In the near future, the technologically-advanced amusement park Westworld creates a fully immersive recreation of the Old West. In the park, high-paying customers get the chance to act out their fantasies among a population of synthetic androids known as "hosts". But when some of the hosts start behaving outside of their programming, the fabric of Westworld itself begins to change, in both the real world and the fantasy. All the while, the mysterious Man in Black (Ed Harris), hunts for the true secrets of the park.
I have next to no knowledge of the original Westworld film from 1973, which was written and directed by Michael Crichton. But, since I think that Crichton is a genius, I was very interested to see how a show based on his ideas would be executed by HBO, which has consistently delivered excellent dramatic television. Westworld is certainly no exception to that trend, because I don't think I've seen a more consistently interesting and intriguing TV show in a long time.
Westworld crafts a fascinating world right from the get-go, and it takes a while to really understand how that world works. The way that the show plays with reality is fascinating, especially in how the story balances the real world and the world of the park. The environment that the park creates is just as immersive and realistic for the audience as it is for the characters within it, and it's easy forget that Westworld isn't real until the show reminds us. The real world and the fantasy world overlap in so many interesting ways, but everything is presented very clearly, although it takes a little bit of time to figure out exactly how everything functions. How the park could be manipulated by the characters in the real world created a lot of unique sequences, and how the idea of control evolved over the course of the season ended up being a key part of the story.
The story of the season was very interestingly paced. The show is very character-driven, and the mystery of what was happening to the park was centred around what was happening to the people. It was also very driven by mystery, sometimes almost to the point of annoyance. I was always wondering what was going to happen next, but that was balanced with the desire to get any answers at all, instead of just more questions. Once the answers actually started to be revealed, they were very satisfying, but I wish we'd gotten a few before over halfway through the season. My method for watching the show was very simple; I let the show give me the answers at its own pace, rather than trying to figure everything out beforehand. The fanbase for this show got a tad annoying at times in regard to fan theories, but that also proves just how engaging the show is, and how many possibilities were floating around. The myriad of fan theories did ruin a few of the surprises that appeared later in the season, but those surprises were still executed very well. The finale was just amazing, and made the slow build to the biggest reveals as satisfying as I ever could have imagined.
The central theme of the show is the idea of what it means to be human, and it's tackled in very unique ways. That theme was mainly explored through the changing psyches of the hosts within the park. The most interesting characters of the whole show were the androids, and they were certainly vastly more interesting than the actual human characters. The hosts faced the most development over the course of the season, by learning to evolve and move beyond their pre-set loops, and some of them began to break out into the real world. Most of the human characters almost felt superfluous to the overall story, although they did flesh out the inner workings of the park in very important ways, and served as a constant reminder of how the world truly works. It's appropriate that Westworld itself is built on the idea of escaping reality, and the story going on in reality is far less interesting.
The cast certainly elevated the story going on in the real world, and while the cast in general was fantastic, the shining point was undoubtedly Anthony Hopkins. He brought so much weight to his character and his actions, and was the driving force behind some of the most chilling moments of the season. Ed Harris was also fantastic as the Man in Black, bringing a real sense of menace mixed with a nonchalent attitude that blended really well. Evan Rachel Wood was great, and her host character, Dolores, underwent a fascinating journey over the season, evolving far beyond the very simple character she appeared to be at first. Thandie Newton, who plays Maeve, a prostitute host, also had a very unique character arc, and hers was the main viewpoint of the fascinating relationship between reality and the world of the park. How the personalities and original stories for the hosts factored into how they acted and changed was perfectly handled, and kept their developments unpredictable. The only weak links in the cast were a few human side characters, who, ironically enough, were far more robotic than any of the hosts.
Westworld crafts a fascinating world right from the get-go, and it takes a while to really understand how that world works. The way that the show plays with reality is fascinating, especially in how the story balances the real world and the world of the park. The environment that the park creates is just as immersive and realistic for the audience as it is for the characters within it, and it's easy forget that Westworld isn't real until the show reminds us. The real world and the fantasy world overlap in so many interesting ways, but everything is presented very clearly, although it takes a little bit of time to figure out exactly how everything functions. How the park could be manipulated by the characters in the real world created a lot of unique sequences, and how the idea of control evolved over the course of the season ended up being a key part of the story.
