the other Michael Crichton exposé of the reckless application of technology in poorly planned high-concept amusement parks. but at least most of the design flaws in JURASSIC PARK weren't completely, foreseeably, stupidly catastrophic. you're really telling me that putting real bullets in the guns is the idea Westworld's builders settled on? "Well, we programmed the guns not to fire if they're aimed at people." did you program the swords in Romanworld not to cut human flesh as well? this is absolutely the dumbest fuckin idea of all time, less scientific hubris than sheer clueless idiocy. it's also not very cost-effective given the constant robot repair.* Crichton's pulpy alarmism was always something to be taken with a big grain of salt,…

Great idea, so-so execution, which is about what you'd expect from a movie directed by a science fiction novelist, in this case Michael Crichton. This precursor to both The Terminator and Crichton's next take on the malfunctioning, high-concept amusement park, Jurassic Park, is still a blast, one of many late 60s/early 70s sci-fi movies that so blew my mind as a lad that I'm compelled to revisit them every decade or so.

WestWorld is one of three sections (the others being Roman World and Medieval World) in Delos, a futuristic amusement park for adults that specializes in creating authentic period environments complete with realistic robots for the guests to interact with in any way imaginable. Want to joust the Black…

Oooh, ahhh, that's how it always starts. Then later there's running and screaming.

Michael Crichton's first stab at malfunctioning amusement parks, which he honed to perfection with the script for Jurassic Park. It's a bit of a mess this, because although the film is called Westworld we also frequently throughout the film visit two other theme parks, namely «Roman World» and especially «Medieval World». The moral of it all shouldn't be too hard to understand though - don't fiddle around with technology!

Terminator role model Yul Brynner is very compelling and convincing as the robotic gunfighter gone haywire, dressed more or less exactly as his character was in The Magnificent Seven. So, is it a Western? Well, most of it…

Sloppy with your drink? Get this boy a bib!
-The Gunslinger

When people think of Michael Crichton they don't usually think of him as a director. He's most famous for being a writer and screenwriter of course. After only having a few of his works adapted into films however, he decided to make a serious attempt at filmmaking first writing screenplays for television and film, but then moving onto directing. While he's not remembered for being a great director, he still gave us a few cult classics with Westworld being one of them and possibly his best.

Written and directed by Crichton, the film explores the dangers of technology advancing faster then it's creators understanding of it. Not his first…

Part Western and all 1970's science fiction! This film has the look and feel of a 70's movie (Is that a genre?) and it definitely has the 1970's sci fi look and feel. Think, giant light up buttons and monochrome computer screens. My favorite bit is when the scientists are all gathered around talking about the absurdity of a computer virus!

When I was a kid, this movie creeped me out. Watching it today, it's easy to see how John Carpenter stole the scary qualities from the gunslinger... He walks after his prey, never dies, keeps getting up. Yul Brynner does a damn fine job being the evil cowboy robot.

This is a great example of genre crossover and it's…

the other Michael Crichton exposé of the reckless application of technology in poorly planned high-concept amusement parks. but at least most of the design flaws in JURASSIC PARK weren't completely, foreseeably, stupidly catastrophic. you're really telling me that putting real bullets in the guns is the idea Westworld's builders settled on? "Well, we programmed the guns not to fire if they're aimed at people." did you program the swords in Romanworld not to cut human flesh as well? this is absolutely the dumbest fuckin idea of all time, less scientific hubris than sheer clueless idiocy. it's also not very cost-effective given the constant robot repair.* Crichton's pulpy alarmism was always something to be taken with a big grain of salt,…

Westworld amazed me with its vision of the ideal vacation -- much in the same way the movie Total Recall did. In this movie I saw a great vision and a great idea culminate into a breathtaking climax as well as a thought provoking character drama.

Excitement. Education. Understanding. Coherence. These are the words that describe many of the themes in this film -- and let me tell you - when this film came out it ranked up with the sci-fi extravaganza that was 2001: A Space Odyssey or perhaps the distant echo of Metropolis. The acting and writing and directing and effects were ALL good in this movie and I was impressed with what I saw.

This film goes…

Oooh, ahhh, that's how it always starts. Then later there's running and screaming.

Michael Crichton's first stab at malfunctioning amusement parks, which he honed to perfection with the script for Jurassic Park. It's a bit of a mess this, because although the film is called Westworld we also frequently throughout the film visit two other theme parks, namely «Roman World» and especially «Medieval World». The moral of it all shouldn't be too hard to understand though - don't fiddle around with technology!

Terminator role model Yul Brynner is very compelling and convincing as the robotic gunfighter gone haywire, dressed more or less exactly as his character was in The Magnificent Seven. So, is it a Western? Well, most of it…