Westworld

[yoloswegmaster]

BOY, HAVE WE GOT A VACATION FOR YOU...

In 1973, novelist-turned-filmmaker Michael Crichton made his directorial debut with Westworld, a groundbreaking fusion of science fiction and action-thriller that would prove decades ahead of its time, laying the groundwork for his later hit Jurassic Park and changing the face of sci-fi.

Welcome to Delos, the futuristic resort where, for $1,000 a day, wealthy vacationers can live out their wildest fantasies in hyper-realistic theme parks. In the Old West zone, friends Peter (Richard Benjamin) and John (James Brolin) saddle up for adventure, unaware that their dream holiday is about to turn into a nightmare. When a malfunction sends the park’s android hosts off script, the Gunslinger (Yul Brynner, in his iconic black-clad role) begins a relentless pursuit, obliterating the line between simulation and survival.

Slick, suspenseful, and eerily prescient, Westworld combines a gripping man-versus-machine chase with thought-provoking questions about technology, control, and the price of playing God. Packed with atmosphere and memorable performances, this cult classic remains a landmark in genre cinema – a high-tech nightmare that never loses its bite.

4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

Brand new 4K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Films
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original restored lossless 4-channel stereo, 2.0 stereo, and 1.0 mono audio options
Optional remixed 5.1 DTS-HD MA surround audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary by filmmaker and film historian Daniel Kremer
Cowboy Dreams, a newly filmed conversation between actor Richard Benjamin and producer/screenwriter Larry Karaszewski
At Home on the Range, a brand new video interview with actor James Brolin
HollyWorld: Producing Westworld, a brand new video interview with producer Paul N. Lazarus III
Sex, Death and Androids, a brand new appreciation of the film by author and film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
On Location with Westworld, an archival behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film from 1973
Beyond Westworld, the 48-minute pilot episode of the 1980 follow-up television series
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Arik Roper
Collectors’ perfect bound booklet featuring new writing on the film by David Michael Brown, Priscilla Page, Paul Anthony Nelson, and Abbey Bender
Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Arik Roper
Six postcard-sized artcards

[colinr0380]

Excellent stuff! As a teen (and concurrent with enjoying the colour-coded Crystal Maze!) I remember loving that final fourth wall breaking chase sequence through all of the different 'zones', and that strange sense that some of the other 'gameplayers' did sort of achieve the experience of a lifetime!

Spoiler

I particularly love that the Medieval Times area has both a robot-on-human death and a human-on-robot death that are similarly shocking, sort of equating the tragic loss of both together even further.

I think I have a recorded from television copy of the extremely obscure 1976 sequel to this, Futureworld, somewhere around but that is one of those sequels to an already perfect film that I have always been somewhat reluctantly wary to watch just in case it spoils the original!

[rapta]

Futureworld actually made it to Blu-ray courtesy of 101 Films, but I still haven't watched it. Was mostly convinced to get it for Peter Fonda, and the fact Yul Brynner shows up again, but I too am worried it'd spoil the charms of the original. Maybe I'll give it a shot after I revisit the original when this Arrow edition is released.

Looking forward to this release. May be overshadowed by Excalibur's extra cut, but there are some exciting interviews on this disc, not least James Brolin and Richard Benjamin. Could've done with the original art on the front though; the commissioned art looks almost as if someone prompted ChatGPT to redesign the original art but omitting the fact it's supposed to look like Yul Brynner.

[domino harvey]

Where’s the Malkmus interview

[Lowry_Sam]

I think I have a recorded from television copy of the extremely obscure 1976 sequel to this, Futureworld, somewhere around but that is one of those sequels to an already perfect film that I have always been somewhat reluctantly wary to watch just in case it spoils the original!

Actually Futureworld isn't really all that obscure. It was double-billed with Westworld all the time and I always confused the title with the original as its a much more fitting title (and the odd release to use a different title for a sequel). I think the problem with Futureworld was that it just wasn't as good as the original and so it wasn't released as much. A bit surprising though that Arrow isn't releasing both at the same time (or together), but maybe it's because they're under different licenses as I believe the sequel was an independent production.

[rapta]

Where’s the Malkmus interview

Malkmus commentary would be great. Clearly nobody at Arrow listens to Pavement.