Westworld

Started by Jeremy Blackman, July 07, 2016, 09:53:19 PM

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Jeremy Blackman

Coming in October...



Look at that cast. Could be amazing. It's like The Matrix meets Deadwood meets Lost with a splash of Game of Thrones. Nah, that's too good to be true.

pete

I really thought for a moment you said "...meets Lost MEETS SPLASH meets Game of Thrones" and I was very very intrigued.
"Tragedy is a close-up; comedy, a long shot."
- Buster Keaton

polkablues

If I watch this and there are no mermaids, I'm holding JB personally responsible.
My house, my rules, my coffee

03

thats the spinoff 'Westwater'

Reel


Jeremy Blackman

Anyone else catch the premiere?

My short review: Has potential. Hire better writers, fire 2 or 3 actors, and you could have the DNA of something great. This is quite far from that right now.

Westworld thinks it's a lot smarter than it actually is. I'm coming to this from my Lost re-watch, and this does not fare well in comparison. There is not one kernel of mystery here. I can explain basically everything, because I was given so many explanations. I don't really have any questions or pressing curiosities. That's a really bad sign for a show with this level of ambition...

SPOILERS

You might wonder about Anthony Hopkins's ultimate motivation, but I think he essentially explained that for us. He wants to create a new synthetic evolution that mimics actual evolution, where a single "mistake" (mutation) can lead to a sudden advancement. It should be interesting to see this play out, but I don't think there's anything mysterious or mindblowing about it.

The only real question I can conjure is, what is Ed Harris? A rogue robot? Why are they not examining him? Is he hiding, and if so, how, and why doesn't he appear to be hiding? This corner of Westworld feels like a weird gap, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

So, other than all of that, what's really ruining this show is the staff. The manager lady with the European accent does not work on any level. Replace this actress as soon as humanly possible. She does not competently deliver a single line of dialogue.

Jeffrey Wright is passable. But he has brought nothing to the role so far, except for his endlessly neutral face. Some actors can evoke entire worlds of emotion with the subtlest of micro-expressions. Not Jeffrey Wright. Trust me, DP, you can try all the close-ups you want, you won't find anything there.

Highlights:

- The dad's "meet my maker" speech. More intense/meaningful moments like that, please.
- Ed Harris
- "Black Hole Sun" on the saloon piano
- The whole robbery sequence scored to "Paint It Black." We've got a regular Moulin Rouge over here.

RegularKarate

I LOVED this pilot. I thought the execution was great and it introduced the world in a clever yet easy to comprehend way. Obviously it's just a pilot so it could easily go south, but I'm looking forward to watching the rest.

Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on October 04, 2016, 12:25:45 AM
I'm coming to this from my Lost re-watch
Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on October 04, 2016, 12:25:45 AMThere is not one kernel of mystery here.

Too many unpopped kernels is what ruined that popcorn. I'll take less mystery and more thought please.*


(*yes, I'm aware we just have a difference in taste when it comes to Lost, I just wanted to say that popcorn thing)

Jeremy Blackman

At the risk of sounding a bit cheesy, life is mysterious. The universe is mysterious. Shows like this that refuse to reflect that, even while aspiring to be fantastical, feel inert and kind of lifeless to me.

I think Lost answered a few too many questions, actually. Complaints to the contrary are not supported by the content of the show. (We can take this to the Lost thread — I bet I could satisfy most of your curiosities.)

RegularKarate

But "What the fuck is Ed Harris?" is plenty mystery for one episode for me. Especially considering the amount of information we were given in this pilot and how entertaining it was despite all the background covered.

As far as Lost is concerned. It's not that I wanted more answers, I wanted the show to give a shit what the answers were. It was a show driven on mystery for the sake of mystery (something I hope Abrams involvement in Westworld doesn't add too much of). I think we've been over that though... again, a matter of taste.

Jeremy Blackman

Yeah, I think it's fair to characterize this as a difference of taste. I did appreciate Ed Harris... just felt like they wasted a lot of potential with the rest of the episode, answering questions almost before they were done asking them.

The acting and writing didn't bother you? Because... yikes. This is definitely not the new Game of Thrones.

RegularKarate

Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on October 04, 2016, 11:36:36 AM
The acting and writing didn't bother you? Because... yikes. This is definitely not the new Game of Thrones.

The writing didn't bother me because I know that it's a matter of information dump in the pilot and that the dialog for the robots is supposed to sound written. I thought the switch at the beginning was fun and clever so I can't say that I think the writing is bad.

The only actor I didn't really like was the same woman you called out because I kept thinking she was a robot too... though maybe she is?

Jeffrey Wright is Jeffrey Wright. He probably won't ever not be.

Jeremy Blackman

I think we have the same concerns there, just to different degrees. I thought the western dialogue was pretty good, and in general that world is fun. The other half didn't work for me. I bet they have separate crews and directors working on each.

polkablues

The only real bad writing to my ear was the rooftop conversation between the woman exec and the head writer guy. Honestly, that actor is the only one I'm really concerned about. Sidse Babbet Knudsen will be fine, she's actually an amazing actress who is the last minute replacement for her role (Miranda Otto originally shot the pilot then dropped out). But the guy who plays the head writer is hammy as shit. Jeffrey Wright is bad in his uniquely Jeffrey Wright sort of way, which means sort of actually kind of good? Evan Rachel Wood has been one of the best actors around since she was like 12, this show will actually give her a chance to prove it.

Also, I like the show a lot. I don't share JB's concerns so far.
My house, my rules, my coffee

Jeremy Blackman

Quote from: polkablues on October 04, 2016, 01:43:50 PMEvan Rachel Wood has been one of the best actors around since she was like 12, this show will actually give her a chance to prove it.

I can agree with you there. ERH completely carried Across The Universe, for one. She's always really soulful, which I guess is interesting if she's playing a robot. Lots of potential there.

I wonder what arc they could actually take her on over multiple seasons, though. She's not exactly... human... with human dimensions. Unless the plan is for them to evolve souls or something like that.

RegularKarate

Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on October 04, 2016, 01:49:53 PM
Unless the plan is for them to evolve souls or something like that.

I can't imagine that not being part of the plan.
Or at least getting them close enough for us to question what a soul is.