Westworld: What did the 1976 sequel Futureworld tell us about the series?

The original Westworld film had a sequel in 1976 by the name of Futureworld–but what did it tell us about the series?

Westworld isn’t just a series that started in 2016. In fact, the original movie came out in 1973 and then a sequel followed three years later in 1976. Although the sequel wasn’t exactly top-notch or lived up to the hype of the original, it may have possessed some answers to the series that would eventually follow.

The original film laid the groundwork for many movies that would follow such as Terminator, its sequel, and of course, the HBO series. When the sequel came out in 1976, it simply did not do as well. No one from the original film was involved and it ended up being a huge disaster.

For those of you who have seen the original, then you know all about the O.G. Man in Black played by Yul Brynner. He possessed a frightening allure that encompassed everything we know about this titular character. He was a big part of the original film, so when he wasn’t involved in the sequel, it simply did not feel the same.

The original Westworld film focused primarily on the park itself and what was going on it, similar to the current series. However, the sequel was more about the people who ran the park and what happened when no one was looking. But you want to know something interesting? Of course, you do!

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According to an article by CNet, the showrunners took a little bit from the original and the sequel and used them to foreshadow what’s to come on the series. How so you ask? Well, brace yourselves for this because it’s pretty darn cool.

The Westworld sequel may not have done great but it was the first film to use 3D digital imagery (as stated by CNet). While watching Futureworld, you’ll see the robots being created and more specifically a hand. When the scene was being created, they used CG to digitally create the hand based on images from a real hand.

They used the hand of Ed Catmull, Pixar’s co-founder. How cool is that? So if you go back and look at some of the movies that have come out since then, the CG visual effects can be credited to Futureworld. How cool is that?

Continuing the sentiment of awesome, Futureworld was also the first Hollywood film to be released in China! For a movie that didn’t do well, it sure has some cool history, right?

After Westworld premiered in 2016, fans immediately dove into the theories of who is a host and who isn’t. And when that Bernard reveal came along, it was game over. Do you know where they got that from? Futureworld. The sequel’s plot has a lot to do with robot clones and sparks curiosity about who is a host or not.

Fans waited a long time to be shown a park other than Westworld, and season 2 gave us just that with Shogun World. But guess who did it first and where it came from? You got it, Futureworld. In the sequel, the humans are chased by angry samurai robots. They may have been brought back to life when season 2 of Westworld rolled around.

There’s also a comparison one can make between Futureworld and the 1982 Blade Runner. At the beginning of the sequel, the scene zooms into the human eye. If you pay attention, a similar scene occurs at the beginning of Blade Runner, a movie that came out about six years later.

One of the biggest conundrums of Westworld is how to perceive humans. This sentiment was echoed throughout Futureworld and is a big part of the series. We’ve come to the conclusion that humans can be pretty horrendous, especially when given access to a place like Westworld.

When Futureworld re-opens, it does after something horrible happens in the past. It’s on par with what happens in the series as is revealed over the course of season 1 and season 2. Something sinister happened in the past, and eventually, the robots lead a rebellion against the humans. This is a pretty big reveal when you compare the series to the movie and was indicative of what’s to come. Who would have thought there was so much to pay attention to in Futureworld.

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Futureworld may not have gone down in history as the greatest film ever. However, it became a point of reference for its visual effects and some future plot points for HBO’s version of Westworld. I’d say that’s a win for the forgotten sequel, wouldn’t you?

Did you watch the 1976 sequel of Westworld? Do you have any thoughts about how it reveals and foreshadows things that happen in the series? Share your comments below or on our Twitter, @BeyondWestworld.

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