I last saw this on 35mm projected in Maghull's Astra Cinema in 1976, I was a confused 15-year old who hadn't seen Westworld and was therefore a little behind the story as Yul Brynner's proto-Terminator cyborg only made an appearance in flashback and then a dream sequence. So, what did the grown-up version of me think watching after finally seeing these films in the right order?
Firstly, I seem to have very little recollection of the film
itself which is unusual as other films watched over this distance in time have
been more firmly implanted – The Warriors, The Sentinel, Exorcist and others –
including The Devils which has now been restored to something like Ken
Russell’s original vision… I’m not sure I’m ready. What I thought were memories
of this film turn out to be overlays from its predecessor which is exactly what
happens to Blythe Danner when they attach her to a dream projection device.
Secondly, rather than being a machine vs man scenario turns
out to be more like a Jurassic Park story with “mad scientists”
convinced that they can simply avoid the errors of the first story – machines
running riot and breaking Asimov’s laws of robotics left right and centre – can
be fixed by deploying more machines. Upgrades and removing the human elements
as far as possible seems to be the focus of their strategy and moving well
beyond the theme park at the centre of things into the wider world.
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| Blythe Danner, Arthur Hill and Peter Fonda |
Handled in the right way, this could have been the start of
something more genuinely epic but it is ambitious in one way but not in others…
a self-contained futuristic theme park mystery that two journalists have to
solve compelled by their training and drive to tell the world. A post-Watergate
sentiment sadly lacking these days.
It starts of by retelling the events of the Westworld
in which the robots started to treat the scenarios as real and many guests
expecting a realistic adventure shooting cowboys and fraternising with good
time girls in bars, ended up fighting for their lives against the Gunslinger
played by Yul Brynner. This first film was directed and written by Michael
Crichton and featured a nail-biting narrative as robots started to malfunction
and human life suddenly comes under threat.
Chrichton was not involved in this sequel and Brynner was
the only cast member returning although composer Fred Karlin was back to bring
some excellent atmospherics. Directed by Richard T. Heffron (The Rockford
Files and many more…) from a script by Mayo Simon and George Schenck – son
of film producer Aubrey Schenk and great nephew of Joe Schenck, sometime
husband of Norma Talmadge and co-founder of both 20th Century Fox
and the Oscars – Futureworld feels more like a TV movie than its budget
should allow.
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| Tracy's dream date with the Gunslinger (Yul Brynner) |
It's set three years after the events of Westworld and the
Delos Corporation owners have invested heavily in fixing the “teething
troubles” of their original park and introduced an expanded experience with
Future World and Spa World, “where old age and pain have been eliminated”,
added to Roman and Medieval Worlds. Westworld remains closed down. This is
a new beginning and two journalists have been invited down to witness the
change, TV broadcaster Tracy Ballard (the divine Blythe Danner, mother of Gwyneth
Paltrow and it shows) and news journalist Chuck Browning (the rebellious Peter
Fonda, father of Bridgette and son of Henry). The two bicker in attempted Tracy/Hepburn
screwball love play but it’s a bit too abrasive and the script just isn’t up to
it. All the same, the two are highly watchable and put what they can into the
roles.
Before their departure Chuck has an encounter with a former
employee of Delos who dies just as they meet carrying a folder full of
clippings and uttering the name of his ex-employer with his final breaths.
There’s something a foot and Chuck’s just not the kind of guy to so no to a
potential story…
The two are met with a very slick operation at the resort
which has once again caught everyone’s imagination not least the winner of a
free trip on a TV game show, who can’t wait to sample the erotic recreational opportunities
of the Series 700 love bots (or whatever they’re called). Humanity can’t resist
the opportunity of playing with animated toys and, as with the first film, this
fascination affects risk management decision making.
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| Blythe Danner takes aim... |
Delos is run by the reassuringly relaxed and charming Dr.
Duffy (Arthur Hill) and the technical lead, the altogether more earnest Dr.
Morton Schneider (John Ryan, who always provides great intensity) who has the
look of a man with deep secrets to hide. So, it proves when on a trip behind
the scenes Chuck persuades Tracy to try and “turn on” one of the suited people
intently looking at screens in the control room and his lack of reaction proves
he must be an automaton – I mean, what red-blooded man could resist Gwyneth’s
Mum? A manoeuvre of its time… like a fair chunk of the script but so it goes as
Tracy gives as good as she gets from the mildly chauvinistic Chuck… you know
they’ll end up together, should they make it to the end of the film. Anyway,
Duffy and Schneider confirm that yes, the majority of staff are robots as this
is the best way to avoid the human error that led to the initial disaster.
Nothing can go wrong with this plan obviously and so the
couple keep digging in the early hours until they find more than they bargained
for with three kung fu robots’ intent on destroying them. They’re saved by a
human mechanic Harry Croft (Stuart Margolin) who’s living in the depths with
only a faceless Series 400 called Clark (James M. Connor) for company. Harry’s
willing to talk and explains that the “irons” are not sentient and still
basically following their programming. This is a potentially interesting line
to follow… as this was the question raised by the Gunslinger and, let’s face
it, we’ve been fascinated by AI for a lot longer than the last few years.
But there’s a lot more going on that even Harry knows and working together the three – with Clark making the drinks – uncover a plan that stretches far beyond the worlds of the park: this is the real Futureworld and, well, it’s probably less interesting than the filmmakers thought it would be.
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| Harry and Clark play cards... |
Dusty Video Verdict: Futureworld is over-long and
slow paced but has some interesting ideas that are never developed and
compelling leads who just don’t have enough to do. This is especially true of
Danner who is essentially employed to provide a foil for Fonda’s sardonic lines
and reckless bravery. The deeper questions aren’t really engaged with – despite
the bigger plan – with a controlling intelligence that is only hinted at?
There are some good sequences and a sense of wonder which is
one thing I just about remember: wouldn’t this be an interesting place to visit
where you could indulge in adventures at no risk? Some of the sets from the far
superior Logan’s Run were repurposed for the film and overall, the production
values are high with an array of convincing sets including a Saturn Five rocket
and the Brynner sequence which does flow nicely along the lines of a dream.
There are some sequences that were genuinely surprising and
these feature 3D computer generated imagery, in fact this film was the first to
use this CGI in the form of two experimental short films: Edwin Catmull's a
Computer Animated Hand (1972) and Fred Parke's Faces & Body Parts
(1974). Now, that really was the Futureworld… and now we’re living in it!
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| The Astra in the 70s... now a supermaket. |
