Westworld 4K (1973)

 

Arrow Films are releasing Michael Crichton's WESTWORLD  in a new 4K restoration (that looks excellent) on both UHD and Blu-ray.

Delos is an all-new all-futuristic theme park consisting of three different worlds: Romanworld, Medievalworld and, of course, Westworld. Each provides the guest with a hyper-realistic experience with one key selling point: every 'actor' in each park is actually an android, programmed for the entertainment and pleasure of the guests. Peter (Richard Benjamin) and John (Josh Brolin) are enjoying a vacation in Westworld when a malfunction turns the androids of all three worlds into killers and they find themselves having to fight their way out, including a relentless duel with a black-clad android gunslinger (Yul Brynner).

Produced pretty cheaply (producer Paul N Lazarus III goes into actually how much in the extras) WESTWORLD did so well for MGM that it saved them from bankruptcy (although this was far from the only time the studio teetered on the edge of having their lion never roar again). Even now, over 50 years later, it's easy to see why it did so well: the combination of a novel science fiction concept combined with the disaster movies that were so popular at the time (with this being a different, more low-key kind of disaster) meant the public flocked to see WESTWORLD. Performances are all top notch but it was Yul Brynner who became the iconic face of the film in much the same way that he had for THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN several years before.

New extras on Arrow's 4K disc kick off with an excellent fact-packed commentary from Daniel Kremer. Star Richard Benjamin is interviewed by fan and renowned Hollywood screenwriter Larry Karaszewski (12 minutes) and there's a new interview with Benjamin's costar Josh Brolin here too (17 minutes). Producer Paul N Lazarus III provides the longest of the new interviews at 34 minutes. Interviewed over Zoom he provides an essential history of the nuts and bolts of how the film got made at MGM.

Archival extras consist of a nine minute location report, and Beyond Westworld, the pilot episode of the short-lived (five episodes) 1980 spinoff TV series starring Jim McMullan and Judith Chapman. If you're expecting more Michael Crichton theme park excitement you're going to be very disappointed. There's also a trailer and an image gallery. Arrow's limited edition also includes a booklet featuring new writing on the film, a double-sided poster, six art cards and a reversible sleeve.

Michael Crichton's WESTWORLD is out from Arrow Films in 4K in both UHD and Blu-ray editions on Monday 23rd February 2026