Westworld

:

Season 1
  • Network: HBO , SKA
  • Series Premiere Date: Oct 2, 2016
Season #: 4, 3, 3, 2, 1
User Score
8.8

Universal acclaim- based on 1379 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,248 out of 1379
  2. Mixed: 79 out of 1379
  3. Negative: 52 out of 1379
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  1. Matchbox
    Jan 27, 2017
    4
    Well, there's ten hours of my life I'll never get back. I just finished watching season one of Westworld and, as Shakespeare almost wrote, it's a lot of sound and fury and slick HBO production values signifying nothing.

    The show doesn't really succeed as highbrow TV-as-literature because it doesn't seem to have anything significant to say about the human condition. (You know, what it    Well, there's ten hours of my life I'll never get back. I just finished watching season one of Westworld and, as Shakespeare almost wrote, it's a lot of sound and fury and slick HBO production values signifying nothing.

    The show doesn't really succeed as highbrow TV-as-literature because it doesn't seem to have anything significant to say about the human condition. (You know, what it means to be a *real* person living in the *real* world.) Instead, it churns out lots of half-baked head nods to concepts like consciousness, the nature of reality and violent patriarchy without ever really saying much. Yes, it does obliquely raise a few interesting questions but ultimately comes off as so much intellectual masturbation. As for characterization, another necessary ingredient of quality fiction, well, not so much. Where are the authentic, three-dimensional people, shaded with good and evil, with whom we can connect? While I was somewhat invested in a few characters early on, by the end, the show didn't really provide me with any character I could empathize with or ultimately cared much about. I think the show's creators made a fatal mistake in expecting the audience to view the robots, rather than the humans, as the protagonists; these are "characters" who cannot die, age or become ill and who may or may not actually have free will or the capacity to love. Yet we are to identify with them?

    OK, so the show doesn't live up to its artistic pretensions as "serious" TV. But unfortunately, it doesn't really excel at being fun escapist popcorn entertainment either (think Cinemax rather than HBO). And that's because the show is too slow, too repetitive, too numbingly violent, too lacking in consequences, often with plot points that feel like moving chess pieces around the board for no good reason. Yes, there are some exciting bits and some genuinely fun plot twists and answers to mysteries (as well as some real let-downs, like "the maze"), but where the season ultimately takes us, with the robot uprising we all knew MUST be coming before we even started watching the show, is too little pay-off for the time spent on the meandering (and at times, confusing) road there.

    In the end, I don't hate Westworld. Some (though not all) of the performances are quite good and the production values are sumptuous. The show is a real spectacle. But I am disappointed by it. It offered a premise that seemed to be brimming with potential (even more so than The Man in the High Castle, another show I abandoned after an unfulfilling first season). But in the end, Westworld turned out to be a clinical, meaningless, postmodern meta-ode to nihilism. Yawn.    … Expand
  2. nj06
    Jan 19, 2017
    4
    I watched the entire first (and last for me) season in one binging week, hoping I would finally start to like this show. Instead, my interest diminished with each passing episode. What I did like about this show are beautiful vistas of southern Utah and acting by Anthony Hopkins and Ed Harris. Other actors were OK but I found their characters uninteresting. In fact, I was totally boredI watched the entire first (and last for me) season in one binging week, hoping I would finally start to like this show. Instead, my interest diminished with each passing episode. What I did like about this show are beautiful vistas of southern Utah and acting by Anthony Hopkins and Ed Harris. Other actors were OK but I found their characters uninteresting. In fact, I was totally bored with this show and I did not find it compelling at all. People rave about the level of production, but the climax fight scene as the hosts are making their way out from the complex was on a network TV drama show level (clumsy and clunky). So is the acting of the actress portraying the "madam". All the shooting and violence is so pointless and repetitive. Overall, a slow moving tedium of a show based on a premise about robots that is as worn out as it is silly.… Expand
  3. alfred_dune
    Dec 28, 2016
    5
    After one season it reminds me of almost all the Nolan brother's work, aside from Momento, in that it is so full of ambition that it ends up like a big directionless mass of unchiseled possibility.
  4. ozymandias79
    Dec 6, 2016
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Westworld was an interesting ride but I don't think the producers pulled off what they were aiming for. I don't know if it was too ambitious for the people involved or what, but that last episode was too WTF. The reveal was stupid and contradicted a previous plot point. The last episode is a real disappointment. May be the producers should have figured out the meaning of the maze before trying to explain it. So what's next? Samuraiworld?… Expand
  5. Big_Bear
    Dec 8, 2016
    5
    The series starts off very strongly, but unfortunately is increasingly destroyed by the Thandie Newton storyline, which is truly, truly terrible, whoever wrote it should be fired immediately.

