Westworld is a television adaptation of the 1973 film (which goes by the same name) that premiered on HBO on October 2nd, 2016. The show is a science fiction drama which centers on a futuristic, Western-themed amusement park that is filled with artificial intelligence, indistinguishable from humans. The people who visit the park are free to do anything they please in the time that they stay, and the artificial intelligence is programmed not to harm humans. Though the largest and inevitable twist in this show is that some error in the most recent software update causes a malfunction in its host.
One of the more interesting aspects of the show were its attempt to have its audience view the hosts as more human than the humans themselves. This is primarily done through making the AI have a broader range of emotions; the human characters of the show exhibit a more sinister side.
The manner in which the plot is narrated in Westworld is done well. Even though the show may appear confusing at times, a clear effort is made to make the overall story presentable towards the audience.
However, the story itself appears to have several points which may confuse the audience. The viewers are not shown where the entire series of events are taking place. Also, it is never made clear how long the visitors of the amusement park are allowed to stay as guests.
Similar to many of the other titles in HBO’s selection of television shows, Westworld contains an abundance of sexual content and violence- much more than many other proclaimed “violent shows”. With that said, this aspect of the show is purely preference.
Overall, Westworld does an excellent job at presenting its own world and crafting an interesting story out of it. I recommend this show to drama fans, those who have enjoyed the original 1973 film will find this show a must.
