Westworld
October 13, 2016 by admin_name
Westworld
released 2016
www.ink2quill.com
“Westworld” is an American sci-fi, drama, thriller, action, adventure, western, TV series produced by Jonathan Nolan, J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk. It is inspired by a 1973 film of the same name written by Michael Crichton. It was directed by Jonathan Nolan and his wife Lisa Joy Nolan and stars a huge cast of talented actors, among which are Anthony Hopkins, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Luke Hemsworth, James Marsden, Evan Rachel Wood, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Simon Quarterman, Angela Sarafyan, Shannon Woodward, Ed Harris, Jimmi Simpson, Rodrigo Santoro, Ben Barnes, Clifton Collins Jr., Tessa Thompson, Vivienne Taylor, Louis Herthum, Oliver Bell, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Bradley Fisher, James Landry Hebert, Mike Watson, Izabella Alvarez, Paul Edney, Eric Shakleford, Jamie Soricelli, Ardeshir Radpour, Eddie Shin, Leonardo Nam, Demetrius Grosse, Olga Aguilar, Bianca Lopez, Jasmyn Rae, Cody Buchanan, Cynthia Dallas, Frantz Durand, Nia Kingsley, Mykell, Donnabella Mortel, Micah Tillman and many many others. There is no doubt that part of this series worldwind success is from its casting.
“Westworld” is the story of a futuristic park where people come to live out adventures and behave however they want. It is a place populated by created humanoid beings that are so lifelike in many cases you cannot tell them apart from people. Visitors to the park can do whatever they like to whichever artificially created being in the park with no negative repercussions from any justice system or society. The story follows several characters like Dolores Abernathy, played by Evan Rachel Wood, who was the first created being in the park and is starting to realize her situation. There is also the character of Maeve Millay, played by Thandie Newton. She is a created being who has witnessed things that will probably eventually force her to become self aware. Or the characters of William and Hector, played by Jimmi Simpson and Rodrigo Santoro respectively, who are two visitors with completely different attitudes on the park and moral fiber (or lack thereof).
One interesting part of the storyline are the conflicts and ulterior motives from those running the park. I think they are at the center of the whole story. You have the ambitiously ruthless people who want to please board members and generate more profit. You have those in charge of the creations, some of whom have a modicum of compassion toward the creations, but not all and the motives of Dr. Robert Ford, played by Anthony Hopkins. If I were a gambling man I´d say that Dr. Ford is looking for something in the park or satisfying a need that is not born of sadism or curiosity.
The park of Westworld is a place of cruel desires where sentient creatures will be forced to become self aware and ultimately act on it. (For a better explanation of this check out my previous blog and editorial named “An Element From Storytelling To Consider” ).This story follows several characters some of whose story arcs will converge and erupt into conflict as they develop. The one big wild card in the story is the man in black, played by Ed Harris. He is the ghost in the machine that has everyone wondering what he is up to and how will he change things because things need to change in the park for sure. I have my suspicions that he is a kind of nemesis but who really knows.
It´s also important to mention what a good job they did in the worldbuiling. If you look at the IMDb webpage you´ll see that they hired so many talented people to put this together and it shows. It isn´t just a well written script that holds a mirror up to all of humanity. It´s great costumes, sets, CGI and more. (I even wondered if they used real whiskey in the bottles). In some ways it´s a feast for the eyes too.
This is the much anticipated TV series that´s off to a good start, tackling universal themes with complex characters whose motives are not always so clear. I´ve only watched the first few episodes and I´m hooked. I highly recommend “Westworld” to all you sci-fi lovers or those seeking a good story because it´s the best release this year. So enjoy it!
(Commentary by www.ink2quill.com )
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