Westworld: When Androids Run Amok

Yul Brynner as an android.

Delos is a luxury resort made up of three immersive, android‑populated theme parks: Westworld, Romanworld, and Medievalworld. Guests are greeted with a polished, almost too-perfect welcome that promises “the vacation of your dreams” in a place where nothing can go wrong. The staff present the resort as a flawless, high‑end escape where every desire can be indulged safely, thanks to the supposedly infallible android hosts. It’s a sales pitch wrapped in luxury and reassurance.

Richard Benjamin plays Peter Martin, a first-time visitor, who is still coping with the breakdown of his marriage. His friend John (James Brolin) has brought him to Westworld to forget about his troubles and indulge in his fantasy of living in the Old West. Initially, Peter is skeptical. But after defeating a gunslinger (Yul Brynner) in a saloon shootout and spending the night in a rowdy brothel, he begins to enjoy his vacation.

However, unknown to Peter and John, the scientists that operate the park have noticed some inconsistencies in the behavior of the androids. When a cascading system failure transforms some of the androids into killers, the two men must fight for their survival.

Bestselling author Michael Critchton wrote and directed Westworld (1973). It marked his theatrical film directing debut (he helmed the made-for-TV movie Pursuit one year earlier). The film's theme is one that would become prevalent in many Critchton books and films: When humans build powerful systems they don’t fully understand, the systems eventually stop behaving the way we expect. The most obvious extension of Westworld is Jurassic Park, in which there is a park (again) populated by man-made creatures (again) that react in an unexpected and violent way (again).

Richmond Benjamin.

Westworld is built on a fascinating premise, but its emotional core is thin: the film never invests enough in its characters for us to truly care when their lives are threatened. James Brolin’s John is so smug and self‑assured that he barely registers the danger around him, while Richard Benjamin’s Peter mostly frets about his failed marriage. Other guests—such as Dick Van Patten’s eager Medievalworld visitor—appear briefly and vanish before we can form any attachment. The result is a film rich in ideas but emotionally cold, a clinical exploration of technological hubris that keeps viewers intellectually engaged yet distant from the human stakes.

The supporting cast includes Yul Brynner as an android gunslinger--his all‑black outfit intentionally styled to evoke his iconic role as Chris Adams in The Magnificent Seven. Brynner also appears briefly as the Gunslinger in the best-forgotten Westworld sequel Futureworld (1976), which did not involve Critchon. Star Trek fans may recognize Majel Barrett, Nurse Chapel on the original Star Trek, as the brothel madam.

The Westworld TV series (2016-2022) is not a continuation of Crichton's film. Rather, it is a rethinking that reflects on and expands the original's themes.

Futureworld: When Sequels Are Unnecessary

At the end of Michael Crichton's Westworld (1973), the androids at Delos, a high-tech amusement park, went amok and killed dozens of guests. Futureword (1976) picks up two years later. One would have thought that the deaths and injuries to almost 150 customers and staff would have bankrupted the company. But instead, it plans to re-open and convince the public that--after $1.5 billion in safety improvements--Delos is "fail-safe."

Peter Fonda as Chuck.

As part of its public relations strategy, the company has invited influential world leaders and news journalists to experience the new amusement park and participate in behind-the-scenes tours. The guest list includes newspaper reporter Chuck Browning (Peter Fonda) and TV host Tracy Ballard (Blythe Danner). Browning suspects that something is amiss at Delos--especially after a former employee tried to contact him and was subsequently murdered. But what could Delos be hiding?

Given the boxoffice success of the modestly-budgeted Westworld, it was not surprising that a sequel was made. However, by 1975, Michael Crichton and MGM, the original studio, had moved on to other projects and were uninterested in revisiting Delos. Producer Paul Lazaurus III eventually secured financing and a distribution deal through American International Pictures (AIP). Known as a "B" movie studio, AIP wanted to move into the "mainstream" with bigger-budgeted movies and Futureworld fit that profile.

Blythe Danner as "Socks."

Unfortunately, Futureworld lacks the creativity and energy that made Westworld a hit with critics and moviegoers. As the intrepid reporters, Fonda seems to be going through the motions with Danner overcompen-sating by playing her character too broadly. Neither one is remotely convincing.  Also, while it's the script's fault, I grew quickly tired of Fonda calling Danner by the "cute" nickname Socks. As a blue collar Delos technician, Stuart Margolin provides some much needed personality. However, he doesn't appear until an hour into the film's running time and Futureworld has already grown tedious by then.

Perhaps, Futureworld could have been saved with a clever story. I won't provide any plot spoilers here, but will state that it recycles a creaky, overly familiar science fiction premise. By the time the credits roll, you'll likely be thinking: Is that all there is to it? And don't expect a big scene from Yul Brynner, who reprises his Westworld role as The Gunslinger. He appears only in a silly dream fantasy.

Futureworld did turn a small profit, but not enough to warrant additional sequels. However, in 1980, a TV series called Beyond Westworld debuted on CBS. Only three of its five episodes were aired before it was cancelled. The original concept was revived quite successfully, though, when HBO launched its Westworld TV series in 2016.

Seven Things to Know About "The Magnificent Seven"

1. The Magnificent Seven (1960) is a pretty faithful adapatation of Akira Kurosawa's classic Seven Samurai (1954)--except that the American Western is 79 minutes shorter! It does have a scene not in the original: the one where Chris (Yul Brynner) and Vin (Steve McQueen) drive the hearse to boot hill.

