Westworld
| Westworld | |
|---|---|
 Original film logo | |
| Created by | Michael Crichton |
| Original work | Westworld(1973) |
| Owners | Warner Bros.(Warner Bros. Discovery), except for Futureworld owned byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer. |
| Films and television | |
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Westworldis an Americanscience fictiondystopiamedia franchisethat began with the1973 filmWestworld,written and directed byMichael Crichton.The film depicts a technologically advancedWild-West-themedamusement parkpopulated byandroidsthat malfunction and begin killing the human visitors; it was followed by the sequel filmFutureworld(1976). The franchise moved to television in 1980 with the seriesBeyond WestworldonCBS.In 2016,a new television seriesbased on the original film debuted onHBO;the series broadcast four full seasons before being cancelled.[1]
Film series
[edit]Westworld(1973)
[edit]Westworldwas the first theatrical feature novelistMichael Crichtondirected, after one TV movie.[2]It was also the first feature film to usedigital image processingtopixellatephotography in order to simulate an android's point of view.[3]The film was nominated forHugo,NebulaandSaturnawards. The film was well received by critics.[4]
The story is about amusement park robots that malfunction and begin killing visitors. It starsYul Brynneras an android in a futuristic Western-themed amusement park, andRichard BenjaminandJames Brolinas guests of the park.
Futureworld(1976)
[edit]Futureworldis thesequelto the Michael Crichton film. The sequel starsPeter Fonda,Blythe Danner,Arthur Hill,Stuart Margolin,John Ryan,andYul Brynner,who makes acameo appearancein adream sequence.Other than Brynner, none of the cast members from the original film appear, and original writer-director Crichton and original studioMetro-Goldwyn-Mayerwere not involved.[5]
The story is set two years after the Westworld tragedy, with the Delos corporation having reopened the park. The story starts whennewspaper reporterChuck Browning (Peter Fonda) andTV reporterTracy Ballard (Blythe Danner) are invited to review the park.[5]
Principal cast
[edit]| Characters | Film | |
|---|---|---|
| Westworld | Futureworld | |
| 1973 | 1976 | |
| The Gunslinger | Yul Brynner | |
| Peter Martin | Richard Benjamin | |
| John Blane | James Brolin | |
| Chuck Browning | Peter Fonda | |
| Tracy Ballard | Blythe Danner | |
| Dr. Duffy | Arthur Hill | |
| Dr. Schneider | John P. Ryan | |
| Harry | Stuart Margolin | |
Crew
[edit]| Role | Film | |
|---|---|---|
| Westworld | Futureworld | |
| 1973 | 1976 | |
| Director | Michael Crichton | Richard T. Heffron |
| Producer | Paul N. Lazarus III | James T. Aubrey& Paul N. Lazarus III |
| Screenplay | Michael Crichton | Mayo Simon&George Schenck |
| Composer | Fred Karlin | |
| Editor | David Bretherton | James Mitchell |
| Cinematographer | Gene Polito | Gene Polito & Howard Schwartz |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | American International Pictures |
| Release date | November 21, 1973 | August 13, 1976 |
| Running time | 88 minutes | 104 minutes |
Television series
[edit]Beyond Westworld(1980)
[edit]Beyond Westworldwas created byMichael Crichtonwhich served as a continuation of the two feature films.[6]The series stars Jim McMullan as Security Chief John Moore of the Delos Corporation. The story revolved around Moore having to stop the evil scientist Simon Quaid, as he plans to use the Delos robots to try to take over the world.[7]
It premiered on March 5, 1980, on the television networkCBSin the United States. The show was nominated for twoPrimetime Emmy Awardsfor Outstanding Achievement in Makeup and Outstanding Art Direction For a Series. Only five episodes were produced, of which three aired before the series' cancellation due to poor ratings.
Westworld(2016–2022)
[edit]Westworldis an American science fiction-thriller television series created by husband-wife duoJonathan NolanandLisa Joy.Nolan serves as executive producer along with Joy,J. J. AbramsandBryan Burk.[8]The series takes place in fictional Westworld, a technologically advanced,Western-themedamusement parkpopulated completely by synthetic androids dubbed "Hosts". Westworld caters to high-paying visitors dubbed "Newcomers" (also known as "Guests" ), who can do whatever they wish within the park, without fear of retaliation from the Hosts.
