So, I tend to focus much more on movie reviews than other types of content on here (not that there's been much of that lately but I'm trying to fix that). However, I spend just as much time watching TV as I do watching movies (probably way more if you include Netflix). Obviously, there's plenty of great programmes on TV nowadays, particularly as networks are producing more and more original content and independent online companies like Netflix and Amazon are starting to create their own content. That said, I don't tend to judge TV on the same scale as I judge movies. I'm not paying an increasing amount to see it (for the most part), and there's generally a few restrictions on most shows that stop it from going up to the level where it could be movie quality. Every now and then, though, a show comes along that is a special case, something so clever and ingeniously weaved together, that it deserves a full review and it is the duty of reviewers to tell you how well made it is. HBO's new series "Westworld" is one of these cases, with show runners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy having crafted a masterful TV series well worth your attention. Let's take a (spoiler-free) look.
The plot of the show revolves around a futuristic theme park inhabited by extremely life-like (both in terms of look and actions) androids, or as they are typically referred to, "hosts". From our world, people can pay to visit this park, a hyper-realistic recreation of the Wild West, and essentially can do whatever they want, including kill and maim as they so please. However, not everything may be as perfect as it seems as new behaviours seemingly begin popping up in the hosts, making them behave in a slightly different manner than it probably safe. It is clear that the focus of the show, as has been highlighted by many other reviewers, is on these scenes. There are always multiple storylines going on at once within the park, and these are all as interesting as each other, inhabited by equally interesting and intriguing characters. It is the evolving dynamic within the park that is perhaps the best executed of all of the show's aspects. As more and more hosts begin to suspect something is wrong with their world, and begin to slowly develop a more human consciousness. The mysteries of this development, as well as several others within the park that I won't spoil here (because you honestly need to experience this whole series yourself), are all as well-executed as this, although some do get far more time devoted to them than others, and the show feels quite slow to develop these on occasion. For example, one sub-plot revolves around the quest of the guest known only as the Man in Black (played by a fantastically sinister Ed Harris) but the show is rather slow to reveal more about his ultimate goal until later on when the sub-plots begin to cross over. Although I didn't find this a major issue, as the other stories as well as the Man in Black's own exploits were all extremely enjoyable regardless, I could understand why some may find this show to have some pacing problems, particularly near the beginning.
However, the events taking place within the park are not the only stories that are told within the show. We also get some insight into the behind the scenes operations of the business, particularly though the various employees and their relationships with Dr. Robert Ford (played by Anthony Hopkins), the creator of the park and its inhabitants. I've heard a lot of people complain that these scenes were less of an addition to the series, and more of a hinderance, or a distraction. However, I thoroughly enjoyed these sequences and often enjoyed them even more than the events taking place within the park itself. Just as in Westworld, there are plenty of twists and turns within the setting of the main building where the hosts are built and repaired, including security work, corporate manoeuvring and dark secrets from the past, particularly Ford's. This is where the show really puts the time into its world-building, setting up the state of the outside world, and just why certain characters, both human and host, act the way they do and slowly revealing their true motivations. All in all, these scenes acted as a perfect way to introduce further aspects to this futuristic setting, while possibly hinting at plot points that could be explored in the future (the finale in particular does a spectacular job of doing this without feeling unsatisfying and unfinished for the sake of continuing into a (thankfully confirmed) second season).
