Il mondo dei robot

A well-remembered film from my youth and no I haven't seen the TV reboot, watching this again was like going back to a bunch of my favourite original Star Trek episodes mashed up together.

Sure, the premise could have perhaps more justifiably been played out in a darker, more overtly horror way, but instead it's mostly fun just the way it is, shot in broad daylight, occasionally played for laughs and with an out and out nerd in the lead role. With ideas that you can see played out later in films like "Terminator 2" and of course "Jurassic Park", not to mention the whole "Star Trek TNG" holodeck schtick, the film works because it's so easy to imagine ourselves playing out our adventure fantasies, especially in these days of virtual reality.

Sure the film is dated by its mildly sexist treatment of women who are seen throughout mostly as playthings of wealthy middle-aged men on tour, but if you can see past that, it definitely moves up a gear once things start to go wrong in paradise and the machines really begin to play up.

The action sequences seem to parody Peckinpah with lots of slow-motion shootin' and a-killin' with blood spattering everywhere which contrasts with the buddy-buddy vibe which exists between Richard Benjamin and James Brolin, who convincingly seem what they probably are, two rich businessman out on the ran.

The genius casting however was in getting Yul Brynner to parody his iconic role from "The Magnificent Seven" as the mean and moody gunslinger who just keeps on coming in pursuit of Benjamin.

An early film outing for author, screenwriter and occasional director Michael Crichton who I can only think once had a bad day at Disneyworld, "Westworld" is a very enjoyable light sci-fi romp best not taken too seriously.

I remember when Westworld first came our. We stayed in our seats to watch it a second time. It was exciting, interesting, and sexy in its own way. Forty years later it is still a good watch. It is fun to see what they thought technology would be in the days before micro-computing.

So watching it now, it is a little tired. What was once novel is now a trope. But the story is great, the show moves along at a good pace, and I would recommend watching it. After all, it is a classic.

I loved this as a kid and today I watched it for the first time since I was a kid, with my kids and of course, they loved it just as I did. Watching again as an adult I'm a little less impressed and the technology is wonderful for some laughs. Looking at the big boxy things with flashing lights and spinning tape reels, my daughter asked if those are computers so I give the obligatory explanation. Westworld is one of the few movies written and directed by Michael Crichton, of whom I've been a big fan even before I knew who he was. Westworld being one of his more popcorny movies, lacking the sophistication of The Andromeda Strain but containing the seeds of Jurassic Park.

James Brolin is magnificent as expected. It always strikes me how much Christian Bale resembles him, right down to the smile and mannerisms. If Bale isn't the illegitimate son of Brolin then their family trees must share branches somewhere. I've always thought the same about Robert Redford and Brad Pitt.

Classic sci-fi thriller, written and directed by Michael Crichton, about a futuristic amusement park called Delos where people can role play in fantasy "worlds" based on the Old West, the Roman Empire, and Medieval Europe. Each of these worlds is inhabited by androids who look, talk, and act like real people. You want to have a sword fight with a knight, you can. You want to shoot it out with a gunslinger, you can. You want to bang an attractive prostitute or wench, have right at it. But this fantasy world turns into a nightmare when the robots malfunction and start killing the tourists!

Richard Benjamin does a great job as the unlikely hero, a newly-divorced and somewhat nerdy man brought to the park by his macho friend James Brolin. Dick Van Patten and Alan Oppenehimer are good in supporting roles. But it's Yul Brynner, as the black-clad gunfighter out to kill Benjamin, that steals the show with his commanding screen presence. The movie takes its time setting things up and building the suspense, showing one small malfunction at a time. It's an hour in before the killing starts. From that point on the pace never slows down and it becomes an exciting cat-and-mouse chase with Brynner hunting Benjamin. The sets and special effects are terrific, particularly when you consider this was made for $1.25 million (with half of that going to pay the cast and crew). I can't say enough good things about Fred Karlin's effective score. This was Crichton's first theatrical directorial effort (he directed a TV movie prior to this). I think it's his best work as a director, although I hold a special place in my heart for Runaway. His script is smart with nice bits of humor throughout. It's a great film that should appeal to a wide variety of people, so long as they are able to enjoy movies made before CGI. Sadly, there are many who can't.

In a near future, the Delos Company offers the vacation of the future in the present days in the amusement parks Medievalworld, Romanworld and Westworld for U$ 1,000.00 per day. The vacationers can feel in the Middle Age or in the Roman Empire or in the Wild West and have joust, sex, duel against gunslinger and whatever he or she wants interacting with robots.

Peter Martin (Richard Benjamin) and John Blane (James Brolin) travel in the hovercraft to Westworld and sooner Peter duels against a Gunslinger (Yul Brynner). However, when there is a malfunctioning of the machinery, the robots get out of control jeopardizing the guests.

"Westworld" is a very successful sci-fi of my generation and a sort of grandfather of other robots films, such as "The Stepford Wives", "Blade Runner" and mainly "The Terminator". There is a scene in this last franchise that is an updated rip-off of Yul Brynner's character chasing Peter.

The story has flaws, but is engaging and suspenseful, holding the attention until the very last scene. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Westworld - Onde Ninguém Tem Alma" ("Westworld - Where No One Has Soul")

Note: On 20 January 2018, I saw this film again.

Note: On 05 March 2021, I saw this film again.