TV Review: Westworld Premiere

Westworld has the potential to be your next favorite show. Read more here. 

A take on the 1973 film of the same name, this one putting in the role reversal with the humanoid robots or "hosts" as they are called starting to ask questions about their existence. With the park created to satisfy the desires of clients from sexual fantasies to violent ones, the hosts have had their fair share of abuses, especially Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) she is after all the oldest host in the park. Can you imagine the horrors she's had to go through?  

Although it's mostly "robot blood" the violence in Westworld is not necessarily like "Game of Thrones" but it's there-head scalping included. I did enjoy the whole blood and milk mixing, that was disturbingly a visual treat for me. 

Set in a rich landscape, there are many stunning shots which just bring out the beauty of the untamed west. Of course, I couldn't expect less from Executive Producer J.J Abrams, along with Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. Yes, did I mention that J.J. Abrams is one of the minds behind the remake? 

"You're one of them aren't you?"
"You're not real." 

Probably my favorite about the premiere episode is Rachel Evan Wood's Dolores, whom I already mentioned, she was created as you r typical damsel in distress, prairie girl and she looks it but what Woods brings to the screen is more than her face value but her impressive acting. In  one scene in the premiere she goes from a hysterical robot, to a robot with no emotion but with a Western accent to a robot who loses the accent and it is chilling. 

Aside from Wood bringing her A-game, we also have Anthony Hopkins Dr. Robert Ford, who is the creator of "Westworld" and he always has a presence in any scene. 

Ed Harris is the mysterious man in black, whose priorities we don't know yet but he is definitely scary. I wouldn't want to run into him in the street whether it is in Westworld or in the real world. Speaking of the real world we also get a look into what goes behind keeping Westworld running, as the saying goes "it takes a village" and this village is made up of, as mentioned earlier the paternal Dr. Ford (Hopkins), the worried programmer Bernard Lowe (Jeffrey Wright) the quick witted Theresa Cullen (Sidse Babett) and the kind behavior engineer Elise Hughes (Shannon Woodard) and probably my favorite (just because I am a 'writer') is Lee Sizemore (Simon Quarterman) Westworld's narrative director. There is also some potential drama among the characters who work in keeping Westworld running. There is some interesting science fiction going on in the creation of the hosts and the other elements in Westworld and it is just stunning and chilling at the same time. 

The first episode delivers with strong performances, you will be thinking a lot of the time, which is what Abrams makes you do, the mysteries start pouring in without providing any answers, obviously since we're still in  the first episode but the important thing is, I want to know what's going on. I'm already invested in Dolores and I want to know what happens next. I'll definitely tune in for episode 2 next week! 

Westworld is on HBO on Mondays (Same time as the US) 9:00 AM with an encore replay at 9:00 PM.