WESTWORLD (1974) (film review by Mark R. Leeper and Evelyn C. Leeper)
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Philip De Parto
Aug 23, 2024, 3:51:16 PM8/23/24
to SFABC (nj) Movie Group
The following review is reprinted with commentary from
THE MT VOID
08/23/24 -- Vol. 43, No. 8, Whole Number 2342
08/23/24 -- Vol. 43, No. 8, Whole Number 2342
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(film review by Mark R. Leeper and Evelyn C. Leeper)
WESTWORLD (1974):
In WESTWORLD, Delos is clearly patterned after
Disney's Magic Kingdom: the former is partitioned into
Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland; the
latter is partitioned into Medievalworld, Romanworld, and
Westworld (and later Futureland).
How can there be no way to get hurt? What if another guest thinks
you are a robot and punches you?
Just as with A.I. today, Delos's robots can be detected by the
fact that the manufacturing process doesn't do the hands perfectly.
The technicians say that the malfunctions are spreading like a
disease; management seems skeptical of a disease of machinery.
The year before the movie came out, a paper was published that
postulated that a Von Neumann (self-replicating) computer program
could spread just like a biological virus. Even before that, in
1970, Gregory Benford wrote "The Scarred Man" about just such a
computer program named VIRUS, and that was quickly followed by
WHEN HARLIE WAS ONE by David Gerrold, and THE TERMINAL MAN
by Michael Crichton. [-ecl]
Released theatrically 21 November 1973.
Film Credits:
<https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070909/reference>
What others are saying:
<https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/westworld>
Disney's Magic Kingdom: the former is partitioned into
Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland; the
latter is partitioned into Medievalworld, Romanworld, and
Westworld (and later Futureland).
How can there be no way to get hurt? What if another guest thinks
you are a robot and punches you?
Just as with A.I. today, Delos's robots can be detected by the
fact that the manufacturing process doesn't do the hands perfectly.
The technicians say that the malfunctions are spreading like a
disease; management seems skeptical of a disease of machinery.
The year before the movie came out, a paper was published that
postulated that a Von Neumann (self-replicating) computer program
could spread just like a biological virus. Even before that, in
1970, Gregory Benford wrote "The Scarred Man" about just such a
computer program named VIRUS, and that was quickly followed by
WHEN HARLIE WAS ONE by David Gerrold, and THE TERMINAL MAN
by Michael Crichton. [-ecl]
Released theatrically 21 November 1973.
Film Credits:
<https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070909/reference>
What others are saying:
<https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/westworld>
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