    To anyone who hasn't yet watched the series I won't spoil much so you can read on - basically as anyone with any knowledge of the Westworld movie or sci-fi in general could have guessed, the robots    The series starts off very strongly, but unfortunately is increasingly destroyed by the Thandie Newton storyline, which is truly, truly terrible, whoever wrote it should be fired immediately.

    To anyone who hasn't yet watched the series I won't spoil much so you can read on - basically as anyone with any knowledge of the Westworld movie or sci-fi in general could have guessed, the robots or 'hosts' in the Westworld them park begin to become slef aware and question their own existence, classic, textbook sci-fi, fine. About a third of the way through the series the character of Maeve played by the awful Thandie Newton becomes self aware, again, fine. However the storyline quickly evolves in truly ludicrous, contradictory and senseless fashion and ruins pretty much the entire show with it's stupidity.

    Again without spoiling too much, she starts communicating with 2 human techs who repair the robot hosts, but then, for not explainable reason whatsoever, she begins ordering them around and threatening them, despite the FACT that they could literally shut her down at any moment and that she could in no way threaten them whatsoever. It's just so unbelievably stupid. Add to that the additional fact that Thandie Newton is about as intimidating as a hamster and it just adds to the frustration.

    Including that awful excuse for a storyline, there are 2 others that run alongside each other, one featuring creator of the park Anthony Hopkins and his mysterious departed business partner is particularly good. Again though, even it is sullied by the Thandie Newton rubbish.

    Watch this series if you like sci-fi; Ed Harris and Anthony Hopkins are great but be prepared to be very frustrated at the Thandie Newton storyline. I would consider fast forwarding past it to save frustration. If that storyline didn't exist I would have scored this 9/10, with it, it's a 5 at best. A shame.    … Expand
  6. brad898540
    Oct 14, 2016
    4
    Beyond the consequences of exploitive technology, the movie was a cat and mouse game of survival and you were sympathetic of the human characters. The show has the general theme of exploitive technology, but is entirely focused on the machines becoming more human. This is not a bad thing, but humans are portrayed as really only interested in abusing the technology. Humans come into theBeyond the consequences of exploitive technology, the movie was a cat and mouse game of survival and you were sympathetic of the human characters. The show has the general theme of exploitive technology, but is entirely focused on the machines becoming more human. This is not a bad thing, but humans are portrayed as really only interested in abusing the technology. Humans come into the park mostly anxious to kill things. The park has different adventures to choose from and a whore house, but in two episodes so far, a whole bar gets shot up, a whole town, etc. It happens more than once and is rather unimpressive. Only one human guest wasn't interested in killing, but beyond a few scenes, there is no development. In essence, you don't care about humans because they are essentially narcissistic and uninvolved. You don't care about the machines because they can either be shut off or analyzed, and again nothing really happens. I have seen much more depth and development in other dramas over the years that are far more sophisticated. This show, unfortunately, seems juvinille, and emotionally unsophisticated.… Expand
  7. Elaneium
    Nov 20, 2016
    4
    I try just about every show, movie, video game, and restaurant that I hear is good. And quite honestly, I've liked just about every single one. That said, Westworld is by far the most I've ever disagreed with general reception.

    As you probably know, it's a show about a Western theme park where robots can't harm people and people can do almost whatever they want. Sounds cool, right? Well    I try just about every show, movie, video game, and restaurant that I hear is good. And quite honestly, I've liked just about every single one. That said, Westworld is by far the most I've ever disagreed with general reception.

