Movie Review- Westworld

Originally written 1/17/16

            In Westworld, Michael Crichton tries out the "theme park gone awry" story he would eventually revisit with Jurassic Park, but he doesn't quite hit the mark. I appreciate what the film is trying to do, which is basically Jurassic Park with a robot cowboy, but the execution is clumsy. Despite its short runtime, Westworld takes its own sweet time before anything happens. In the meantime, we are subjected to run-of-the-mill cowboy hijinks. This is intercut with the slow revelation that there is a computer virus spreading through the robots in the theme park, causing them to go haywire. This could have been a suspenseful series of scenes, but this information is largely revealed from scientists standing around and talking, which is incredibly boring to watch.

            It is not even necessary to have an explanation as to why the gunslinger robot goes haywire. Electronics go haywire all the time, that is as much of an explanation as you need. (As a side note, this movie came out before the idea of a computer virus was something the average viewer would not have been familiar with. Hearing the scientists explain the logistics of a computer virus without ever actually saying "computer virus" is weirdly amusing, like watching one of those old "How to install the internet" instructional videos.) Yul Brenner is excellently intimidating as the gunslinger robot, but he does not get nearly enough screen time. The idea for WestWorld is neat, but it just does not work. Jurassic Park is a much better exploration of the same plot and themes.