Westworld – LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY

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The man behind Westworld…..

Michael Crichton, famous for writing Jurassic Park, actually started his career with a different film that laid the groundwork for his later success. That film was Westworld, set in a high-tech resort called Delos where wealthy guests could indulge in their fantasies for $1,000 a day. The story follows friends Peter and John as they enjoy a vacation in the Old West section, only to find it turning into a terrifying ordeal. A system failure causes the park’s robotic hosts to go haywire, and a menacing Gunslinger, memorably played by Yul Brynner, begins a deadly chase, blurring the lines between reality and danger.

I’ve always been fascinated by Michael Crichton, and a big part of what drew me in was his knack for exploring the potential downsides of technology. It really started with The Andromeda Strain back in 1971 – a fantastic movie, and it became a recurring theme in everything he did. What’s cool is he actually trained as a doctor, but quickly realized he’d rather write. And he was good – his books became instant bestsellers and were quickly snapped up for film adaptations. That success gave him the opportunity to direct his own project, a TV movie called Pursuit in 1972, which he also wrote. He really worked his way up, and it’s amazing to see how he managed to both write and direct so early in his career.

Behind the scenes of Westworld

Made on a modest budget of just over $1.25 million, the film starred Richard Benjamin and James Brolin as friends enjoying a fantasy vacation in Westworld, where they could live out their cowboy dreams, including bar fights and gunfights with robotic outlaws. Producer Paul Lazarus was surprised when Yul Brynner’s agent offered his client for the role of the gunslinger. Initially, Lazarus thought Brynner was unaffordable, but discovered the actor needed money and agreed to a $75,000 fee. It proved to be perfect casting, becoming one of Brynner’s most memorable roles, alongside films like The Magnificent Seven and The King and I, as the movie became a success. Despite this, Michael Crichton declined to create a sequel, ‘Futureworld,’ but years later, the idea of technology gone wrong was brilliantly revisited in ‘Jurassic Park,’ achieving even greater success.

Those bonus features

Released on limited edition blu-ray there’s a load of bonus features that includes:

  • Brand new 4K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Films
    • High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
    • Original restored lossless 4-channel stereo, 2.0 stereo, and 1.0 mono audio options
    • Optional remixed 5.1 DTS-HD MA surround audio
    • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
    • Brand new audio commentary by filmmaker and film historian Daniel Kremer
    • Cowboy Dreams, a newly filmed conversation between actor Richard Benjamin and producer/screenwriter Larry Karaszewski
    • At Home on the Range, a brand new video interview with actor James Brolin
    • HollyWorld: Producing Westworld, a brand new video interview with producer Paul N. Lazarus III
    • Sex, Death and Androids, a brand new appreciation of the film by author and film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
    • On Location with Westworld, an archival behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film from 1973
    • Beyond Westworld, the 48-minute pilot episode of the 1980 follow-up television series
    • Theatrical trailer
    • Image gallery
    • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Arik Roper
    • Collectors’ perfect bound booklet featuring new writing on the film by David Michael Brown, Priscilla Page, Paul Anthony Nelson, and Abbey Bender
    • Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Arik Roper
    • Six postcard-sized art cards

Worth a look?

Michael Crichton sadly passed away in 2008 at the age of 66, and his insights are greatly missed. However, interviews with Josh Brolin, and particularly with Benjamin and producer Lazarus, offer fascinating stories – like the time Crichton cast a goth girl as a saloon prostitute, prompting Lazarus to quickly suggest a different actress. This limited edition release includes a very rare opportunity to view the pilot episode of the 1980 TV series, which was never picked up, despite a successful TV series appearing in 2016.

Most of Michael Crichton’s novels made good candidates for film adaptations, though ‘Congo’ and ‘Sphere’ weren’t as successful. When his stories clicked, they were fantastic, and ‘Westworld’ is a prime example. This limited edition release rightfully places the film among his best work.

Here’s the Westworld trailer……

Westworld – LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY is released on 23rd February 2026

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2026-02-21 03:24