    As you probably know, it's a show about a Western theme park where robots can't harm people and people can do almost whatever they want. Sounds cool, right? Well be prepared to spend a ton of time witnessing scenes that feel like they're trying to develop characters but simply do not. It's clear to the viewer very early on that there are some issues with the robots and that they're behaving "out of the ordinary" (avoiding spoilers here). Here we get into the same frustrations I had with Fear the Walking Dead: The viewers know that they are zombies, and how the characters should handle them. But we see a ridiculous amount of stupidity that essentially only frustrates the viewers. Not to mention, there are extremely big plot holes regarding this stupidity that can't be justified. In Fear the Walking Dead, there's an excuse: The people don't know how to handle them. In Westworld, they do, to a degree that they've been doing it for 30 whole years. So here's an example of said plot holes: We're shown early on that the people running the theme park have tons of cameras, and that the people behind these cameras are quite keen. They see small details and notice inconsistencies in robots despite such a large world. Yet once one of the main robots starts acting strange in episode 5-6, they don't notice a thing. Obvious actions and dialogue that would instantly raise alarms are completely ignored. Somehow after 30 years of everything going smooth, the tons of people running the place apparently have simultaneously fallen asleep at the wheel. It's so jarring and immersion breaking that I nearly quit the show once I saw these actions go completely unnoticed.

    Not only are plot holes fairly abundant, the characters are completely one dimensional. Good guy is good guy, bad guy is bad guy. One character known as "the Man in Black" had a pretty great introduction. He's a guy that's been to the park so many times that he treats the robots like mindless dolls and knows their actions. But he quickly spins into an edgy bad guy cliche where if he's on camera, expect a boring shoot out. You see, when one side of the fight can't lose, action scenes are pretty much meaningless. Not only that, but we're shown that robots MAY be able to physically harm someone in other ways minus a gun. But expect plot armor or editing to quickly interrupt the scene so that we're left asking the question each week.

    The show can be summed up in a few words: Frustrating, tedious, slow, and boring. Again, I usually am not much a critic. If something is on, or if I'm eating some food, I usually just shut up and enjoy whatever is in front of me. But Westworld, for some reason, is different. I find myself almost constantly being annoyed with the presentation and the characters. If you're coming off of Game of Thrones hoping to find HBO's next big show, I'd suggest just waiting. The smallest characters in GoT are more interesting than the main characters of Westworld. Heck, even most of the more silent characters on GoT are more entertaining simply because of the plot/scenarios they're put in. But Westworld has none of that. There's no mystery. Everything is just laid out in front of the viewer and we're left with knowing many of the secrets 99% of the cast doesn't know about. It adds up to make a very frustrating experience.

    If you're going into Westworld hoping to see a show about humans acting in a world with almost no consequences in an awesome Western setting, be prepared to be disappointed. Instead, we're given a cliched robot drama that we've seen 100 times. "Oh no!! They realize they're not robots!" It's been done over and over. And worse, it's been done over and over and much better than this. Be prepared to see humans making dumb mistakes, plot holes, plot armor, and horrible pacing. I'm halfway through episode 7 and I feel like everything between now and episode 1 could've been in 1.5 episodes. I'm not over exaggerating just how slow this is. And slow isn't always bad. I actually liked Season 2 of The Walking Dead that many fans hated (again, I usually can watch just about anything). Why? There was still character development, and to be blunt, the characters were simply better.

    A show can only be so good when action scenes have no suspense, characters are used for failed pacing scenes ("We need some sort of bloodshed.. Man in Black scene!!"), and people do ridiculously stupid things to allow the plot to advance. After devoting well over 6.5 hours of my life to Westworld, I can honestly say I wish I had watched something else. My time invested has been entirely wasted, hoping SOMETHING would happen that would spark interest. The only thing I can say is that it's well shot, an interesting idea, and the effects are good.    … Expand
  8. Broyax
    Apr 4, 2017
    4
    Idée intéressante que ce parc d'attractions géant dans lequel les "invités" (les humains, les joueurs...) viennent s'éclater et jouer ce jeu de rôle western grandeur nature peuplé par les "hôtes" (les androïdes, les personnages-non-joueurs...) !

