9.5/10. A unique, futuristic Wild West tale, steeped in mystery with major twists

In HBO’s Westworld, oblivious humans gleefully visit a Wild West theme park filled with AI robot “hosts”, many of whom are, unbeknownst to the humans, are changing…

What could go wrong?

From the opening titles, Westworld proves to be a unique, beautiful world of futuristic / Wild West fantasy, descending into dark chaos.

The most relatable and ‘human’ characters are the robots, and there are especially great performances from Thandie Newton as Maeve and Evan Rachel Wood as Dolores. All robot actors portray their roles elegantly and believably, with subtleties that betray their evolving natures.

The story is intriguing throughout season one, with each character solving their own mysteries and looking for the answers they seek, whilst their arcs move closer together for the end game.

Anthony Hopkins’s Dr Robert Ford is unsurprisingly excellent, as is Jeffrey Wright's understated Bernard and Ed Harris’s mysterious Man in Black.

The major twists at the end of season 1 upgraded my enjoyment of Westworld from excellent to exceptional, showing that anything could happen in season 2.