Westworld

I admit that I viewed the reboot of Michael Crichton’s cult classic as a cynical cash grab but Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy crafted a labyrinth of existential dread. Westworld is not a western. I found that it is a lecture on the bicameral mind disguised as a shootout. My analysis suggests that the show works because it forces the audience to question the nature of their own reality by blurring the line between the player and the non player character. It creates a narrative loop where the repetition is the torture.

The production design establishes a rigid visual binary between the two worlds of the narrative. I noticed that the operations center or The Mesa is shot with clinical symmetry and bathed in cold blue heavy high key lighting. This visual aesthetics choice strips away all privacy and organic warmth to present the hosts as mere hardware. I observed that this contrasts violently with the sun drenched and dusty exterior of the park which utilizes natural light and warm earth tones. This visual dichotomy creates a jarring experience where the viewer is constantly ripped from a romanticized past into a sterile dystopia where god is just a corporate manager in a glass box.

A critical review of the sound design reveals that the player piano serves as the metronome of the narrative. I analyzed the score by Ramin Djawadi and realized that the use of modern rock covers by Radiohead or Soundgarden played on a mechanical instrument signals that the emotions we are watching are programmed simulations. The diegetic sound of the paper roll spinning creates a subconscious trigger for the audience. I found that this anachronism prevents the viewer from fully immersing themselves in the period setting which reminds us that the nostalgia on display is a manufactured product designed for consumption.

I was struck by the decision to shoot the series on 35mm film rather than digital video. I analyzed the cinematography by Paul Cameron and noticed that the organic film grain adds a texture of nostalgia that digital sensors cannot replicate. This visual storytelling technique tricks the brain into accepting the western setting as an authentic historical document before shattering that illusion with sci fi elements. The use of vast wide angle landscape shots emphasizes the insignificance of the individual against the vast backdrop of a programmed world where every rock and tree is placed by design.

9.6/10 I am awarding this score for the seamless integration of practical 3D printing effects with traditional western filmmaking and for the intelligent use of visual repetition to simulate the experience of a corrupted memory file.

If you think you have the eye to spot the fly on the host's face then test your skills in our daily tv show guessing game at https://www.flickle.co