Westworld
1973, Sci-fi, 1h 28m
41 Reviews 10,000+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
Yul Brynner gives a memorable performance as a robotic cowboy in this amusing sci-fi/western hybrid. Read critic reviews
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Where to watch
Westworld Videos
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Movie Info
Westworld is a futuristic theme park where paying guests can pretend to be gunslingers in an artificial Wild West populated by androids. After paying a sizable entrance fee, Blane (James Brolin) and Martin (Richard Benjamin) are determined to unwind by hitting the saloons and shooting off their guns. But when the system goes haywire and Blane is killed in a duel with a robotic gunslinger (Yul Brynner), Martin's escapist fantasy suddenly takes on a grim reality.
Cast & Crew
Yul Brynner
Robot Gunslinger
Robot Gunslinger
Richard Benjamin
Peter Martin
Peter Martin
James Brolin
John Blane
John Blane
Norman Bartold
Medieval Knight
Medieval Knight
Dick Van Patten
Banker
Banker
Linda Gaye Scott
Arlette
Arlette
News & Interviews for Westworld
Critic Reviews for Westworld
Audience Reviews for Westworld
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Apr 01, 2017Campy as this movie is, you can really see the genius of the premise, written and directed by Michael Crichton. Well ahead of its time in 1973, when computers were far from ubiquitous, it shows the inevitable progression of robot technology, and 'computers designing computers'. There are also some fantastic shot sequences in the second half of the movie, particularly as rogue robot (Yul Brunner) hunts down one of the guests (Richard Benjamin) at Westworld. This also prefetches the 'Terminator' series. Unfortunately, I can only recommend it with reservations, because the first half of the movie is too silly, alternating between cliché scenes in a saloon and lame attempts at humor. Dick Van Patten's character is just ridiculous. The sex scene between Benjamin and the robot prostitute is too, with a corny preamble and then some laugh out loud rolling back and forth. There's just not enough darkness and grit in the first half, and I don't necessarily mean not enough hardcore violence, I mean it's just too light. Part of the problem is in casting Benjamin, and another part is in direction and editing towards a PG rating. The film does redeem itself when the robots snap. Yul Brunner turns in a great performance and the look in his eyes is memorable. There is real tension, and I loved how the film also combined at least parts of 'Medieval World' and 'Rome World' into the story, though it could have done more. You have to cut it some slack for having been made in 1973, and appreciate it for the outstanding premise, the potential of which Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy recognized before creating HBO's series.Antonius B Super Reviewer
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Nov 20, 2016Seeing as I am enjoying the TV series I decided to check this out. Clearly this serves as a rough draft and inspiration for Jurassic Park. Easily to see why this inspired the likes of The Terminator as well.Ian W Super Reviewer
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Oct 18, 2016It takes too long for things to start to finally happen in this dull precursor of Jurassic Park (although everything is quite predictable right from the beginning), with also a glaring problem of focus and terrible pacing and editing, but Yul Brynner looks cool as a killing robot-cowboy.Carlos M Super Reviewer
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Oct 02, 2016In order to get the feel and tone of the upcoming Westworld TV series, I decided to take a look back at the 1973 film which inspired the series, directed and written by the great Michael Crichton. In many ways, Westworld is the precursor to Crichton's more famous work, Jurassic Park. 3 theme parks are open to vacationers who want to escape the real world and visit places that resemble the old west, medieval Europe, and ancient Rome. It's a fascinating idea that make this world feel a whole lot like our modern society's love of video games and virtual reality. So that makes it the perfect time for a new adaptation on television. Much like Jurassic Park, Westworld showcases both the pleasurable and horrific sides to such a futuristic idea. Of course it's ridiculous that people are sucked into theme parks like this, but is it really that unrealistic? I tend to think this is closer to the truth than it isn't. It's a relatively small cast comprised of Richard Benjamin, James Brolin, and Yul Brynner as an android gunslinger. The performances are fine, but the character development could have definitely been better. At a mere 89 minutes long, there isn't a lot of time spent on setting up the main character's backstories or even a ton of time on the world's themselves. That can certainly add to the mysticism and the unpredictability of the third act, but character development could have also improved the gravitas of that very third act. With that said, it's definitely an inventive film that has inspired several other sci-fi films since like Predator, Terminator, and obviously Jurassic Park. At the very least, it's a fun venture into 1970's sci-fi, and we all know that was a great decade for sci-fi. 7.8/10Thomas D Super Reviewer
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