The best art is the kind of stuff that forces the viewer/listener/consumer to pause and really let it all sink in. The questions don’t always need to be lofty and heavy-handed, they can be simple ones, anecdotal stuff that we encounter in our daily lives, but in the same vein, the big and lofty tend to become the most compelling. In HBO’s new western-based, fantasy and sci-fi series Westworld, they are looking to tell a story that goes beyond the simple concept of futuristic cowboys. Instead, the show wants to say something more.
This behind-the-scenes video released by HBO invites us to the set of Westworld and it’s more than simply a tour through a western set. Instead, it’s an analytical look at the concepts that the show will be approaching. Westworld itself is an adult theme park of sorts that looks to give people an experience unlike they’ve ever experience before of being inside of a living, breathing world with a western setting, all of it under the guise of escapism. As Anthony Hopkins’ character states in the trailer, “The guests return for a story that tells them who they are, they are here for a glimpse of who they could be.”
But, of course, consequences are always a factor in life, even in escapism. While Westworld itself is a television show that we, the viewer, gets to escape into, the show focuses on the artificial intelligent beings in this fantasy park that were created for the sole purpose of entertainment, but are so real that denying their rights as individuals becomes difficult. There are always consequences to every action.