The story of the season was very interestingly paced. The show is very character-driven, and the mystery of what was happening to the park was centred around what was happening to the people. It was also very driven by mystery, sometimes almost to the point of annoyance. I was always wondering what was going to happen next, but that was balanced with the desire to get any answers at all, instead of just more questions. Once the answers actually started to be revealed, they were very satisfying, but I wish we'd gotten a few before over halfway through the season. My method for watching the show was very simple; I let the show give me the answers at its own pace, rather than trying to figure everything out beforehand. The fanbase for this show got a tad annoying at times in regard to fan theories, but that also proves just how engaging the show is, and how many possibilities were floating around. The myriad of fan theories did ruin a few of the surprises that appeared later in the season, but those surprises were still executed very well. The finale was just amazing, and made the slow build to the biggest reveals as satisfying as I ever could have imagined.
The central theme of the show is the idea of what it means to be human, and it's tackled in very unique ways. That theme was mainly explored through the changing psyches of the hosts within the park. The most interesting characters of the whole show were the androids, and they were certainly vastly more interesting than the actual human characters. The hosts faced the most development over the course of the season, by learning to evolve and move beyond their pre-set loops, and some of them began to break out into the real world. Most of the human characters almost felt superfluous to the overall story, although they did flesh out the inner workings of the park in very important ways, and served as a constant reminder of how the world truly works. It's appropriate that Westworld itself is built on the idea of escaping reality, and the story going on in reality is far less interesting.
The cast certainly elevated the story going on in the real world, and while the cast in general was fantastic, the shining point was undoubtedly Anthony Hopkins. He brought so much weight to his character and his actions, and was the driving force behind some of the most chilling moments of the season. Ed Harris was also fantastic as the Man in Black, bringing a real sense of menace mixed with a nonchalent attitude that blended really well. Evan Rachel Wood was great, and her host character, Dolores, underwent a fascinating journey over the season, evolving far beyond the very simple character she appeared to be at first. Thandie Newton, who plays Maeve, a prostitute host, also had a very unique character arc, and hers was the main viewpoint of the fascinating relationship between reality and the world of the park. How the personalities and original stories for the hosts factored into how they acted and changed was perfectly handled, and kept their developments unpredictable. The only weak links in the cast were a few human side characters, who, ironically enough, were far more robotic than any of the hosts.
The show has a very slow and laborious pace, which is very appropriate for the story that it's telling. It certainly felt stylistically distinct from many other shows - the enormous budget being a key factor in that - and used the "anything goes" platform that HBO offers to great effect. Nudity is an element of the show that is handled very interestingly. Compared it to Game of Thrones, for example, nudity is a lot more clinical in Westworld. There's some sex, sure, but for the majority of the time, it's used to an almost unsettling effect. Violence and gore are also never left unused, which only contributes to making the park feel as visceral and dangerous as it's supposed to within the world of the show. The constant sense of mystery also contributes to the consistently unsettling atmosphere that the series manages to keep throughout the entire season. The music by Ramin Djawadi is also fantastic, mixing subtle, quiet moments with sweeping scores that match the scale of the park perfectly.
Overall, Westworld season 1 was a fantastic beginning to what I'm sure will be a long-running series. I could never quite tell what was going to happen next, but I was never disappointed. HBO needs a replacement for Game of Thrones, and I think that Westworld is the perfect replacement. There's so much potential for future stories and worlds to explore, and what the show has presented so far has been nothing short of incredible. It's an absolutely beautiful show with very dark, twisted inner workings, not unlike the park itself. While it might seem a bit slow at times, the payoff is well worth the wait. But Westworld doesn't leave every question answered, and I have no doubt that there will be even more mysteries to come with the future of the show.
At least we have another endless barrage of fan theories to look forward to.
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