The Original

I loved the first episode, it's really promising. I loved the cast, theme and the background music as it felt so intense.

I'm looking forward to complete the Season 1.

Westworld is one of the most promising shows in quite some time. Its premise, cast, and crew involved show me this could be the next big thing for HBO. And if the premiere is any indication, it will be just that.

Jonathan Nolan, his wife Lisa Joy, and J.J. Abrams are the brilliant minds behind this TV series adaptation, and they do a nice job of incorporating many of Michael Crichton's intriguing ideas in the original film while also adding in some nuances as well. Although in the film version the 'hosts' are played more as antagonists, I appreciate the change in having them more as victims and/or toys for the guests. This change brings a good balance so that as audience members, we don't necessarily know who to root for.

Westworld boasts an impressive ensemble cast including Anthony Hopkins, James Marsden, Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Luke Hemsworth (yep, there's another one), and the great Ed Harris. The premise of the show opens the door for characters to die and come back, considering half are androids, but having big names also helps bring the show down to a more recognizable and understandable level. It's a dense show, but I don't expect anything different from a Nolan product.

The premiere sets up the promising idea that the androids/hosts have a possibility of malfunction due to Hopkins' and Wrights' programming issue. Of course, knowing where the movie ends up is probably a good indication as to the direction the show will take, but I like that it wasn't immediately clear. It's also nice to see that some of the main cast members are hosts. We didn't get to see a whole lot on them in the film, besides Yul Brynner, so I like seeing much more character development come from that angle.

This show is being billed as a Western Game of Thrones, and it now has a strong pilot to show for it. Plus, throw in a great score by Thrones' composer Ramin Djawadi and some incredible visual effects that could rival Thrones, we may have ourselves another Emmy winner. Here's hoping.

+Impeccable cast

+Another Nolan gem

+Score

+Nuances to the film's ideas

9.0/10

From the beginning, the series addresses heavy-loaded philosophical questions. It raises many questions that have no definite answer and makes the watcher intrigued to follow the dialogues. What is reality? The most basic question that whoever gives himself time in contemplating the existing have thought about it. Here, he exhibits the famous duality between the "true" reality and the "illusion" reality. You can see this meaning throughout the dialogue of the "newcomers." Could we replace our reality? That reflects the purpose of this "Westworld," but is it the ultimate goal of this world?

Another philosophical question is what consciousness is? Can humankind reach the level to implant consciousness in robots? What could be the consequences of that action? The scene of Dr. Robert Ford and Peter Abernathy is a cornerstone in the building of the plot.

Also, a very debatable topic in Philosophy is whether we can program feelings? Dose the robots when they "feel" are they really experience the same experiences we humans do? Or is it a mere reflexive?

There are more questions the series do implicit to it. It would be an enjoyable experience if I could get out thinking about it and if lucky to reach satisfiable answers.

The pilot of this series lived up-to expectations, with a nice set-up of theme park and well established characters within the theme park, who follow normal repetitive daily routine in the theme park with minor changes everyday.

The show gives viewer a perspective of normal old school western world in the beginning, only to bring out the sci-fi element swiftly in the story. At the beginning the sci-fi element seems quite normal, justifying the theme-park element of the story. But, eventually the pilot elaborated more on sci-fi element and gave audience a slight hint of self-developed instincts in some of the characters.

This show with its unique representation is going to dwell into different aspects of human behavior in conjunction with artificial intelligence. And will also elaborate on the philosophical as well as psychological outlook of human nature and its consequences.

Short and Simple Review by WubsTheFadger

The story is extremely interesting. This episode introduced us into the world of Westworld with such ease and grace. The pacing throughout the episode is perfect.

All of the characters are interesting and complex.

The acting is fantastic all around. Ed Harris, Anthony Hopkins, James Marsden, and Evan Rachel Wood all do a great job. Louis Herthum, who play Peter Abernathy, has the best performance in this episode.

The blend of violence and nudity are perfectly mixed. There are no scenes with aberrant or unneeded nudity or violence.

The science behind the androids and behind the world itself is left unanswered (This will most likely be answered in later episodes).

Pros: Interesting story, great performances (Most notably by Louis Herthum), good pacing, complex characters, and a perfect blend of violence and nudity

Cons: The science behind the androids and the world are left unanswered

Overall Rating: 9.2