    C'est assez fascinant au fil de quelques épisodes, il faut le reconnaître, au fur et à mesure que les mécaniques du "jeu" y sont dévoilées : un    Idée intéressante que ce parc d'attractions géant dans lequel les "invités" (les humains, les joueurs...) viennent s'éclater et jouer ce jeu de rôle western grandeur nature peuplé par les "hôtes" (les androïdes, les personnages-non-joueurs...) !

    C'est assez fascinant au fil de quelques épisodes, il faut le reconnaître, au fur et à mesure que les mécaniques du "jeu" y sont dévoilées : un jeu de rôle où tout un chacun suit les quêtes qui lui tombent dans le bec. L'ouest sauvage est en effet ce qu'il est, sauvage et violent, car en vérité comme dans un jeu vidéo, tout se résoud inéluctablement par une partie de cul ou un massacre. Ainsi se déroulent les scénarios, imaginés par les G.O., les Gentils Organisateurs...

    Ou plutôt le grand manipulateur incarné par l'excellent Anthony Hopkins toujours vert et bon pied bon oeil. Jusqu'au jour où bien entendu, nos chers andros, nos "réplicants" se mettent à se souvenir et à prendre conscience.

    Le but au moins atteint par la série est un vieux thème de la Science-Fiction : l'avènement de la conscience chez les machines et le questionnement de celles-ci face à leur créateur. A moins que le créateur n'ait cherché que ce but ultime, à savoir créer la vie elle-même !

    Donc, la base est louable et saine ; cependant elle aurait mérité un bien meilleur développement, surtout pour en arriver là où elle en arrive, c'est-à-dire une fin assez convenue qui ne réinvente pas la roue.

    Passé cet émerveillement de la découverte, Westworld part en effet en vrille et se perd dans les méandres et les rebondissements aberrants de son intrigue à tiroirs, et de chaque tiroir sort un polichinelle. Ainsi, à chaque épisode se succèdent des retours en arrière confus et des révélations obtuses qui plombent davantage encore l'intrigue qui part en morceaux incohérents.

    Quant à l'ambiance particulièrement sinistre, si elle entend instiller un malaise, elle y parvient parfaitement puisqu'on se croirait dans un mélange d'abattoir et de camp de concentration high-tech. Si cela sert éventuellement le message véhiculé et lourdement appuyé, cela tient également d'une complaisance malsaine, en témoigne la violence omniprésente qui n'a pour but finalement que de faire parler d'elle, en tant que série glauque, voire dégueulasse.

    Enfin, concomitamment à ses aberrations scénaristiques, Westworld nous fait trop souvent prendre des vessies pour des lanternes. Sur une foule de détails, la série cumule les invraisemblances sans sourciller, mettant à mal le monde sur lequel elle est construite, monde qui s'avère sous n'importe quel angle totalement bancal.

    A trop vouloir en faire, Westworld se perd définitivement en cours de route et sombre dans la provocation gratuite ; elle perd du coup toute la richesse de ses enjeux. Quel dommage !    … Expand
  9. AsmodeusML
    Apr 11, 2018
    5
    This show is nothing compared to what it looks like on the surface. And i mean that in a bad way. Let us start with the good stuff: production values and cast are amazing as you really get the feeling of watching a pricey blockbuster. Much more numerous flaws are hard to ignore though. The first and the most striking one is a mess of an extremely poorly paced and presented story, you getThis show is nothing compared to what it looks like on the surface. And i mean that in a bad way. Let us start with the good stuff: production values and cast are amazing as you really get the feeling of watching a pricey blockbuster. Much more numerous flaws are hard to ignore though. The first and the most striking one is a mess of an extremely poorly paced and presented story, you get the feeling they are building up to a grand finale but that is a hoax as it leads nowhere, a rebel without a cause if you would like. Almost every plot twist is seen miles away unless you have been sleeping under a log for the last couple of decades and missed all the good stories in books/movies/games plus poor pacing makes it extremely tedious as they build up to every "great" surprise way longer than they should. Majority of characters are extremely unlikeable as they are murderers/bandits/deserters/traitors/rapists or simply are mean with no apparent reason all thanks to shallow character development if you leave cliched backstories over the board, which leads us to the next point. Violence is used for fun here and makes no sense a lot of the time, which we are used to in HBO series. In the end Westworld leaves not a good sort of an aftertaste of a wasted time spent watching this dragged purposeless series, of it simply being mean-spirited and having no resemblance of a message to the audience. The sad part is that such a high praise coming from users means people don't really care about adequate and well-written plot and instead prefer over-the-top pretentious violent show with nothing to show for it… Expand
  10. Moo-vies
    Dec 5, 2016
    5
    The longer the show progresses, the more suspension of belief the spectator has to accept.
    The production quality is good, the actors.
    This is not hard sci fi but a TV series built around a mystery. It reminds me of Lost for that. But when your mystery is a loosely defined malleable element, the consequent writing is simply not coherent enough. From one episode to the next, the    The longer the show progresses, the more suspension of belief the spectator has to accept.
    The production quality is good, the actors.
    This is not hard sci fi but a TV series built around a mystery. It reminds me of Lost for that.