You kind of get the idea for the scale and quality of a TV show when well-known actor and Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins signs on from the start. Hopkins is a fantastic part of the show throughout. Although he may not always have the most screen time, his presence is felt throughout, and the audience can never sake the unsettling feeling that he knows, and even wants, everything that is about to happen, no matter how terrible. However, Hopkins is only one member of a phenomenal cast, who are always at the top of their game, while their characters are equally well developed and understandable. I just mentioned Ed Harris as the mysterious Man in Black, with Harris injecting the appropriate menace and evil into the role from the very start of the show when we are introduced to the character for the first time. However, as we slowly learn more about his standing in the outside world and his past, he becomes a more sympathetic character, and is someone that you will love to hate. Other actors who do a great job and have a fantastic dynamic together are Jimmi Simpson's William and Ben Barnes' Logan. It is largely William who undergoes the most development but it was nonetheless intriguing to see their bond develop more as the series continued. Other special shout outs go to Jeffrey Wright's charismatic Bernard and Shannon Woodward as Elsie, the down-to-earth programmer who was one of the most likeable and funny characters in the show for me. I could be here for a long time talking about every character and actor on the show, and how good a job they all do. However, if I have to pinpoint two, this is firmly Evan Rachel Wood's and Thandie Newton's show. These two actresses easily receive the most screen time of the bunch and have the most exciting development throughout the series. Newton's Maeve is often more entertaining due to her more unpredictable, volatile character, and how she later interacts with both Westworld and the real world is a real treat to watch. However, Woods gives the more relatable and interesting performance as Dolores, in my opinion at least. She portrays a young woman who has had her whole world torn down around her, and is forced to adapt to circumstances that she nor anyone else she knows fully understands or appreciates. It is an emotional journey we experience with her, and I would not be surprised to see Woods' name being thrown around a lot during awards season.
You kind of get the idea for the scale and quality of a TV show when well-known actor and Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins signs on from the start. Hopkins is a fantastic part of the show throughout. Although he may not always have the most screen time, his presence is felt throughout, and the audience can never sake the unsettling feeling that he knows, and even wants, everything that is about to happen, no matter how terrible. However, Hopkins is only one member of a phenomenal cast, who are always at the top of their game, while their characters are equally well developed and understandable. I just mentioned Ed Harris as the mysterious Man in Black, with Harris injecting the appropriate menace and evil into the role from the very start of the show when we are introduced to the character for the first time. However, as we slowly learn more about his standing in the outside world and his past, he becomes a more sympathetic character, and is someone that you will love to hate. Other actors who do a great job and have a fantastic dynamic together are Jimmi Simpson's William and Ben Barnes' Logan. It is largely William who undergoes the most development but it was nonetheless intriguing to see their bond develop more as the series continued. Other special shout outs go to Jeffrey Wright's charismatic Bernard and Shannon Woodward as Elsie, the down-to-earth programmer who was one of the most likeable and funny characters in the show for me. I could be here for a long time talking about every character and actor on the show, and how good a job they all do. However, if I have to pinpoint two, this is firmly Evan Rachel Wood's and Thandie Newton's show. These two actresses easily receive the most screen time of the bunch and have the most exciting development throughout the series. Newton's Maeve is often more entertaining due to her more unpredictable, volatile character, and how she later interacts with both Westworld and the real world is a real treat to watch. However, Woods gives the more relatable and interesting performance as Dolores, in my opinion at least. She portrays a young woman who has had her whole world torn down around her, and is forced to adapt to circumstances that she nor anyone else she knows fully understands or appreciates. It is an emotional journey we experience with her, and I would not be surprised to see Woods' name being thrown around a lot during awards season.
Westworld is not only a marvel of acting and writing, however, but also a technical masterpiece, particularly with regards the cinematography. Thankfully, the directors of the show have resisted the urge to resort to shaky camera techniques and extreme close-ups, particularly in the Western setting with the quick, fluid shoot-out sequences that are an integral part of the genre. They refrain from using these over-saturated techniques throughout the show, and instead use much slower and more sweeping shots to allow for all the detail of the shot to sink in before they cut away. The landscape shots in particular are beautiful and handled extremely well. The way the camera tracks the mountain landscape towards the beginning of the series and at numerous points throughout, before ultimately tracking the train that travels through the world are all expertly handled and precisely calculated shots. Another smaller technical aspect is the handling of lighting within the show, which is also used to convey character moods, emotions and the state of events at the time. As you can probably tell, one of the reasons Westworld impressed me as much as it clearly has was due to the choice of the writers and directors to divert away from traditional story telling techniques in film and TV and instead uses subtle aspects, like cinematography and lighting, to show emotion and add something to the development of the characters as well.
