across the face when he tries to seduce her. Meanwhile, back in Westworld, the bad-guy-in-black robot challenges Brolin and Benjamin to a gunfight, but instead of being shot dead as he is every night, the bad guy decides to turn the tables. Oh boy, maybe it's time to cut this vacation short... but that's easier said than done when all of the robots have gone berserk and start whacking not only the customers, but their programmers as well. Murphy's Law has proved itself once again with a vengeance. Is there any way out of this mess? See for yourself.
Brolin and Benjamin are fairly good in their respective roles, nothing to write home about; but what makes this movie special is Yul Brynner's terrific portrayal of the bad-guy-in-black; a soulless robot with the dead eyes of a killer. The special effects are interesting in that they show us how far special effects have come since this movie was made; this was strictly a low-budget film, but it's a lot of fun for all that. It's pure Crichtonian escapism.This review is from the 2010 DVD re-release of the original film.
From the early to mid-'70's, there was a run of science-fiction films that seemed to be trying to break out of the pulp stereotype, and to address questions about where expanding technology and cultural changes from the '60's were leading us as a society. Generally speaking, the first 'Star Wars' film effectively canceled that trend for some time during the '80's, most science-fiction retreated back into the adventure mold, or else confined itself to satire (Robocop) or to eccentrics (Terry Gilliam's brilliant Brazil). It would be interesting to know, if the theory of parallel universes is true, to what lengths the science-fiction field might have developed if it hadn't been altered in 1977, although it's possible that it had already reached a saturation point with these other themes. That may even have helped propel Lucas' efforts to greater heights than it would have reached otherwise as vastly entertaining as 'Star Wars' was (and I saw it first-run in the theaters it was mind-blowing at the time), it wasn't addressing any issues. It was escaping them.
So what's that load of hot air got to do with 'Westworld'? Not much, really, other than I have a fondness for the niche these films occupy in the broader genre of Science-Fiction film, and that a little context could help viewers who might not intuitively appreciate these films for what they are. And it's obvious that some people do not understand their charm the recent remakes of Rollerball, Death Race 2000, and Planet of the Apes tell me that an inherent factor to the success of these types of films lay in the sensibilities of their times, and that modern filmmakers have effectively excised everything about them that made them worth watching in the first place. These aren't necessarily classic films we're talking about here enjoyable though, yes but apparently it's harder to lift them out of their time period and reinterpret them than it may have looked. Both 'Logan's Run' and 'Westworld' are slated for remakes around 2012 we'll see if anyone learns anything from these other adaptation failures, but I'm not holding my breath.
So anyway 'Westworld'. An amusement park where a handful of guests interact with an accurate recreation of either the old West of the American Frontier, medieval Europe, or ancient Rome all populated with robots who are nearly indistinguishable from humans. The operative word here is 'fantasy' each guest gets to live out his fantasy at whichever 'world' he or she feels will best cater to it. Most of the film focuses on two guests, Peter (Richard Benjamin), and John (James Brolin) as they kick back in Westworld, indulging in gunfights, bar brawls, and cathouse shenanigans. Everything to appease the inner child at least, that is, until things start to go terribly wrong, and the machines who once were the playthings of humans begin to turn the tables.
Concept science-fiction or not, it's doubtful this film succeeds anywhere near as well as it does without Yul Brynner's relentless, unflappable gunslinger, who is positively a wet blanket on our vacationer's picnic. In fact, without Brynner, I think the film's plot holes are too overpowering to sustain it they'll still need to be solved, either by suspension of belief or by willful ignorance, but at least the gunslinger helps take your mind off of them. Purportedly, Brynner's character was a major influence on James Cameron's 'Terminator' film, as well as several other iconic 'unstoppable' movie villians, and I think that's pretty easy to see after watching 'Westworld' again after several years. Almost everthing else in the film is above average to well done Brolin and Benjamin are good in their roles, and the script didn't really call for any effects that were beyond the capabilities of the time and if the parameters of the film's logic are accepted, it moves forward in a consistant manner and, I think, to a riveting conclusion. But the details concerning the operations of the park will likely be a hurdle for a lot of viewers this is the type of film where, a few hours after watching, if you think too hard about some of the particulars, the structure of the story starts to fall apart.
There are a few other problems mostly the childish infatuation the guests have for the sexual freedom of the park. These are robots that they are hopping into bed with, after all. But that is a product of the time it was made it's part of what makes these types of films curious artifacts of a sort, and one that evidently gives remake directors fits. I will say that Michael Chrichton, who wrote and directed 'Westworld', did seem ahead of his time in at least one area, and that by intimating through one of the characters that the problems the park has with its technology is a 'virus'. I don't know if that terminology was in use in 1973 among computer users, but it seems like a very early use of it to me, if not the first. Ironically, if I were to imaging myself watching this film back then, I believe I would have thought it was a pretty ridiculous plot device. Shows what I know. But taken all together, with its flaws and all, I think of this as one of the better films in its niche, and very enjoyable.
I don't know what sort of priority a film like 'Westworld' has on blu-ray technology if there is a remake in the next few years I'd imagine that's when we'll see it in blu. This 2010 release is fairly nice though, upscaled, although defects in the film are still apparent if you look for them. Aspect ratio is 2.35:1, and the only extras included are the trailer, English/French language options, and subtitles.
