'Westworld' Season One Review

Hello, fellow moviegoers!
   Westworld was the latest major show to be aired on HBO. It’s based on a film of the same name released in 1973. It tells several different stories, all of them involving an amusement park called Westworld. In this park, paying guests can get a realistic experience of what it was like to live in the Wild West. They can become cowboys, outlaws, or whatever their heart desires. HBO is hoping that this series can become their new Game of Thrones. So is it worth checking out?

   Westworld has been an extremely divisive show. Some people out there absolutely love this show and can’t get enough of it. Other people think that the show is way too complex and makes absolutely no narrative sense. Personally, I lean more towards the former. I thought Westworld was a thoroughly entertaining show that told the story it wanted to, despite what some people wanted it to do.
   As I mentioned earlier, there are several different storylines going on throughout this show. There were several narratives in this show that I thought worked extremely well, and there were a couple that I thought didn’t. One story that I thought was particularly interesting was the one involving the character of Bernard. Bernard was probably my favorite character; he was simple, yet he had little complexities to him that made him extremely intriguing. There was a direction they took the character towards the end of the season that I thought added a whole new layer to him, and it elevated him to a whole new level. Two other storylines that stood out to me as being fascinating were the Dolores/William story and the story involving the mysterious Man in Black. Both of these stories kept me watching the show eagerly, and they were consistently entertaining over the course of the show.
   There was one plotline that I wasn’t a big fan of, which was disappointing because it was one of the major ones. This was the storyline involving Maeve, one of the hosts in the park that seemed to be slowly gaining consciousness. At first glance, this would be a really interesting story to tell, but it just wasn’t as compelling as it could’ve been. Primarily because a majority of the themes involved in this story were also explored in a couple of the other stories. By the end of the season, there wasn't really a reason for this story to be there. I won’t spoil anything, but specifically, in the season finale, it felt extremely out of place.
    There were several performances throughout this show that were absolutely fantastic. Four, in particular, stand out to me. Those were those given by Anthony Hopkins, Evan Rachel Wood, Ed Harris, and Jeffrey Wright. First and foremost, Hopkins’ performance was absolutely magnificent, as it almost always is. Wood brought a needed sense of curiosity to her role. Harris played the Man in Black and he was arguably the best part of the show. He was such a mysterious character and Harris played that extremely well. Finally, Wright’s performance as Bernard was arguably the best performance in the show. He portrayed every little detail in that character very well. A lot of Wright’s performance is hidden in the subtleties of the character, but once you see what he’s doing, you can’t help but be awestruck.
   Westworld season one isn’t going to be something that people regard as a masterpiece. It does have a few pretty big problems, but for the most part, I really enjoyed it! It was extremely interesting and you never quite knew what direction they were going to take it. It features several great performances from the cast, and it really made you pay attention and think. It’s no Game of Thrones, but it’s still pretty good!
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8/10

​   So what did you think of season one of Westworld? Did you love it or hate it? Let me know by commenting on this post! Also, if you enjoyed this review, share it on Facebook and Twitter! It really helps! Don’t forget, I post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so check back then for more movie reviews and miscellaneous movie thoughts!
 
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