The original "Westworld" was 88 minutes. Because a sequel is meant to build upon the world of the previous feature, I can overlook this feature's extra 16 minutes.
Futureworld - The Standard for an Ill-Advised Sequel
Steven
Spielberg did not direct "Jaws 2". From a film "expert" standpoint, it
easy to assume why. A good sequel does not change the original formula.
Thus, it should essentially be the same movie, only better. How do you
top "Jaws"?
A
bad idea for a sequel comes when the formula is changed. It is
forgivable to tweak the original's premise to further adapt beloved
characters from the first film, but the feature still needs to be a copy
of the original. Luke running from the Empire must be constant. So in
"Jurassic Park" the dinosaurs going nuts need some build up.
It
is easy to see why Spielberg took on "The Lost World: Jurassic Park"
because dinosaurs are already nuts. This gave him a new idea to play
with. Unfortunately, Spielberg must have failed to remember the sequel
to Michael Crichton's "Jurassic Park" prototype, "Westworld's" "Futureworld".
With
so much money invested into the Delos resort, it would be foolish not
to reopen the facility because of a singular robotic revolution that started in
Westworld. The company swears nothing can go wrong, but they need some
great publicity to assure those who can afford $12,000 a day that the
attraction is safe.
Along
with high-ranking Soviet and Japanese officials, Delos has invited
America's premier TV personality, Tracy Ballard (Blythe Danner), and an investigative reporter, Chuck Browning (Peter Fonda), to prove
that nothing negative will occur with their relaunch. Everything seems
kosher, since they removed the human technicians with robots, but it all
seems too perfect. There must be something sinister a foot. Can our
journalists discover it, or will decadence or Delos consume them?
"Futureworld"
lacks the charm of its predecessor. It is a B-movie about journalists
like "The Manchurian Candidate" instead of a tale about a perfect world
crumbling. There a a few interactions between our characters and the
environment, and because humans and robots mingling together is what
sold the first film, why would we return for a sequel where this is lacking?
We
hardly get five minutes in any of the theme parks. If you have seen
"Westworld", it is kind of a downer that our protagonists choose to have
sex with each other rather than a robot.
I
saw this feature in 2010, so I could not have known that Jonathan Nolan
and Lisa Joy were such fans of the franchise that they would
successfully figure out how to manifest everything from this feature to
work in the "Westworld" HBO series.
"Westworld"
was a tacky premise, but was delivered and produced as a great sci-fi film (The
1970's may have been the golden era when you take "Silent Runnings" and "Logan's Run" into account.). Everything
in the sequel, with the exception of brilliant CG, is incredibly tacky
from sets to dialogue. Honestly, "Futureworld" is not bad for low-budget
70's fare, but it is a sequel to a classic which makes the Yul Brynner
"Man in Black" dance dream the most redeeming thing about it.
"Futureworld"
is a fine example of how not to make a sequel. Movies are not fan
fiction. We do not want them to serve only as a setting for a story. If
the original environments or characters that drew us to the first film
are lacking, then you are better off writing a reboot for you own sake.
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