“Westworld” is being called by many as the next “Game Of Thrones.” If the original movie is any indication, they will have more similarities than just being shown on the same cable channel. Like “Game of Thrones,” pretty much everyone dies in the original movie as the creators of Westworld quickly lose control of their robots. As a fan of not having everyone I love in a TV show dying, it’s good to learn that everything about the show, except the basic premise, is different.
Starring Evan Rachel Wood as Dolores Abernathy, the sweet country girl with a heart full of metal, and James Marsden as Teddy Flood, the resort visitor in love with said heart full of metal, “Westworld” immediately sets up the two up for a forbidden love story in a dystopian, horror-filled world full of depravity, (like just about every sci-fi film put out in the last few years). So while similar in visual beauty and debauchery, “Westworld” may be better suited to people who found the slow trudge of “Game of Thrones” too boring, and need a hole to fill that “The Hunger Games” left behind.
Though this dystopian trope has been well played out over the years, it is a good addition to the movie’s proto “Jurassic Park” baddies (Michael Crichton wrote both of these theme park nightmares), who, like the dinosaurs, attack without motive or reason. In the movie, the main malfunctioning robot is the supposedly terrifying Gunslinger, played by Yul Brynner of “The King And I” fame. Since the beginning, he was programmed to start fights with one of the main characters named Peter. After he malfunctions and stops listening to the Delos Resort employees, he continues to go after this person without any other reason than that is what he was programmed to do. Adding a burgeoning consciousness to the robots gives them a reason to start a killing spree, which is what makes this TV show, and the robots in it, much more engaging than the mass of mindless machines featured in the film.
It is, of course, a wonderful and thrilling addition having Anthony Hopkins as the big boss of Delos Resorts. His character is described as “reserved and thoughtful” which with any other actor, this description would not have been second-guessed, but with Hopkins, it somehow strikes sinister to the mind. Where the creators of Delos were not an important part of the movie and quickly suffocated when the power went out to their subterranean control hub, the show will add yet another thrilling dimension to the story by making these creators a central part of the show.
Perhaps by stealing the premise of the movie, but changing everything else, HBO will have it’s next big sci-fi cult hit on its hands. After all, there have been other attempts at making the movie into a TV show, like the quickly-canceled 80’s flop “Beyond Westworld,” along with a few other failed efforts. Judging by all the trailers and the alterations they made to the plot, I’m very excited to see how this show turns out and can’t wait to tune in on October 2nd.
“Westworld” debuts on HBO Sunday, October 2nd with the episode “The Original.” Let us know what you expect in the comments below.
