Westworld (4K UHD Review)
Director
Michael CrichtonRelease Date(s)
1973 (February 24, 2026)Studio(s)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Warner Bros. (Arrow Video)- Film/Program Grade: B+
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: B+
- Extras Grade: B+
Review
Peter Martin (Richard Benjamin) and John Blane (James Brolin) are a pair of affluent businessmen looking to experience the latest in high-tech entertainment—the best that a $1,000 a day budget can buy. So they book tickets on the next hovercraft to the Delos corporation’s exclusive “Westworld” resort, an amusement park of sorts for adults only, where a red-blooded fella can travel back in time to the American Old West to drink, gamble, flirt with the brothel girls, or tussle with deadly gunmen in a real shootout. And if the Old West isn’t your thing, never fear—there’s also “Roman World” and “Medieval World.”
You can do almost anything you want in Delos’ parks, up to and including having sexual encounters and fighting to the death. You see… each of these “worlds” is populated by androids that are virtually indistinguishable from real human beings. So grab a sword or a six-gun and fight all you like; you’re never in any danger. Unless, that is, something goes wrong. But breakdowns at amusement parks are rare, aren’t they? I mean, none of us has ever visited Disneyland, Six Flags, or Knott’s Berry Farm when a ride was out of order! So when the Gunslinger (Yul Brynner) that Peter shoots one day in Westworld reappears the next and seems a little testy, there’s no need to worry. And when he shows up again… well, never you mind.
While viewers today might be tempted to think that Westworld was Michael Crichton’s prescient cautionary on the dangers of technology, specifically robots and artificial intelligence, he was actually satirizing the greed of large entertainment conglomerates like Disney—the story was specifically inspired by Disneyland’s Hall of Presidents. There are a number of scenes in the film in which Delos employees dispassionately discuss robot breakdowns as “acceptable losses,” for example, or seem to be prioritizing their own corporate reputation ahead of customer safety.
Crichton first attempted to write Westworld as a novel, but found it didn’t work on the page, so he reconceived the story as a screenplay he ended up directing—his first feature. Given the Disney criticism (and despite the success of his novel, The Andromeda Strain, two years earlier), it’s not surprising that every Hollywood studio turned Crichton down except MGM, which was unpopular at the time for its poor treatment of filmmakers. Westworld was shot in just 30 days on a budget of $1.2 million, one of the final productions to use the MGM backlot before it was demolished. The film ultimately made over $10 million at the box-office and inspired two sequels, a short-lived CBS series in 1980, and a more successful HBO series decades later.
Westworld is notable for including the first-ever use of CG in a feature film, using computers to pixellate imagery to simulate the androids’ vision. It also features one of the first references to the idea of a computer “virus” in a fictional story. The film’s supporting cast includes the likes of Dick Van Patten (Eight is Enough), Terry Wilson (Wagon Train), and Majel Barrett (aka Majel Barrett-Roddenberry of Star Trek fame). And the score by prolific film and TV composer Fred Karlin features an unconventional mix of Western and Medieval motifs, combining electronic and synthesized elements with traditional banjos, guitars, and violins. It also shifts wildly between comedy, drama, and more chaotic and ominous tones.
Westworld was shot by cinematographer Gene Polito (Colossus: The Forbin Project, Prime Cut, Up in Smoke, TV’s Lost in Space—how’s that for a wild mix!) on 35 mm film (specifically Eastman 100T 5254) using Arriflex 35 IIC and Panavision PSR 200º cameras with Panavision C-Series anamorphic lenses, and it was finished in a traditional analog photochemical process at the 2.39:1 aspect ratio for its theatrical release. For its release on Ultra HD, Arrow Video has taken advantage of a new 16-bit 4K scan of the original camera negative, complete with digital restoration and grading for high dynamic range in Dolby Vision (compatible with HDR10). The work was QC’d by Pixelogic, with authoring by Chris Anderson of The Engine House Media Services. The title has been encoded for release on a 100 GB disc to ensure maximum data rates (averaging 90-100 Mbps).
The image quality is excellent on the whole, with very good detailing save for the expected generation loss during titles and transitions, the odd shot that’s a little out of focus, and occasional anamorphic softness around the edges of the frame. (The opening Delos promo film is also a little softer looking than the rest of the footage.) Texturing is nicely refined in many shots, visible in hair, skin, textiles, and construction materials in the Old West environment. Colors are well saturated and accurate, with a warm cast typical of 1970s production design. Shadows are deep, with bright and natural highlights, especially in daylight exteriors. Photochemical grain is light to medium, varying a bit from shot to shot (especially in the film’s first few minutes aboard the hovercraft). It’s a very nice, if a tad uneven, 4K image for a catalog film of this vintage.
