One of HBO’s most anticipated new series of the year, Westworld, began its run last week. For those unaware, the show’s general premise is Jurassic Park but with dystopian robot cowboys as opposed to dinosaurs. Based off the eponymous 1973 film written and directed by Michael Crichton, the author of the original Jurassic Park novel, the series has cleverly reversed the roles of protagonist and antagonist, with the androids being the central focus and the human characters taking on the more villainous roles. Chief among them appears to be ‘The Man in Black’ (played by Ed Harris). He is a Terminator-like character in search of a “deeper level” within the park. With such a large cast the first episode focuses mainly on world building and setting the scene, however this doesn’t stop a handful of moments from standing out. Among these include a shootout set to an orchestral version of ‘Paint It Black’ by the Rolling Stones, as well as the final scene, which does well to underline the impending disaster waiting in later episodes. In the same vein as the Twilight Zone, Black Mirror, or any film/tv series set in a dystopian future, Westworld does seem like a critique of modern lives. This is all the more noteworthy considering the source material is well over 40 years old. Whilst the opening credits aren’t the most musically catchy of HBO series, (see True Detective Season 1 and Game of Thrones) the fact that Jonathan Nolan (brother of Christopher) and J.J. Abrams are involved in the producing, writing and directing of the series means it should be a critical and commercial hit.
