Critic Reviews

Westworld isn’t easy to understand at first, but you will be hooked nonetheless by unusually intelligent storytelling, powerful visuals and exceptionally nuanced performances.

It isn’t just great television, it’s vivid, thought-provoking television that entertains even as it examines the darker side of entertainment.

There is plenty of action and violence in the first half of the season, but what will empower the show’s longevity is its metaphysical theme, the exploration of the meaning and definition of human existence.

If all this sounds heady, pretentious or derivative, then Westworld may eventually turn out to be guilty as charged. But from at least from the first two episodes sampled, Westworld is also a genuinely different new series that offers something even better than that: It’s genuinely engaging.

What if the hosts remembered what happened to them? What if these androids became more than what they were designed for? These are the questions Westworld asks in its first few episodes and its thought provoking.

Some [episodes] are better than others, as the Nolans do their best to balance exposition and action; consideration and decision; questions and answers. Helping carry the load is a truly outstanding group of actors, led by the limitless talent within Evan Rachel Wood.

The depth of Westworld lies not in asking questions about memory, free will, and what makes us human, but in whether we can become more human than what we let ourselves to be, whether our stories can be richer and more meaningful than what the culture allows.

Westworld is enthralling even for those who prefer a passive viewing experience. The sweeping shots of big-sky grandeur! The endlessly creative violence! (Three words: Human railroad crossties.) And the performances--Wood slips seamlessly between characters (Dolores, Rancher’s Daughter, Wyatt).

Ultimately, Westworld hasn't gone back to the place where it all started, and continues to expand its scope far beyond the borders of the park, but rather than this resulting in more disarray, what plays out are the exciting twists, turns, and surprises through time that will make anyone sit up and take notice.

A visual treat packed with both moments of beauty as well as true horror. But while the narrative is less cohesive this season, with its core characters scattered to the winds, its capacity to fascinate us remains intact, especially as the themes which have always been lurking in the show become more present.