You hear it being said sometimes, about something or someone being described as ahead of their time. It’s intended as a vast compliment, to a visionary beyond period expectations, but sometimes it comes with an asterisk and footnote of under appreciation. That being ahead of your time means not finding recognition until you’re already history. Vincent Van Gogh was an impressionist artist ahead of his time and died in poverty with him not getting noticed until after his death. Firefly was.... nope, let’s not even go there. Yet thankfully, many do get the pat on the back they deserve for pushing the boundaries and inspiring generations to come.
In many ways, I feel that Michael Crichton’s directorial debut, Westworld, was ahead of its time. Not only was it was the first film is history to feature digital image processing (aka CGI) but it’s subject matter of artificial intelligence and the dangers technological dependence were very forward thinking for the early '70s. Thankfully, it did find success, acclaim and is still regarding as a cult classic. Now in 2016, it finds a new big budget incarnation on the small screen with the likes of Jonathan Nolan and J J Abrams behind it (expect member berries). In this day and age, it may no longer be ahead of this time, but from this first episode, it maybe one hell of a TV show.
The Original – Westworld is a vast fully immersive Old West experience for its high-paying guests populated with its artificially intelligent hosts. Some unexpected glitches from a recent host update triggers an extensive recall but not everything the programmers find can be explained.
So let’s start on the surface. This show looks fantastic. From the last landscape shots of the canyons and hills to the authentic period feel of the town and its population, the show doesn’t put a spurred boot wrong. Then the behind-the-scenes and control facilities make a magnificently stunning contrast, pristine in white and glass rooms. The initial introduction to the facilities is a particular highlight as we walk through the various stages of host creation and development. It feels like a space-aged version of Jurassic Park melded with the Living Flesh episodes of Doctor Who. As you’d expect from such a high investment project (estimated $8-10million cost per episode), the visual effects look immaculate as the machines sculpt and build fresh produce but for all the eye candy, it’s the story and narrative approach that most impresses about this first mosey into town.
A significant amount of the story is set and framed from the perspective of different hosts as they encounter guests rather than centring around the human characters, which plays perfectly into the themes of hosts evolving or questioning their own existence that develops into a key feature. The opening interrogation-like assessment of feature host Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood – True Blood) being used as a narration across the first act really keeps an edge of eeriness to the events, like something is always out of place. The repetition and development of starting positions routines for Dolores immediately conjures some welcome familiarity to Joss Whedon’s short-lived Dollhouse; in fact, in many ways, Westworld is the upscaled free range version of that titular facility. Several good smaller stories are placed in motion like the mysterious long-standing guest played by Ed Harris (The Abyss, The Truman Show) looking to cause a new kind of chaos and something of a power struggle going on behind the scenes but the main story looks to be true to the film. That is the idea of the hosts going wildly “off script” with fatal consequences for all involved, which is exactly what we all want to see: the super rich patrons getting the real Old West experience they’ve paid for. The show is already teasing what a spectacle that will be, with an epic mass shoot out come robbery. With J. Nolan himself in the director’s chair, it’s exquisitely captured. The almost shoulder-mounted/3rd person camera angle as the rifle crack shot Armistice guns people down in quick succession is utterly gripping. The whole sequence is a broad toothy smile and a twitching hand to the gun belt to make clear that the show can go big when it wants to.
Already there’s some excellent themes of morality too as we see how the freedom and invulnerability the park provides its patrons can bring out the worst in people. From the simple desires to, “shoot and **** everything in sight” to indulging in far more sadistic desires. Ed Harris’ character implies he’s been abusing Dolores for decades, and the glimpse we get into this is nothing short of horrific. Then there are even some great arguments over the very nature of artificial simulation and whether or not making hosts more lifelike really is a good thing, “This place functions because the guests know the hosts aren’t real”. Would you play Grand Theft Auto in the same way if it was made neigh on realistic?.... Alright a few sickos would, but you get the point.
The show comes packed with a star-studded gang of talent. Along with the aforementioned, we have notable faces like Anthony Hopkins slipping seamlessly into a John Hammond-like Park Director figure. Or X-Men’s James Marsden, Thandie Newton (Mission Impossible 2), Jeffrey Wright (Source Code), Tessa Thompson (Creed), Ben Barnes (Prince Caspian) and many more.
It must be said (for anyone that doesn’t figure it out in the opening seconds) that similarly to a certain other HBO property, this is very adult production in terms of content, themes, and literally hordes of naked people (not all of which you’ll enjoy), so this isn’t a show for the whole family to get behind. However, for those whose innocence has long ridden off into the sunset, Westworld is a must watch show. Thanks to a stellar creative team, its seamless created a modern spin on a classic property while still finding plenty of originality...... I believe that calls for a yeeeee hah!