The late great Michael Crichton both wrote and directed this little seen sci-fi classic. James Brolin and Richard Benjamin are two customers at a futuristic adult-themed amusement park featuring extremely lifelike robots. Due to a computer malfunction the robot’s begin to attack the customers. Chaos ensues!
Yul Brynner stars as the gunslinging cowboy robot who is on hot pursuit of Brolin and Benjamin, an extremely chillinh performance. The film’s concept is fantastic, highly original, executed with precision and perfect direction from Crichton. It’s a pity he never directed more because Coma and Westworld are both fantastic. The sets and locations are perfect too – with not just a western setting, but Medieval European and Roman settings too. Supposedly, this is also the first film to use digital image processing – which was a big deal!
Three years laster in 1976, Futureworld – a ridiculous sequel was released. Starring Peter Fonda and Blyth Danner (and even Yul Brynner reprising his role in a forced pointless dream sequence), the film suffered from a poor script and well it’s just bland. There was no need for it to be made. There was also a short lived television series, Beyond Westworld in 1980 (Maybe hoping Planet of the Apes style success?), quite entertaining – but nothing really to do with the original film.