Westworld (2016)

Season 1

Director: Jonathan Nolan, Richard J Lewis, Neil Marshall, Vicenzo Natali, Johnny Campbell, Frederick EO Toye, Stephen Williams, Michelle MacLaren
Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright
Episodes: 10

Synopsis:
An Old West-themed park with realistic android characters struggles with executive power plays and malfunctions that could be the harbinger of emerging sapience.

Impressions:
When I saw that they were making a Westworld TV series and that Ed Harris was going to play the Man in Black, that was all I needed. I didn't really know what to expect, but I have to say that I was blown away by what I got. The original movie did some cool stuff, but this series goes a lot further with themes of emergent AI and the nature of consciousness. There are some great character dynamics and amazing twists and turns along the way. All told, I was quite satisfied with the course of the story to this point. Among the performances I really liked are obvious heavy-hitters like Ed Harris as the Man in Black and Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Ford, but other principle members of the cast like Jeffrey Wright, Thandie Newton and Evan Rachel Wood are all first-rate and I also enjoyed characters like Escaton and Armistice. Now, there is a lot of casual nudity to be had, both in the clinical context of Host maintenance and the seedy pleasures of the park, but if you already watch series like Game of Thrones, it shouldn't be too much of an issue. For the sake of streamlining and focusing the story, I can understand why Roman World and Medieval World were cut and it doesn't really hurt things any. I highly recommend the series and eagerly await the next season. If you haven't checked it out yet, definitely do so.

Rating:
Own It