Overview: WHERE WESTWORLD STOPPED, FUTUREWORLD BEGINS! Following the success of Westworld, director Richard T. Heffron expanded Michael Crichton’s techno-nightmare with Futureworld - a sleek, conspiracy-laced slice of 1970’s science fiction that trades frontier thrills for post-Watergate paranoia in the age of automation.

When reporters Chuck Browning (Peter Fonda, Easy Rider) and Tracy Ballard (Blythe Danner, The Great Santini) are invited to inspect the newly reopened Delos resort, they find a futuristic paradise promising safe, sanitized entertainment. But beneath the polished surface, troubling inconsistencies begin to emerge - and as suspicion turns to terror, the pair uncover a sinister conspiracy with consequences far beyond the park itself.

Stylish, suspenseful and packed with all-star turns - including the return of Yul Brynner’s implacable Gunslinger - Futureworld spins a compelling web of sci-fi intrigue, serving as a timely reminder that progress always has its price.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Although Futureworld is considered by many to be a poor excuse for a sequel, it has its own en masse of cult followers; and rightly so.

After the tragic deaths of several guests at the hands of robots in Westworld, Delos decides to invite reporters Tracy and Chuck to the rebuilt resort. Delos representatives want to prove to the public that their new vacationing spots are completely safe and their robots are under control and harmless. As Tracy and Chuck investigate Futureworld, they begin to suspect there’s something sinister behind Delos’ welcoming embrace.

Judging Futureworld on its own merits, I found it to be a rather entertaining slice of 1970’s sci-fi. The movie’s warnings against allowing machines and computers too much control and relying on them too heavily seems prophetic in hindsight. For 1976, I’m sure it felt fresh and was terrifying for a world that was just barely embracing electronics and the technology we take for granted today.

Now, rightly or wrongly, director Richard T. Heffron and writers George Schenck and Mayo Simon don’t really do much more here besides expand on the concepts Michael Crichton came up with for Westworld.

Indeed, the only actor to return from Westworld for this sequel is Yul Brenner. He isn’t given much to do here. He basically walks around and has an awkward love scene with Blythe Danner. Honestly, it’s uncomfortable to watch. Peter Fonda is great as a chauvinistic wisecracking 1970’s reporter that could never get away with his treatment of Danner’s character in modern times; but then again, this was the mid-70’s.

Overall, Futureworld is a fun and nostalgic journey back into the 1970’s. It’s interesting to see what the state of science fiction cinema was even a year before Star Wars breathed life into a dying genre. You’ll not find any of the carefree adventure and joy we found in a Galaxy Far, Far Away though here in the dystopic and ultimately doomed Futureworld of our making.

In closing, and whilst (to my mind) it is a shame about the tacked-on happy ending - mainly due to Delos having already shown itself to be capable of resorting to murder to protect its secrets, so what’s the big deal about Chuck and Tracy getting away from the resort? - Futureworld is definitely well worth seeing though; and considerably better than Logan’s Run which also came out that year.

On a side not of interest, for those who did not know, three years later, the television series Beyond Westworld recast Delos in the role of the good guys, attributing the robot breakdowns to megalomaniac Dr. Simon Quaid (James Wainwright). Only five episodes were ever made though sadly.

4K ULTRA HD SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original restored lossless mono audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary by filmmaker and film historian Daniel Kremer
Future Present, a brand new video interview with producer Paul N. Lazarus III
NASA: Science Fact and Fiction, a 1976 behind-the-scenes short film
chronicling filming at the Johnson Space Center, presented in high definition for the first time on home video
Theatrical trailer
TV and radio spots
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jeff Marshall
Collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by David Michael Brown, Barry Forshaw and James Rose

Original 1976 Trailer

Official Purchase Link

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