I just mentioned the shoot-out and fight sequences that play a part in the series and the effects work on display here is excellent. It's largely due to the heavy use of practical effects during these scenes, making the blood spurts and violent shots look extremely realistic rather than if the show had relied entirely on CGI. Make no mistake, this show is not for the faint of heart if you struggle with life-like violence and a serious amount of gore. They do not shy away from showing the extreme violence shown towards the hosts of the park, particularly due to the inability of the guests to be properly hurt in this world. The main point of these scenes, however, is to impress the audience and show of the ability of the show runners to put together highly enjoyable action set pieces. These are not the only scenes that make use of special effects, however, as it is in the real world that more CGI is put to use. These integrate extremely well into the aesthetic the show has adopted, and never feels so distinct from the rest of the series that it feels like they are separate shows. Another aspect of the series worth a quick mention is the impressive work on the set design of the show, in both the real world and in Westworld. The shooting location of Utah works extremely well as a setting for the Wild West scenario, while the rest of the behind-the-scenes crew did a fantastic job in creating the various towns and areas that are visited through the series. An equally impressive job is done in creating the futuristic environment of the park facility.
Music is such an integral part of film and TV, more so than I think a lot of reviewers often acknowledge. I was excited when it was announced that Ramin Djawadi, the composer behind another little HBO series "Game of Thrones" (probably haven't hard of that right?), and the network have struck gold twice with their soundtracks. Djawadi's soundtrack to the series is masterful and ingeniously reflects the moments on screen as they happen. Even the opening title sequence score is deceptively clever when you think about it towards the end of the series. Not only does it reflect the events on the screen as we are bombarded with names, but the beautiful piece actually symbolises the structure of the show's plot as well. Starting off slower but beautifully elegant, it reflects the first time we as the audience enter Westworld, but becomes faster and more erratic as it progresses, before climaxing in clashing and dissonant chords. Perhaps this was meant to reflect the chaos of the final few episodes that you can feel brewing from the very start of the show. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it's a nice thought. Not only this, however, but we are treated so some fantastic renditions of pop, rock and other modern songs scattered throughout the series. Listen out for the distinctive saloon piano and you're bound to recognise a few songs throughout the series. Don't worry though, this isn't Suicide Squad syndrome, where the music is randomly scattered throughout the piece for the sake including that song by a famous artist. The music selected is cleverly worked into the moment and is not only used to great effect during set pieces, but also during smaller character moments. It is highly commendable that the writers of the show have implemented music as a character device, as well as dialogue.
Whenever we look ahead to the year ahead, and check out the list of upcoming films and TV shows, we tend to judge them on a different scale. They have different award shows, budgets, and other factors which naturally have to be taken into consideration. Fair enough for the most part. However, "Westworld" is a special case. In judging this 10-episode series, in my honest opinion, this is not just the best TV show of the year, but also quite possibly surpasses the quality of every other full length movie that we have been to see in cinemas this year. Not only is it phenomenally acted, ingeniously written, and beautifully filmed, but it takes an opportunity to deliver a surprisingly deep message about the nature of humankind and the horrific acts that everyone with the kind of free reign granted to the guests of this "park" would undoubtedly commit. It is a poetic reflection of modern society and technological advances, and a dark mirror of the human mind at it's worst.
Pros
- Phenomenal acting
- Excellent and appropriate character development
- Intriguing world-building and mysteries throughout
- Beautifully shot
- Great CG and practical effects
- Excellent music
- Perhaps most importantly, never a dull moment
Cons
- Possibly a bit slow at the start but even this won't be a problem for everybody.
Original Air Date: 2nd of October, 2016
Starring Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newman, Jeffrey Wright, James Marsden, Sidse Barnett Knudsen, Simon Quarterman, Shannon Woodward, Jimmi Simpson, Ben Barnes, Tessa Thompson, Ed Harris, and Anthony Hopkins
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