Read Best Reviews of Westworld (2013) Here
I still remember seeing this film for the first time in the theatres. I was all of 10 years old and remember thinking it was such a cool concept. The film was written and directed by Michael Crichton who of course has gone onto become of the most successful writers over the past 25 years with credits such as Jurassic Park, Twister, Disclosure, and many more.Set in the not too distant future, a high tech amusement park named Delos has been created for adults and populated with life-like and intelligent robots. Three worlds are awaiting wealthy visitors including Roman World, Medieval World, and West World. In these various worlds, guests can live out their wildest fantasies, all helped along by a cast of perfect robots. You can become a king, or frolic in Caligula like fashion in Rome, or become a gunslinger. All the while banks of computers and programmers keep everything running smoothly, unseen to the visitors and perhaps as a subtle dig at Disneyland.
Peter Martin (Richard benjamin) and John Blane (James Brolin) are a couple of buddies who decide to take on Westworld. Blane has been there before and quickly shows Martin around the very realistic western setting. The two engage in bar fights and seduce women (robots who can perform sexually) and even have duels with a robotic gunslinger played by Yul Brynner, who looks like he just stepped out of The Magnificent Seven.
Soon things begin to go awry. The robots begin to act strangely. First it's minor things such as female robots refusing the sexual advances of male guests but things then get much worse as the robots begin to not only hurt, but kill the guests! Soon Martin finds himself being stalked by the robotic Brynner as Brynner cooly commands him to "Draw!" Brynner's relentless pursuit of Martin and near indestructibility seem very familiar and it is pretty evident that James Cameron was inspired by this when he created "The Terminator"
Benjamin was never a great actor although he played his role as the terrified park patron quite well. Brynner is the real star with his nearly total lack of dialog and his glare that makes you freeze in terror. For a movie made in 1973 they did a resonable job of recreating a digitized look through the eyes of a robot that was quite unique in it's day. Also the robots look fairly authentic, especially when their faces are removed and you see the mass of wires and circuits behind them.
Dated by today's standards this was a fun movie and nice to see pop up on TV every now and then.
Want Westworld (2013) Discount?
My new year's resolution was to see a bunch of movies I'd always intended to see but continually seemed to miss. Somewhat belatedly I'm fulfilling my resolution, which is why I finally saw WESTWORLD. Although it was somewhat dated, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this. The film concerns Delos, a resort of the future that allows guests to visit either of three theme parks where behavior that is frowned upon in the modern world can be engaged in without repercussion. Guests engage in orgiastic sex, feasting and heavy drinking, and the killing of opponents just for the sheer fun of it. One can choose between doing this in Roman World, Medieval World, or Westworld. The film focuses primarily on two visitors to Westworld, played by Richard Benjamin and James Brolin. This was one of the last Sci-fi films made before the onset of the personal computer, yet one of the first to actually utilize computers in the making of it. According to one book I recently read, the CGI representing the vision field of the The Gunslinger robot was the first use of computers to generate images in film history. So, in this way it could be considered cutting edge. On the other hand, when things start going wrong with a number of the robots, the head of technology on Delos describes the ailment as a "disease." Today we'd obviously describe this as a virus in their software."Westworld" is clearly the stock Warner Brothers Western set that was used at approximately the same time by BLAZING SADDLES. This works well for the film for it gives the viewer an image that seems weirdly familiar (though understandably familiar, since it has been used in dozens of movies and hundreds of television episodes). So the visitors to the park get pretty much the Western experience prior media would have conditioned them to expect. Even the bad guys seem familiar. Yul Bryner, for instance, wears the exactly same outfit that he wore when he starred in THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. The visitors quickly fall into the routine, James Brolin doing an obvious imitation of Clint Eastwood and Richard Benjamin quickly breaking out of the mold of somewhat nerdy lawyer. They visit the local brothel, kill the robot played by Yul Bryner a couple of times, get arrested and break out of jail and shoot the sheriff, and get drunk in the middle of a huge brawl. Then things go wrong on a major scale, with the robots going on a killing spree. The highpoint of the film is the long chase of Richard Benjamin by Yul Bryner.
A remake of WESTWORLD is currently in development. I am normally opposed to remakes. For the most part remakes are pale imitations of the originals, even in the case of most Sci-fi films. The remakes of THE INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS were inferior to the original, while the original PLANET OF THE APES is vastly superior to the remake. But this is one instance where, if done correctly, a remake could improve upon the original. The film is well done, but it was made well before computers came to dominate cultural life. As a result, the computerized control room looks absurdly primitive. For instance, there are no keyboards, but only consoles with buttons and switches and knobs. The danger, of course, is going overboard with the special effects. The temptation all too often is to go overboard with CGI and spectacular effects; in such cases story is sacrificed for spectacle. My hope is that they will keep this under control and keep enhancements at a minimum.
All in all, this was a very enjoyable and different Sci-fi film. It was directed and written by Michael Crichton and I couldn't help but think throughout it how similar the overall premise was to another Crichton creation: JURASSAIC PARK. Both deal with things going wrong at technologically advanced theme parks. Substitute dinosaurs for robots or vice versa and you have essentially the same movie.
Save 25% Off
No comments:
Post a Comment