The film’s English audio is available in four different DTS-HD Master Audio lossless options, including 4.0 stereo (reproducing the original 4-track stereo theatrical experience), 2.0 stereo, and 1.0 mono (reproducing TV broadcast audio), as well as a new 5.1 surround mix. The 4.0 mix is the default option, and it sounds great, with a medium-wide front soundstage and bit of left/right extension into the surround channels. The 2.0 stereo track has a wider stage across the front, while the mono mix is decidedly front-and-center with no frills. The new 5.1 mix is the most natural sounding, with more subtle surround play, a bit more atmospheric immersion, and some nice directional panning. Whichever you choose, dialogue is clean and readily discernible, bass is firm during action moments, and the music exhibits pleasing fidelity. Optional English SDH subtitles are also available.
Arrow Video’s Ultra HD release is a single-disc edition that includes the film in 4K only. (The film is available separately on Blu-ray.) The 4K disc offers the following special features:
- Audio Commentary by Daniel Kremer
- Cowboy Dreams: A Conversation with Richard Benjamin and Larry Karaszewski (HD – 11:42)
- At Home on the Range: The Real Cowboy of Westworld (HD – 17:04)
- HollyWorld: Producing Westworld with Paul Lazarus (HD – 34:16)
- Sex, Death and Androids (HD – 13:13)
- On Location with Westworld (Upscaled SD – 9:08)
- Beyond Westworld Pilot (HD – 49:39)
- Theatrical Trailer (Upscaled SD – 3:08)
- Image Gallery (HD – 183 in all)
The commentary by filmmaker and historian Daniel Kremer (author of the 2015 book Sidney J. Furie: Life and Films) was newly-created for this release. In it, he offers context for the story, along with abundant trivia and production anecdotes. Cowboy Dreams is a new conversation between actor Richard Benjamin and producer/screenwriter Larry Karaszewski (Ed Wood, Big Eyes) looking back on the film. Likewise, At Home on the Range and HollyWorld: Producing Westworld are brand new interviews with actor James Brolin and producer Paul N. Lazarus III. And Sex, Death and Androids is a new appreciation of the film by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (author of numerous books on cinema, including 2020’s 1000 Woman in Horror, 1895-2018). Legacy features from previous Blu-ray and DVD editions include the On Location with Westworld featurette, the 1980 pilot episode of Beyond Westworld (a CBS spin-off series that lasted five episodes, only three of which were aired), the film’s theatrical trailer, and a gallery packed with HD images. It’s a fine package of extras for an interesting film.
Unfortunately, the slightly longer TV cut of the film, which aired on NBC TV in February of 1976, is not included here. I’ve been unable to confirm exactly how much longer this version was than the theatrical cut, but additional scenes and footage reportedly included exterior shots of the hovercraft traveling across the desert, expanded Delos engineer conversations about their computer virus issue, Delos techs talking about work loads in the locker room, a longer conversation between Peter and the sheriff who arrests him, a Medieval World scene in which a guest is tortured on the rack, and more of Peter’s flight from the Gunslinger through all three parks. Additional scenes that were reportedly shot but not used include a bank robbery, more moments of guests being killed by robots, the Gunslinger cleaning his face with water after Peter throws acid on him, a different version of the Gunslinger’s “death,” and a different ending to the film. It’s possible this longer version (and the unused footage) is either lost or no longer exists.
Arrow’s packaging consists of a black Amaray case in a housed in sturdy slipbox. It includes six postcard-sized art cards and a double-sided insert, featuring the original US theatrical poster artwork on one side and new artwork by Arik Roper on the reverse. Also included is double-sided poster (with the same artwork options) and a 40-page booklet containing cast and crew information, the essays Rise of the Machines: How Westworld Changed the Face of 70s Sci-Fi by David Michael Brown, We Don’t Know Exactly How They Work: The Cautionary Tale of Westworld by Priscilla Page, A Society of Guns and Action: Performative Masculinity in Westworld by Paul Anthony Nelson, Cosplaying Cowboys and Robot Girls: The Costumes and Production Design of Westworld by Abbey Bender, restoration information, production credits, and special thanks.
Over fifty years later, it’s somewhat remarkable how well Westworld holds up. In many ways, the idea of humanoid robots has never been more relevant and immediate. And it’s certainly true that entertainment conglomerates have become larger and more numerous than ever, not to mention the fact that scores of too-big-to-fail technology companies are investing in robotics and artificial intelligence at a breakneck pace (and their concern for the well-being of their customers and the good of society is… shall we say… secondary to profits and other priorities). Westworld is arguably Crichton’s best effort as a director, though he wrote screenplays for even better films, including Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park (1993) and Jan de Bont’s Twister (1986). In any case, Westworld remains an influential cult and genre favorite, and Arrow Video’s new 4K Ultra HD release is a must-have release for fans.
-Bill Hunt
(You can follow Bill on social media on X, BlueSky, and Facebook, and also here on Patreon)