Westworldpremiered on October 2, 2016, on the cable television channelHBOin the United States.[9]The series has been well received.[10][11]The series has also attained strongNielsen ratingsfor HBO, with the U.S. series premiere attracting 1.96 million viewers.[12]Asecond seasonbegan on April 22, 2018, and athird seasonon March 15, 2020.Season 4debuted on June 26, 2022. In November 2022 it was announced that HBO had cancelledWestworld.[13]
Video games
[edit]Afirst-person shooterbased on the film, titledWestworld 2000,was released in 1996.[14]
A mobile game was released on 2018. After a lawsuit by Bethesda Games accusing Warner of copyingFallout Shelterwas settled, the game was shut down in 2019.[15]
Anaction gamebased on the TV series, titledWestworld Awakening,was released in 2019 forvirtual realityheadsets.[16][17]
Westworldin popular culture
[edit]- 1981: "Do You Believe in the West World" is the lead track and a single from the 1981 albumWestworldby British post-punk bandTheatre of Hate.The single went on to reach no. 1 in the U.K. independent singles chart.
- 1985: The song "Just Give 'em Whiskey" byColourboxcontains samples from the trailer of the film. In the film, in fact, the voice-over is performed by a different voice[18]
- 1991: TheRed Dwarfepisode "Meltdown"is based on the 1973 filmWestworld.
- 2001:Stephen MalkmusmentionsYul BrynnerandWestworldin the track "Jo Jo's Jacket" from his 2001eponymous album.
References
[edit]- ^Rice, Lynette (October 8, 2022)."'Westworld': Jonathan Nolan Drops Hint At New York Comic-Con About Fifth And Final Season Negotiations ".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedOctober 22,2022.
- ^"Westworld".Tcm.com.RetrievedApril 29,2012.
- ^A Brief, Early History of Computer Graphics in FilmArchived2012-07-17 at theWayback Machine,Larry Yaeger,16 Aug 2002 (last update), retrieved 24 March 2010
- ^"Westworld (1973)".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedOctober 10,2016.
- ^abVariety Staff. December 31, 1975."Futureworld",Variety.
- ^"Beyond Westworld".The New York Times.
- ^"Beyond Westworld DVD news: Announcement for Beyond Westworld - The Complete Series - TVShowsOnDVD.com".Archived fromthe originalon August 1, 2014.
- ^Gelman, Vlada (August 31, 2013)."HBO Greenlights Sci-Fi Pilot Westworld From J.J. Abrams and Jonathan Nolan".TVLine. Archived fromthe originalon October 15, 2014.RetrievedOctober 10,2016.
- ^Prudom, Laura (July 30, 2016)."'Westworld,' 'Divorce,' 'Insecure' Set HBO Premiere Dates ".Variety.RetrievedOctober 10,2016.
- ^"Westworld: Season 1 (2016)".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedSeptember 26,2016.
- ^"Westworld: Season 1".Metacritic.RetrievedOctober 10,2016.
- ^Holloway, Daniel (October 3, 2016)."TV Ratings: 'Westworld' Premiere Matches 'True Detective' Season 1".Variety.RetrievedOctober 10,2016.
- ^Hibberd, James (November 4, 2022)."HBO Cancels 'Westworld' in Shock Decision".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedNovember 15,2022.
- ^"Westworld 2000".Next Generation.No. 27. March 1997. p. 98.
- ^Alexander, Julia (January 16, 2019)."Westworld mobile game is shutting down following lawsuit settlement".The Verge.RetrievedApril 1,2024.
has the same or highly similar game design, art style, animations, features, and other gameplay elements
- ^Burke, Ron (September 18, 2019)."Violent Virtual Delights — Westworld Awakening VR review".Gaming Trend.RetrievedNovember 6,2021.
- ^Coles, Jason (August 19, 2019)."Westworld: Awakening Review – A Haunting VR Experience".UploadVR.UVR Media, LLC.RetrievedNovember 6,2021.
- ^"Just Give 'Em Whiskey by Colourbox - Samples, Covers and Remixes | WhoSampled".
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