    But when your mystery is a loosely defined malleable element, the consequent writing is simply not coherent enough.

    From one episode to the next, the "hosts" are organic, then mechanic.
    The shootings are centrally controlled/allowed by the park in one episode then not.
    The labs with no camera to control what is happening there in a super high tech environment.

    There are just too many elements in the writing that call for a suspension of belief of the spectator.
    The accumulation of these moments are disappointing for a show that was promising in its first episodes but slowly turns into a "whatever goes" production.

    The story is already leaking everywhere and the quality of the story developed on promising premises is already drastically falling down. I hope they do not try to make this show survive more than the 1 or 2 seasons it can live on its sinking story.    … Expand
  11. Balj
    Oct 22, 2016
    4
    Three episodes in and I'm very disappointed. This show is so overrated, but there is some potential for the storyline to get better. At the moment though, the show has been very repetitive and frankly quite boring.
  12. TheWaffle
    Nov 15, 2016
    6
    Every sequence is beautiful, and many of the characters are interesting, but the show just doesn't feel like it is going anywhere. I'm halfway through the season and there's still nothing but vague references to greater mysteries, it just keeps building atmosphere without ever leading to anything new. There have been gunfights and orgies and pensive stares all shot with beautifulEvery sequence is beautiful, and many of the characters are interesting, but the show just doesn't feel like it is going anywhere. I'm halfway through the season and there's still nothing but vague references to greater mysteries, it just keeps building atmosphere without ever leading to anything new. There have been gunfights and orgies and pensive stares all shot with beautiful cinematography and solid acting, but there's never a hint of real stakes and the plot is plodding along at a glacial pace.… Expand
  13. djbarker
    Nov 23, 2016
    6
    Westworld looks truly incredible and the budget must be immense. But I think this gloss fools you into thinking you are watching something of true quality. But then many of the characters are such cartoons that it shatters immersion. There are a different set of parallel plots running through the series that fail to intersect in pleasing or surprising ways. It seems the plot of this isWestworld looks truly incredible and the budget must be immense. But I think this gloss fools you into thinking you are watching something of true quality. But then many of the characters are such cartoons that it shatters immersion. There are a different set of parallel plots running through the series that fail to intersect in pleasing or surprising ways. It seems the plot of this is really 'what's the plot.' A pretty weak premise in my opinion. Finally a question of believability - a park that can monitor the location of all hosts and guests is unable to monitor the activities of it's staff, who do no end of story-breaking acts of selfishness and idiocy.… Expand
  14. inopinatus
    Oct 8, 2016
    6
    Westworld's slow pace is that of a binge-friendly Netflix show, but HBO's weekly release schedule makes for an exercise in tedium and irritation instead.

    Production values are sky-high: the acting, setting, CG, audio and cinematography are excellent. The storyline, sadly, is a predictable MMORPG ripoff. The characterisation is crude: the bad guy wears a black hat, the "everyman"    Westworld's slow pace is that of a binge-friendly Netflix show, but HBO's weekly release schedule makes for an exercise in tedium and irritation instead.

