Review: “Westworld”, HBO Series Premiering October 2

This review originally appeared on CinemaRetro

By Mark Cerulli

Cinema Retro readers no doubt remember Michael Crichton’s classic sci-fi thriller Westworld. Who can forget the chilling spectacle of Yul Brynner – sans face – stalking a hapless Richard Benjamin? When I heard HBO was “rebooting” Westworld, I was skeptical. The word “Why?” kept coming to mind. The original was so good, why go there?

I’m happy to say I was dead wrong. By expanding Michael Crichton’s original vision, the producers were able to open up new storylines and vastly enhance the earlier concept. While the 1973 film was epic, it was limited by the visual effects available at the time. Now every modern tool in the VFX toolbox can be used and the results are intoxicating, drawing the viewer into Westworld’s latex embrace.

The overall setup is still the same – a high-end resort modeled after the Old West where guests can indulge in every fantasy and no matter how much mayhem they cause, they can’t ever get hurt. So far… Overseen by Executive Producer J.J. Abrams (sharing those duties with Jerry Weintraub, Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy and Brian Burk), the series’ attention to detail is meticulous. The show’s use of Monument Valley’s stunning vistas (put to such good use by John Ford many decades ago) really gives it a scope well beyond typical cable. The town of “Sweetwater”, the hub of the action, has an authentic look and feel as good as anything seen on Deadwood and the gunfights – of which there are many – would do Clint Eastwood proud.

Jonathan Nolan (who also directed the pilot) and Lisa Joy’s writing is crisp, seamlessly blending layer upon layer of narrative. HBO’s casting is flawless: Anthony Hopkins as the resort’s Creator Director is quietly menacing as he rewrites the resort’s “storyline” for mysterious reasons. Instead of Yul Brynner, Ed Harris is the relentless gunslinger in black. Not a robot, but a frequent guest who is on a quest to discover all the resort’s hidden secrets, whether management wants him to or not. To say he stays “in character” would be an understatement. When another guest begins to gush about how his (real life) foundation saved his sister’s life, Harris threatens to slit his throat, snarling, “I’m on vacation!” Thandie Newton is conniving yet vulnerable as the local brothel owner who begins to have doubts as to who or what she is… and special note has to be made of Evan Rachel Wood, a stunning actress who made her name in HBO’s Mildred Pierce and True Blood and in a string of indie films. Here she plays an innocent farm girl “host” (artificial human), available to be ravaged or romanced, depending on the guest. Gradually she realizes she’s part of something much bigger and her AI awakening is a major story arc. Louis Herthum, playing her homespun rancher dad, is nothing short of terrific – alternating from folksy charm to an eerie mechanical persona as he’s examined by Hopkins and his head programmer, played by a brooding Jeffrey Wright (Casino Royale). Rounding out the regulars is the great looking James Mardsen as a stoic young gunslinger.

Early in production, a casting notice asking extras to be prepared to perform nude went viral, causing an uproar. There IS nudity in Westworld, but it’s fleeting and in each instance, totally germane to the story. Not a gratuitous shower scene in sight.

Currently HBO has plans for 10 episodes of Westworld, but hopefully that’s just the beginning. With a reimagining like this, there is plenty more to explore. And then maybe they’ll visit Romanworld or Medievalworld…

Westworld premieres Sunday, October 2 on HBO.