2. Yul Brynner was the only one of the original cast to appear in a sequel. He reprised the role of Chris for Return of the Seven (1966), which featured Robert Fuller (Laramie) as Vin. In subsequent movies, Chris was played by George Kennedy (Guns of the Magnificent Seven) and Lee Van Cleef (The Magnificent Seven Ride!).

3. Steve McQueen fidgets with his hat frequently during the film--allegedly in an attempt to draw attention to himself. He wasn't a star yet and, in fact, was still headlining the TV series Wanted: Dead or Alive.

4. Brynner was already a star, of course, but four other Seven actors went on to achieve film or television fame: McQueen, Robert Vaughn, James Coburn, and Charles Bronson. In fact, McQueen, Coburn, and Bronson reteamed for the 1963 classic The Great Escape. As for the rest of the Seven, Horst Buchholz was already considered a promising newcomer and subsequently appeared in Billy Wilder's One Two Three. That leaves Brad Dexter--who played Harry--as the odd man out. Dexter never came close to stardom, but had a long career as a supporting player; he appeared in several films with best pal Frank Sinatra.

5. In his autobiography, Eli Wallach wrote: “The one regret I had in making The Magnificent Seven was that I never heard Elmer Bernstein’s musical score while making the film. If I had heard that score, I think I would have ridden my horse differently.” Wallach originally wanted to play the Buchholz role--until he read the script and realized that the villainous Calvera was the juiciest part.

6. Elmer Bernstein's music score didn't gain fame until part of it was used in Marlboro cigarette commericials. The Philip Morris Tobacco Company licensed Bernstein's music in 1963 for a Western-themed ad campaign and the rest is history. In fact, it became widely known as the "Marlboro theme." A 1967 album was released called The Music from Marlboro Country, which included musical tracks from The Magnificent Seven and Return of the Seven.

7. Robert Vaughn appeared in two other versions of The Magnificent Seven. He played a mercenary in Battle Beyond the Stars (1977), a low-budget remake that transplanted the premise to an outer space colony harassed by John Saxon's villain. Vaughn's character was "adopted" by the colonists' children (as Bronson's character was by the peasant children in the original). Then, for the 1998-2000 CBS TV series The Magnificent Seven, Vaughn guest-starred as a judge on six episodes.

Three Not So Magnificent "Seven" Sequels

Recently, TCM ran a Magnificent Seven film festival beginning with John Sturges’ classic 1960 Western and was followed by the three sequels released between 1966 and 1972. Let me say upfront that The Magnificent Seven is one of my favorite Westerns…and also one of the finest adaptations of a foreign-language film. The brilliant premise—a poor Mexican village hires seven gunfighters to protect it from a marauding outlaw—was lifted intact from Akira Kurosawa’s stunning (though lengthy) The Seven Samurai. But Sturges and company make The Magnificent Seven memorable on its own merits, with a cast peppered with upcoming stars, a splendid villain played by Eli Wallach, and one of the most instantly-recognizable music scores in cinema history.

How could it all go so wrong in the three sequels? Return of the Seven, penned by the prolific Larry Cohen (e.g., It’s Alive), pretty much rehashes the first film. At least, Yul Brynner lends it some class by reprising his role as Chris Adams, the leader of the Seven. But part of the problem with doing a sequel is that four of the Seven died in the first picture, those played Robert Vaughn, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, and Brad Dexter (three of these four evolving into big-time film or TV stars). And, instead of Steve McQueen and Horst Buchholz as the remaining two Seven members, we get Robert Fuller (likable, but with little to do) as Vin and Julian Mateos (who?) as Chico. The plot has Chico taken captive by a powerful rancher who is “borrowing” villagers to a build a church to honor his dead sons. That’s kinda interesting, but it never gels. Instead, Chris and Vin recruit some new gunfighters (getting two from a local jail), rescue Chico, and engage into a big shootout. Even the reliable Warren Oates can’t do anything with a watered-down variation of Bronson’s character.

Despite George Kennedy replacing Yul Brynner as Chris, Guns of the Magnificent Seven is a marginal upgrade. Kennedy doesn’t wear Brynner’s all-black outfit (which seems a might hot in the desert anyway), but he does smoke cigars and keep his cohorts in line. His mission is to rescue a revolutionary leader being held prisoner in a well-guarded fortress. Beyond Chris, there’s no attempt to tie in characters from the previous films, so it’s pretty much an all-new Seven circa B-list actors: Monte Markham, a pleasant TV vet is almost too low-key in the McQueen-like role; the always reliable James Whitman is pretty good as a knife-throwing elderly gent (Coburn also favored knives in the original); and Joe Don Baker is over-the-top in a role that makes Vaughn’s intense gunslinger look laid back.

The Magnificent Seven Ride! is pretty much a sequel in name only and not nearly as exciting as the exclamation point would lead you to believe. Lee Van Cleef plays Chris, but you’d never know it was the same character. He’s a marshal now, married to Mariette Hartley, and smokes a pipe instead of a cigar (you know, like the pipe Lee smoked in his other Westerns). The plot begins as a revenge tale, then winds up with Chris deciding to protect a village of women from a nasty bandito. Since he needs some help, he goes to a nearby prison and picks up five convicts to go along with the author-turned-gunfighter who’s writing his biography! It’s a sloppy affair, as evidenced by the lightning speed with which Chris takes up with Stefanie Powers’ young widow after the violent death of his wife.

In summary, the Seven probably should have stayed home after the first film. That said, I will admit that the sequels all excelled in one area: Each of them featured a great musical score. The original one composed by Elmer Bernstein.