    Production values are sky-high: the acting, setting, CG, audio and cinematography are excellent. The storyline, sadly, is a predictable MMORPG ripoff. The characterisation is crude: the bad guy wears a black hat, the "everyman" character wears a white one. The robot hookers have hearts of gold, the hispanics are peasants etc etc. There's an implied critique of modern movie-making, but repeating the tropes doesn't make for good irony. Unless you've been asleep for the last three decades of science fiction, the AI plot will be extremely familiar.

    My advice, wait for the box-set.    … Expand
  15. Sherak
    Oct 13, 2016
    4
    An awful series that exploits the viewers mentality not to question anything under the surface and I only say this because of the sheer amount of 10's it gets. If you look any deeper than the glossy exterior nothing makes sense and everything that takes place is irrelevant.

    This is pure Hollywood trite for the masses and I really cannot understand how it has been so well received, I can    An awful series that exploits the viewers mentality not to question anything under the surface and I only say this because of the sheer amount of 10's it gets. If you look any deeper than the glossy exterior nothing makes sense and everything that takes place is irrelevant.

    This is pure Hollywood trite for the masses and I really cannot understand how it has been so well received, I can only assume it will grow into a typical 'Lost' type of deal with the "don't question the unquestionable" BS that drags the viewer along on a endless ride of cliffhangers and silly scenarios.    … Expand
  16. Nemo7777
    Dec 2, 2016
    4
    Just not very good.

    I wanted to like Westworld. The73 film is one of my favorites and I had very high hopes for the HBO series, especially given the cast. Unfortunately it just doesn't measure up, either as sci-fi or as a western. The problem isn't in the acting- everyone is very good with the possible exception of (ironically) Anthony Hopkins. He comes across very flat and at    Just not very good.

    I wanted to like Westworld. The73 film is one of my favorites and I had very high hopes for the HBO series, especially given the cast. Unfortunately it just doesn't measure up, either as sci-fi or as a western.

    The problem isn't in the acting- everyone is very good with the possible exception of (ironically) Anthony Hopkins. He comes across very flat and at times I felt like he was recycling his performance from Silence of the Lambs. Very flat, lack of affect, dead eye stare as he says something amoral. Lather, rinse, repeat. (I do have some bias against him as I feel he's way over exposed.) Evan Rachel Wood is very good as Dolores. Thandie Newton's accent slips through occasionally-- unless that's on purpose. Ed Harris doesn't have much to do here except act like a total bunghole and randomly eviscerate hosts.

    In the end it's the glut of sex and violence that wears on me here. Whoever wrote and whoever directed this series does not understand subtlety at all. Want to show how amoral Ed Harris' character is? OK we'll just have him rape someone or shoot someone for no reason. And show it all in gory detail. Want to show how the guests immediately sink into moral turpitude regardless of their character in the real world-- let's have a pointless orgy and every cut and bit of dialogue will have somebody **** in the background. After the second episode I got very tired of establishing shots of piles of bodies in the backstage areas. Yeah, we get it, the hosts are fungible and not really considered anything but disposable objects. Quit fingerpainting with blood already.

    The plot is simultaneously over complex and ridiculously transparent- everybody's got an agenda and they are all bad guys. But they are Snidely Whiplash style bad guys, not Ernst Stavro Blofeld bad guys. Every twist and turn is predictable and worse, they telegraph them.

    It's really too bad- I can see a good idea here somewhere buried under the hosts corpses.    … Expand
  17. NexxCR
    Oct 31, 2016
    5
    I am really trying to like this show, but its just not working. Each episode feels like it gets us nowhere and just has you asking more questions with maybe one more question answered. It feels like a show trying to be smart but its not really working for it. The acting is great, and the world feels very interesting. I just think right now 5 episodes in that its been pretty boring. I feelI am really trying to like this show, but its just not working. Each episode feels like it gets us nowhere and just has you asking more questions with maybe one more question answered. It feels like a show trying to be smart but its not really working for it. The acting is great, and the world feels very interesting. I just think right now 5 episodes in that its been pretty boring. I feel like there is something missing but I just can't figure it out what it is. A lot of these reviews are people saying its a show where you have to "think", but that's untrue. I am very analytic of the show as much as the next guy, this isn't one where you need to think because you can't "think" when the world hasn't really been explained. People always want to be first to jump on the next big thing, so i feel a lot of these reviews are the cause of that.

