(1973) (Rated R) – An android based vacation resort suffers a
a technical breakdown that endangers the lives of the guests.
Directed
by Michael Crichton Starring Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, James
Brolin
Why I Liked It – The issues are closer
to reality than ever before.
I remember seeing this in
the theaters when it first played. The idea of true humanoid robots
was very futuristic. This was before the age of cell phones, cable TV
and personal computers. Huge, centralized computers (with magnetic
tape memory systems!) were starting to “take over the world” and
people were nervous about it. Here was a movie that brought together
our fondest fantasies and our darkest nightmares. The resort offers
Romanworld, Medievalworld and Westworld, each designed to meet adult
fantasies of all kinds. There are simple ways to tell the guests from
the robots, and safety features to ensure the safety of the human
guests. At a thousand dollars a day, it was fabulously expensive 40+
years ago, and still plenty expensive today.
While the
price holds most of its zing, the technology in the movie is
pretty funny today. While the concept of humanoid robots remains
in our future, the computer center is so dated looking.
One
of the interesting bits of the movie is that the main character is
not only an android but the primary villain of the movie. Yul
Brynner is as cold as ice as the black hat gunslinger in Westworld.
Most of thes action feels like revenge for the number of shots
the robot absorbs in the first third of the movie. The icy,
relentless pursuit of Richard Benjamin’s character is terrifying.
Arnold Schwarzenegger used it as the inspiration for his
Terminator role.
There aren’t a lot of surprises here. A
moment’s thought will give you all the major plot points along the
way. But that’s not a huge issue here. This is quick popcorn
entertainment that is well done from beginning to end. Written by
Michael Crichton, it was also his directorial debut. The direction
isn’t anything special, but it’s a solid enough effort that
doesn’t get in the way of the movie.
A couple
interesting bits of trivia from this movie. The bar/bordello owner
features Star Trek’s own Majel Barrett (Nurse Chapel and the wife
of Gene Roddenberry). The town in Westworld appears again in “Blazing
Saddles”. And Yul Brynner’s robot gunslinger is a tribute/parody
of his character in “The Magnificent Seven”.
Set aside
the dated technology, and “Westworld” holds up rather well. Your
attention won’t wander, and you’ll have a fun time at the
movies. And that’s the name of the game, right?
Rating –
**** Recommended
Stories Are My Life 
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