Westworld

Originally a Michael Crichton book, Westworld was first adapted for the big screen in the early 70's, starring Yul Brynner (I still remember it pretty fondly).

The newest iteration of Westworld has been given the polish and the magic touch (and the seemingly endless budgets) of HBO, turning it into a veritable gem.

Season 1 introduces us to a stable of characters that might make it a bit complicated to follow along. They all revolve around a near-future theme park, where any human appetite can be explored and indulged with no fear.

Some of the characters are human: the guests who can afford to visit the park, and the people who work behind the scenes. All the others are highly sophisticated robots called hosts. The hosts are programmed to follow a set of instructions and are so realistic that one can hardly tell them apart from real people.

Dr. Ford, one of the original creators of the hosts, controls the park's narratives, occasionally creating new ones to keep the guests coming back. He's very fond of his creations.

At some point, a few hosts begin displaying strange behaviors that have not been programmed. What is causing this? What could be the consequences?

Grade - Season 1: 8

Season 2 drops us in the middle of chaos and mayhem. The hosts seem to have awoken and decided to take their revenge on the humans in their midst.

Delos, the company that owns Westworld, is facing the nightmare of having to save the guests and salvage its considerable IP before it's too late.

Meanwhile, some hosts are on personal quests and some guests are unwilling to stop playing their game. Every new development seems to bring more destruction and death.

Furthermore, the revelation of a secret project run behind the scenes has rippling consequences.

Who will be able to achieve their goals?

Grade - Season 2: 9

Westworld showed promise from the first episodes I watched and has only grown better with time. It is now one of my favorite shows and I'm looking forward to watching the new season that's currently airing on HBO.

One word of caution: because of the human-likeness of the hosts, all is not what it seems, and that's an intended feature of the show. There are intertwined and intersecting storylines with flashbacks and twists galore, to the point that this is probably a show that virtually requires one to go back and re-watch previous episodes to fully understand what's going on.

If you rent it on DVD, watch the Special Features, because the whole thing becomes clearer. But fear not, if you're willing to put the time in and follow along, it is one hell of a ride.

PS: Anthony Hopkins delivers one of his greatest performances as Dr. Ford. He's unforgettable. A true acting genius.