    (The most recent episode has me a bit more intrigued, will update my review at the end of the season)

    Edit: Look at all the reviews that got "not helpful" even though it was well thought out and informative but since they gave it a not-so-great review people are against it, i wouldn't be surprised if mine received the same fate.    … Expand
  18. FleshWorld
    Oct 2, 2016
    4
    I was really looking forward to this one, but I'm worried - based on the first episode - that it's not going to live up to the massive amount of hype. Geoffrey Wright's characters isn't interesting, only the one droid is at all compelling (the main girl), and other than the geography, it's simply not all the fun to watch. I kept thinking of the series "Humans", and how they dealt withI was really looking forward to this one, but I'm worried - based on the first episode - that it's not going to live up to the massive amount of hype. Geoffrey Wright's characters isn't interesting, only the one droid is at all compelling (the main girl), and other than the geography, it's simply not all the fun to watch. I kept thinking of the series "Humans", and how they dealt with some of these issues so much more intelligently and provocatively.… Expand
  19. BBlake
    Oct 4, 2016
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. High production values but the premise and technology feels outdated now. I'm sure it worked in the 70's. Most of the characters are one-dimensional.… Expand
  20. revillo
    Nov 3, 2016
    6
    After 5 episodes, it's not clear whether HBO intends for Westworld to be anything more than a straightforward genre exercise with tropey characters. There's a glimmer of hope that something more intriguing is on the horizon, but I doubt I'll stay along for the ride.
  21. Octomort
    Oct 8, 2016
    5
    Lets get rid of this binge watch vs weekly rubbish at the start. Until very recently people(viewers) talked about season development and weekly viewers understood it takes time for a series to develop. it seems like this binge/slow burner tag has now become Netflix marketing speak. So lets talk in terms of what Metacritic has always been good at, allowing a personal view.
    I liked the    Lets get rid of this binge watch vs weekly rubbish at the start. Until very recently people(viewers) talked about season development and weekly viewers understood it takes time for a series to develop. it seems like this binge/slow burner tag has now become Netflix marketing speak. So lets talk in terms of what Metacritic has always been good at, allowing a personal view.
    I liked the original from an action point of view, but as drama it failed. Just far too too many plot holes. Same with this. Writers call it lack of internal consistency. Sort of "...how can they shoot them but they can't shoot back"; with paint ball or laser tag we can get "hurt" as human players through tagging. What is the point of paying thousands of £/$ for an adventure when there is no personal risk, such as there is in paintball/lasertag etc. None fatal limited chances. So far the interactive theme park which is the backdrop makes little to no sense. I have little interest in any of the characters, as they are distant and vague. As others have hinted at cardboard cutouts, 2D at best.
    The CGI and technical work is visually stunning.
    The actors must have been filmed doing first run rehearsals.
    Not a slur against their talents just that the production fails as a whole.
    So 5 for technical effort and great backdrop.    … Expand
  22. DrBlahBlah
    Apr 13, 2018
    5
    The most overrated show on TV. The ideas it explores are somehow both naive and cynical, obvious and too complex for such a simple minded show. It also seems to explore exploitation while using exploitative means.
  23. MikeHolloway
    Nov 17, 2016
    5
    A brilliant cultural critique turned into a snuff and porn show. The writers and producers tell us that this is a morality play about our using depravity for amusement (a metaphor for violent video games), then we're given depravity to be amused by. I appreciate the conceit to its full extent. JJ et al. have convinced me. I'm not watching anymore. But I am going to read the EW recapsA brilliant cultural critique turned into a snuff and porn show. The writers and producers tell us that this is a morality play about our using depravity for amusement (a metaphor for violent video games), then we're given depravity to be amused by. I appreciate the conceit to its full extent. JJ et al. have convinced me. I'm not watching anymore. But I am going to read the EW recaps which recount the story and actual ideas being expressed. This story would have been great as a novel. Making a multi-million dollar snuff and porn show out of though is just too cynical. Reading it allows the cultural critique to come through. Showing it in all Beavis and Butthead glory though is just making more Trump voters. So I give it a 10 for ideas and a 1 for execution. Averaged to 5.… Expand
  24. jgzeger
    Nov 15, 2017
    6
    Although the production values here are high, the series has too many subplots and lacks an overall focus. I kept wishing it would get to the point, but I guess the reason it doesn't is so it can go on for many seasons. I hope I make it through Season 1.
  25. bravo433
    Jul 2, 2018
    5
    After the first couple of episodes I was hooked and binged watched the series. Every episode after that seemed to get worse. The show appears to artificially drag everything out as long as possible to make the series as long as possible. There is about 5 minutes of actual plot development per episode with the rest all being pointless filler.

