Hailed as the TV show of 2016, Westworld has had everyone talking, and caused some serious head scratching with its thought provoking themes. Created by HBO and aired on Sky Atlantic in the UK, the intense and fascinating show is now available to buy on iTunes.
Based on the original film it is set in a futuristic theme park populated by human-like robots that give customers an extraordinary Western experience. Already being compared to Game of Thrones, people are saying that Westworld is bringing sci-fi television to the masses more than ever before.
If you haven’t been following the show you have missed out! But luckily for you Westworld is out now on iTunes. Here’s our top 10 reasons to watch Westworld.
The concept
Westworld is a fascinating, dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin – exploring a world in which every human appetite, not matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged. Westworld is essentially a giant Western-themed park in which guests can indulge their wildest fantasies, with no consequence to the outside world. The park is inhabited by artificially intelligent “hosts” who are trapped inside their own storyline, that the “guests” can take part in, or if they so wish shoot them in the head! It sounds complicated but it’s basically a thrilling mix of The Hunger Games, Humans, The Truman Show and Groundhog Day. What’s not to like?
It’s been labelled the new Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones is unfortunately on the way out with only two seasons left, so make room for Westworld… Already being hailed as the new Game of Thrones, bar the dragons, the series offers fans the opportunity to dive into another fantastical world that promises to be just as ambitious and immersive. The first season of Westworld reportedly cost a whopping US$54 million to make and if it grows at the same rate as GOT then we may be looking at the next best sci-fi franchise. We certainly think so!
The people behind it are film legends
J. Abrams, the powerhouse behind breathing the life back into two of the biggest sci-fi movie franchises of all time, Star Trek and Star Wars, was executive producer on the series, and that’s not all… The series was created and co-written by Jonathan Nolan (the brother of Batman director Christopher Nolan) and wife Lisa Joy, whose previous credits include blockbusters like Interstellar, The Dark Knight and Burn Notice. With a team like this you can be assured that Westworld was set to be a success! Check out the interviews with the producers below.
It’s based on Michael Crichton’s amazing 1973 movie of the same name
You may be familiar with the old 1973 Westworld movie, which took place in a Wild West-themed amusement park that was populated by androids. Michael Crichton wrote and directed that, based on his book of the same name and this TV show is loosely based on the film. Crichton is also behind the hugely successful TV show, ER and the brains behind the phenomenon that is Jurassic Park, one of the best things ever.
A stellar cast
Westworld has a cast that’s second to none, including the legendary Anthony Hopkins who is considered to be one of the best actors of all time, and he fits nicely into the show as the robots’ ageing/fading creator Dr Ford. Thandie Newton, who has previously starred in The Pursuit of Happiness and Mission Impossible 2, stars as a ‘host’ who starts remembering things and acting conscious and the star of the show is the fantastic Evan Rachel Wood (The American Gothic/True Blood) as Delores. Jeffrey Wright, Luke Hemsworth, James Marsden and Ed Harris also feature.
It’s HBO’s biggest first season ever
HBO is known for some of the best television programmes out there and Westworld is no different. According to Deadline, Westworld has garnered an average 12 million viewers across all platforms and is the most-watched first season of an HBO original series ever – we’re not surprised!
Full of mystery, surprises and cliff-hangers
This show keeps you guessing right until the very end. Who is the mysterious man in black? Who’s a host? Who’s a guest? What is Ford’s deal? And who the hell is Arnold? That’s pretty much all we can say without spoiling it – you’ll have to find out for yourself!
The music
Ramin Djawadi composed the score, who also creates the soundtrack for Game of Thrones. His other credits include Iron Man and Person of Interest. The soundtrack is truly fantastic and includes Western style piano arrangements of modern songs including tracks by Soundgarden, Radiohead, The Rolling Stones, Amy Winehouse and Nine Inch Nails that play out in the show’s saloon bar.
It looks gorgeous
The show looks absolutely stunning and that’s no surprise since HBO invested a multi-million dollar budget into Westworld. Of course the stunning Western landscapes lend themselves to the gorgeous aesthetic of the show, but also the headquarters and control centre of Westworld are equally impressive with a vast number of spaces, including the creepy warehouse full of retired hosts, with glass everywhere, the show is truly beautiful.
It’s bloody brilliant
Taking in all of our points above, we just thought we should add in this one. Just take our word for it okay?!
Download, discover and watch Westworld. Buy it on iTunes now http://po.st/WestworldiTunes
