The Perfectly Balanced Science Fiction of HBO’s Westworld
In 1973, Michael Crichton wrote and directed Westworld, which came to theaters as the novelist’s first go at a feature film. The film was critically well received.
20 years later, Crichton wrote the Spielberg directed Jurassic Park, the beloved franchise is still resonating and churning out movies today.
Crichton’s Westworld involved a much similar premise to HBO’s Westworld. I would imagine if Crichton had the vision and resources at the time, his Westworld would be more similarly constructed like the HBO version.
It’s a science fiction staple to approach questions, discuss them, and let them subjugate debate amongst our friends, and of course, our own minds.
For Crichton, Westworld combines the iRobot and Terminator sensation of man vs. machine, but also the troubling question of the conscious extent of artificial intelligence.
Westworld and Jurassic Park also have a keen connection where maybe amusement parks are best left to the happy folk at Disney.
I’ve read many of Crichton’s anthology and I can imagine the posthumous author would be very proud of what Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan did with Westworld. Crichton was masterful at exploring advances in real life science, dramatizing it, and connecting the science to a visceral and entertaining story.
Speaking of visceral, HBO’s Westworld is visceral to the point that those with a weak stomach need beware. I’m usually pretty adept at not being bothered by blood and scalpels, but I was truly tested by several scenes. The level of detail and care placed in special effects show how much love went into really building a world that a viewer can be engrossed in.
The care and focus on detail also extended to the show’s writing and production.
Joy and Nolan take their time with the characters and the critical story elements that cautiously dangle above them. Great science fiction stories are often mysteries, where characters scramble to answer an unknown question. Westworld begins with a question, and goes on to answer said question.
Westworld rightfully puts more stock into developing its mystery than exploring the scientific exploits of its AI world. It’s easier to explore science in a novel, whereas on television its best to keep the science simple and the questions difficult.
I don’t get into too many television shows for two reasons: lack of time, and lack of resolve. It’s easy to pick on a show like Lost for obvious reasons.
Television shows like Lost struggle with story arcs that either stop abruptly and aren’t resolved, or they’re left open-ended and we don’t get a true ending.
Westworld hits all of its marks. Westworld, like Lost, has a lot of characters and different storylines to follow. The obvious difference is that by the end, Westworld’s conclusion actually concludes its story. There’s certainly room for a second Westworld season, but season one has a definitive ending point. The characters we’ve grown to like, love, and hate are accounted for.
Lost wasn’t the only sci-fi drama at fault of this. Remember Heroes?
Heroes suffered from an overabundance of characters and separated storylines. Once you throw timelines into the mix, Heroes went all out of sorts.
Like Lost and Heroes, Westworld uses the ‘controversial’ separate timelines as well, but I would wager while it may be confusing for some to connect all the dots, Westworld doesn’t over-complicate what often gets messy in other shows and movies.
What truly makes Westworld a great watch is that it’s imaginative and futuristic while maintaining a story that is very much akin to a Shakespearean tragedy.
Something important to note about Westworld is that it isn’t a talking point show. Talking point shows are your Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead. Said show develops moments in each show that promote conversation after the show is over. There’s moments to discuss in Westworld but they come with less frequency. Westworld is much better discussed when you’ve finished the series.
Westworld is not a show for everyone. For the casual television viewer, Westworld moves quite slowly in its plot and character build. What Westworld builds to makes the slow cooking much easier to appreciate. It’s the type of show you don’t want your attention diverted while watching.
Westworld combines great writing, phenomenal acting from its entire cast, a memorable story, and a perfect balance of science and fiction. That’s about as much as you can ask for in a television series.