    I would describe the whole show as that scene    After the first couple of episodes I was hooked and binged watched the series. Every episode after that seemed to get worse. The show appears to artificially drag everything out as long as possible to make the series as long as possible. There is about 5 minutes of actual plot development per episode with the rest all being pointless filler.

    I would describe the whole show as that scene from the Matrix 2 where Neo meets "The Architect". Pretends to be clever, but it is actually stupid.

    The show could be fantastic with better writing. There are some genuinely great moments, but they are so few and far between. The last few episodes were painful to get through.    … Expand
  26. WorldofLucky
    Feb 3, 2018
    6
    Incredibly written, acted and filmed, with way way too much rape.

    First, let’s get it out of the way that it does have some incredible acting (thank you Anthony Hopkins, Thandie Newton, Evan Rachel Wood, Ed Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Jimmi Simpson, and I could just keep going). I think the acting is far superior to anything else HBO does, such as Game of Thrones, or their other properties.    Incredibly written, acted and filmed, with way way too much rape.

    First, let’s get it out of the way that it does have some incredible acting (thank you Anthony Hopkins, Thandie Newton, Evan Rachel Wood, Ed Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Jimmi Simpson, and I could just keep going). I think the acting is far superior to anything else HBO does, such as Game of Thrones, or their other properties.

    The story itself has plenty of twists, several of which I didn’t catch until after they occurred. Of course Western’s are a favorite of mine so it hit that niche very well. The whole theme of the hosts finding consciousness is an excellent story.

    Now let’s talk about the negatives, and I find several things I don’t like.

    The constant rape. The story is about consent and I get that rape is the easiest thing to reach for. However, it is constant, overdone and definitely a low point. There are better ways to get the story of consent. I could even go with a couple of incidents, but this really was the weak part of their writing.
    The grim dark, dark grim, grim of the grimmest of darkness storylines. It is well written, but the story rips apart every single positive. I would argue it is worse than Game of Thrones on this as well. I love a serious, gritty storyline, but you have to have positive moments that aren’t made invalid by future scenes. Otherwise the story isn’t balanced.
    Also, didn’t like how abrupt the story ended for the first season, although I recommend people watch it through the credits to see Armistice.
    Pros: Good acting, story and effects and the setting is of course awesome.

    Cons: Too much rape and gritty dark dark gritty darksome..

    I haven’t decided if I will watch season 2.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

63
#63 Best TV Season of 2016
2
#2 Most Discussed TV Season of 2016
16
#16 Most Shared TV Season of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 43 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 43
  3. Negative: 1 out of 43
  1. Under The Radar
    Reviewed by: Julia Bembenek
    Oct 18, 2016
    90
    With a star-studded cast (notably featuring Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, Anthony Hopkins, James Marsden, and Jeffrey Wright), lush production design, epically sprawling story, and astonishingly huge budget, HBO is banking on the J.J. Abrams-produced Westworld to become a tentpole series. In a rare case, the network's investment pays off.
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  2. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Emily Nussbaum
    Oct 17, 2016
    70
    Westworld is explicitly, and often wittily, an exploitation series about exploitation, full of naked bodies that are meant to make us think about nudity and violence that comments on violence. It’s the kind of trippy conceptual project that would be unbearable if it weren’t so elegantly made. So far, it works, mostly--not because it’s perfect but because it gets under your skin.
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  3. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Mary McNamara
    Oct 4, 2016
    100
    It isn’t just great television, it’s vivid, thought-provoking television that entertains even as it examines the darker side of entertainment.
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