Why So Blu?

Westworld Season One: The Maze (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

Given the fact that when this series originally aired earlier this year I pretty much had to watch each episode twice due to many slow lulls that put me to sleep like a baby probably doesn’t make me the best suited reviewer to tackle Westworld: Season One. However, that doesn’t mean that I didn’t like what I saw either because I did.  It was just on so late at night, I was exhausted and this combo leaves me with the attention span of a kitten.  I’m joking of course because I truly am stoked for Westworld: Season One being the very first HBO title on the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray format.  Besides Planet Earth II I guess you could also call HBO’s Westworld the very first title on the 4K UHD format period.  That’s not a shabby title to own.  You can tell that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is equally excited about this crowning jewel on 4K too.  “We are thrilled to release the first season of HBO’s critically-acclaimed and most watched new series Westworld in 4K Ultra HD with HDR,” said Rosemary Markson, Senior Vice President, Television Marketing, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. “Fans will devour this beautifully crafted series – a perfect candidate to receive the fully immersive 4K HDR experience along with limited edition collectable packaging and all-new special features.”  I couldn’t agree more with Rosemary’s statements so that’s why I’m very eager to tackle this review already down below.

Season 

So here we are. It’s near the end of the year and HBO has yet another hit, most-watched, new series on its hand with Westworld coming not only to the Blu-ray format, but also 4K Ultra HD.  If you’re wondering what this new HBO sensation is all about I guess I can sum it up by saying it’s a little bit Old Western and a helluva lot of future.  The series is all based on the 1973 film of the same name (let the record show I have not seen this film) written by best-selling author Michael Crichton (ER, Jurassic Park films).  It comes from the minds of series creators Jonathan Nolan (Interstellar, The Dark Knight films) and Lisa Joy (Burn Notice, Pushing Daisies).  Simply put Westworld is a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and evolution of sin in a Jurassic Park like setting in the near future.  The series is praised for the way it explores a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged and/or molested.  So in other words get ready for lots of gratuitous nudity in 4K Ultra HD with HDR.  Oh hell yeah!

Westworld: Season One is dubbed The Maze here.  I don’t remember it being called that when the series aired so it’s all new to me, but it also makes complete sense given what goes on in the first season.  Season One features a star-studded cast led by Academy Award winner Sir Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs), Golden Globe winner Ed Harris (The Truman Show), Golden Globe and Emmy nominee Evan Rachel Wood (The Wrestler) and Golden Globe nominee Thandie Newton (Crash).  But wait!  It gets even better than that.  The cast of this 10-episode hit show also includes the following big names: Jeffrey Wright, James Marsden, Ben Barnes, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Clifton Collins, Jr., Luke Hemsworth, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Simon Quarterman, Rodrigo Santoro, Angela Sarafyan, Jimmi Simpson, Tessa Thompson and Shannon Woodward.  That’s a whole lotta star power!

So if you were me how would you describe all that happens in the first season of Westworld?  Holy wow!  There’s so much that goes down and at the same time so little too.  Ha ha.  I want to digress there and focus on the following.  There are so many big reveals and so much action…at times.  However, there’s one word that sums it all up here.  That word is patience.  You know how the first six seasons of Game of Thrones had many slow, story building moments and lulls?  Well, that’s nothing compared to Westworld.  But give the show time and patience as the reveals in this show ultimately become huge, shocking and gratifying.  You just have to be “patient” and wait for them.  Trust me they will come.  It may not seem like it, but just when you least expect it boom!  Don’t worry as I’m not going to divulge any big secrets or spoilers here.  My main take away to newcomers of this show is just hang in there, don’t watch when tired and just wait for it.  It will come!

The story of the first season here takes place in the fictional Westworld park.  Remember I compared it to Jurassic Park up above?  Well, technically it’s much the same.  Except for there being dinosaurs like in JP we have advanced artificial intelligence or AI for short.  Westworld is a technologically advanced Wild West-themed amusement park.  It’s solely populated by android hosts acting out pre-written narratives daily.   Think of the Westworld amusement park like those high rolling rooms in Las Vegas casinos.  Westworld caters to high-paying guests, who may indulge in whatever they wish within the park.  They can do so without fear of retaliation from the hosts because after all they are robots.  Basically ANYTHING goes!  I don’t want to go into this last statement any further because I would very much like to keep intact the surprises you will experience in finding out what the robots can do to the humans and vice versa.  All I know is this.  What a mess cleanup must be every night.  Don’t fret though as part of the appeal of Westworld is it takes you on a journey of both sides meaning what it’s like to experience the Westworld park as a guest and what it’s like working there behind-the-scenes.  It kind of reminds me of Disney world.  While everything is cheery on the outside only the workers really know what it’s like behind-the-scenes.   You picking up what I’m dropping?

