Episode 39 - Westworld
"We aren't dealing with ordinary machines. These are highly complicated pieces of equipment, almost as complicated as living organisms. In some cases they've been designed by other computers. We don't know exactly how they work." And so begins the downfall of the DELOS vacation resort, because the machines, they have a mind of their own and they intend to use they're new found sentience. Bob and I play a game of connect the dots between Westworld, The Terminator, Blade Runner and Austin Powers. Wait, what? Austin Powers! Yes! Austin Powers? Just wait for it, you'll understand. Released in 1973 by MGM, written and directed by Michael Crichton, and starting Yul Brynner, Richard Benjaman, James Brolin, Alan Oppenheimer, Dick Van Patten, and Linda Gaye Scott, "Westworld" is in many ways the forerunner to the modern "machines take over the world and wipeout all humankind" thriller. There are many original ideas contained in the film and some derivative ideas (see notes below). Overall we like it, but we have some issues with it as well.