The main intrigue of Westworld for me is the relationships between the androids and humans, how they all interact and truing my best to stay one step ahead of all the many changing narratives at a given time (think of Groundhog Day).  Like the main slug line for the Transformers there’s “more than meets the eye.”  I say this because not everyone is who they seem to be.  That’s an appeal, attraction and a source of intrigue for me.  It kept my eyes open when I wanted to sleep in fear that I would miss some big reveal.  Some reveals are complete shockers and others are ones you probably were guessing all along.  However, with that being said the fun is in experiencing it all and the gratuitous nudity is the icing on the cake.  I’ll take a lull every now and then for all the jaw dropping looks at Wood, Newton, Sarafyan and more.  Westworld takes its time and so should you with it.

10 ONE-HOUR EPISODES

1. The Original (Disc 1)
2. Chestnut (Disc 1)
3. The Stray (Disc 1)
4. Dissonance Theory (Disc 2)
5. Contrapasso (Disc 2)
6. The Adversary (Disc 2)
7. Trompe L’Oeil (Disc 2)
8. Trace Decay (Disc 3)
9. The Well-Tempered Clavier (Disc 3)
10. The Bicameral Mind (Disc 3)

Now before we get into the real reason why you’re all here for this review, the audio/video disc vitals, I really want to stress the following fact or assumption.  You’re either going to love Westworld or you’re going to absolutely hate it for its snail like pacing.  I liked it as you can see from my score up above (it’s a very slow burn), but didn’t love it like I wanted to.  The only reason for that is how much of a chore it can be to get through an episode.  I mean I am a grown adult and I work full-time jobs.  With that being said though I’m also excited for what’s to come in Season 2.  However,  if you were a fly on the wall for Westworld‘s Hall H Comic-Con panel this year, then you probably dropped dead from exhaustion.  The panel was an absolute bore and everyone in the audience was not captivated, but asleep.  I couldn’t even find more words than two paragraphs worth when I wrote about it here.  So now let’s talk below about the 4K video and audio presentations found here.  What say you?

Video 

The below video score and related critique of things here are based solely upon my viewing of the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation of Westworld: Season One.  Although this was filmed on 35mm I believe this transfer to be culled from a 2K DI.

• Encoding: HEVC / H.265
• Resolution: 4K (2160p)
• Size: 3 BD-100s
• Dolby Vision: Yes (as verified here)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Clarity/Detail: There’s definitely a soft cinematic feel to things going on here with a light veneer of grain beautifully intact.  However, don’t mistake that for anything bad.  Everything is crystal clear here and closeups expose all the little fine details and nuances in objects and skin.  For the humans everything from pores and moles to stubble is clearly accounted for.  CGI effects are a little more pronounced on the UHD discs compared to the Blu-ray format, but that’s no biggie.  What impresses me the most here are the textures in all environments/sets and objects such as in rock, machinery, fabrics and so much more.  While I can’t say it’s rock chiseled throughout this presentation surely is not going to disappoint in the clarity department.  What a nice uptick in detail over the show’s 1080p Blu-ray counterpart.
• Depth: The depth of field is amaze balls pretty much in every direction you look here whether we are in tight indoor constraints or outside in vast rocky environments.  The characters all have that infamous Blu-ray three-dimensional pop to them all, but you’re here for the Old West.  And that old western town like setting is gorgeously deep here.  You’re in for a treat!
• Black Levels: The black levels are also gorgeous in these shows.  They are deep, but natural and inky/dark.  They look impeccable during the nighttime sequences under the stars as orange fires and amber pop against the contrast of it all.
• Color Reproduction: This one is a tricky one for me to grade here because the color of the first episode was very muted and dull, but holy hell does it open it up come the second season.  I love how when we’re in the park it has that Old West feeling to it with the coloring, but when we’re outside like on the shuttle in Episode 2 the colors are brilliant and bold.  All in all the HDR passthrough makes things look amazing throughout.  It’s not going to be night and day compared to the original broadcast in the color department, but it make you wonder how stunning an intricate show like Game of Thrones could look on the 4K UHD Blu-ray format.  I’m just saying.
• Flesh Tones: The skin tones are spot on perfect throughout from Wood’s pasty whites to Newtown’s creamy caramel everything is lovely here just like the many beauties.  There’s also a lot of skin to take in here too.  I mean that in a good way though.
• Noise/Artifacts: I didn’t notice anything that would make you say yuck.  There’s a cinematic feel to it all with a light veneer of grain that’s just exquisite to behold and gaze upon.  It’s definitely the presentation you want to own of Westworld.

Audio 

Like I mentioned up above in the video section, the below audio score and critical comments of such are based solely upon my viewing of the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation of Westworld: Season One.

• Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1), French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, French, Japanese, Dutch, Korean, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Latin Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
• Dynamics: Westworld is not the most action packed televisions, but make no mistake about it despite the many lulls and dialogue scenes the action sequences will knock you out of your chair unexpectedly.  The sound and spacial effects completely put you in the mood of the near future sequences that unfold onscreen.  Nothing gets lost in the shuffle here not even in the robot country western dance sequences either.  And what about that haunting intro score?  Well, I’m happy to report it never sounds better than here: deep, full and hypnotic.
• Height: Since Westworld is not a summer action film I am not going to list every single thing I heard out of the height channels, but rather I want to stress this one is all about the atmosphere.  Sure there are certain moments like water and explosions that take advantage of the height channels, but it’s all about enhancing the sound effects and atmosphere of it all here over anything else.
• Low Frequency Extension: The many gunshots throughout are what stand out the most within the LFE channel’s presentation here.  They are loud and authoritative.  The hum of the hypnotic score rumbles and pleases your viewings as well.  Overall though it’s a nice complementing mix here with subtle lows and powerful thuds to knock you around when necessary.
• Surround Sound Presentation: The rear channels are what impress me the most about this Atmos mix.  It’s the little things that kill for me like inputs on a touchpad computer or the slight choo choo of a passing train.  Other highlights include the many gun and action battle sequences, doors sliding, elevators, water gushing, the score and more.
• Dialogue Reproduction: The dialog is clearly presented and never gets lost in the shuffle of the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation.

Extras 

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack release of Westworld: Season One contains three 4K Ultra HD discs with the episodes in 4K with HDR, three Blu-ray discs with the episodes in HD, a code for Digital HD redemption (since it is TV it’s not available in Movies Anywhere FYI) and come packaged in a special limited-edition tin (see our exclusive unboxing pics down below).  As also pictured in my unboxing pictures both the 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray sets include a premium collectible booklet (a mock Corporate Guide for Westworld employees) and pamphlet.  Pictures speak louder than words down below for those items, but what I want to do is tackle in a little more written detail what all the extras are and where you’ll find them all.  Because in addition to all the episodes we have immersive never-before-seen special features such three all new featurettes, a gag reel and more.  For your convenience they are all housed on the 4K Ultra HD discs too so you really don’t have any need to pop in the Blu-ray Discs at all if you don’t want to.

• Imagining the Main Title (HD, 14:06, Disc 1) – This extra examines the title sequence and everything that went into designing it from the iconic images used to the haunting score employed.  I love it!
• The Key to The Chords (HD, 8:03, Disc 3) – This one is quite interesting of I don’t say so myself as it explores the piano as a metaphor and tool for com-user Ramin Djawadi to echo the outside world.  I remember getting chills when I heard the piano play Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” early on in the season.
• Gag reel (HD, 1:36, Disc 2)
• Welcome to Westworld (HD, 7:41, Disc 1) – Executive producers J.J. Abrams, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy with actors Thandie Newton, Evan Rachel Wood and James Marsden explore the fantasy of Westworld in terms of reality, humanity and of course what we all love about the show the technology.
• Crafting the Narrative (HD, 29:15, Disc 3) – Executive producers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy review the final episode of the season exploring areas such as memory, mythology and inner monologue.
• An Invitation to The Set (HD, 2:14, Disc 1) – Executive producers J.J. Abrams, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy discuss living without limits in the Westworld park with actors Jeffrey Wright and Evan Rachel Wood.
• About the Series (HD, 2:11, Disc 1) – This one asks what if Westworld really existed and features executive producers J.J. Abrams, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy with actors Thandie Newton, Evan Rachel Wood and James Marsden.
• Reality of A.I.: Westworld (HD, 4:29, Disc 2) – This one examines the reality of Artificial Intelligence, which is everywhere in Westworld with executive producers J.J. Abrams, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy and actors Thandie Newton and Evan Rachel Wood.
• Realizing The Dream: First Week on the Set of Westworld (HD, 11:20, Disc 1) – In this video diary filmmakers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy discuss their own perspectives on the set of the show.
• “The Big Moment” Featurettes (HD, ) – These appear on each of the 3 UHD discs.  They are as listed below.
  • Disc 1 (HD) – Teddy Versus the Man in Black, A Host Self-Sabotages
  • Disc 2 (HD) – Maeve Gets an Answer, Bernard Faces an Unlikely Saboteur, Dr Ford’s Blood Sacrifice
  • Disc 3 (HD) – The Truth About Bernard, Dr. Ford’s New Narrative

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Summary 

So there you have it folks.  In summary there really is no better way to enjoy and/or take in for the very first time the first season of HBO’s Westworld: The Maze than this 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray package.  I can’t imagine this looking or sounding any better than it all does here in this 6-disc package.  So what are you waiting for?  Get out your cowboy boots, spurs, hat and hit that pre-order button down below y’all to bring the first season of Westworld home today on the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray format.  Thanks for reading!  Yeehaw! – HIGHLY RECOMMENDED –

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DISCLAIMER: This 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray review was judged and graded using the following 4K certified Ultra HD Premium television set found here and player here.  Make sure to check out all our 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray reviews archived here.

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Westworld: Season One

The Maze

Fills Your Screen w/ Wonder on

4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

November 7th

PRE-ORDER NOW!

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