'Westworld (1973)' is now better known as the source-material for the acclaimed television series, though it's actually a seminal piece of science-fiction in its own right that inspired far more than just its own remake. Indeed, Yul Brynner's dead-eyed, unflinching and dread-inducing 'Robot Gunslinger' is the grandfather to not only the eponymous 'The Terminator (1984)' but also, perhaps slightly less obviously, the relentless Michael Myers from 'Halloween (1978)'. Of course, the idea of a corporation putting cash before customers, and their safety, is one practically inherent in the sci-fi genre, and cinema in general, but this was one of the first features to use that conceit so heavily and to do so in conjunction with the now common theme of machine turning against man. While we're on the subject of firsts, it's also interesting to note that this was the first picture to feature computer-generated imagery - and not just on monitors, in the form of the pixelated vision of the 'Robot Gunslinger'. These P.O.V. shots, which took eight hours to render ten seconds (not bad considering the infancy of the technology), add a lot to the believability of and ominous nature surrounding the killer bot run amok and, though they look somewhat dated now and it is difficult to believe they provide the superior aiming they supposedly do, are an impressive effect considering the age of the piece. The effects in general are pretty remarkable. Every android seems as such, especially when they are pulled apart and put back together again. Rich, paint-like squibs explode ruby red when someone gets shot, compounding the piece within the era but also giving it a distinct, slightly comic-book aesthetic. You believe this is an amusement park and that everything is built to be specifically the way it is, replicating real-life but never exactly getting it spot-on because that just wouldn't be 'fun.' In this way, the slightly less realistic blood makes more sense as it usually sprays from androids and if you, as a guest, saw the real gore when you 'killed' a foe, it wouldn't have the same 'movie' appeal. The violence isn't flinched away from but is never too graphic, allowing the movie to be entertaining first even when it is at its most suspenseful. These moments are perhaps when it works the best, when our hero runs for his life from the never-ceasing chase of his new enemy. It is also a joy when we are introduced to the park along with the protagonist, seeing the wonders of 'Westworld' first-hand. Where it falters slightly is in its structure. There is time spent with the scientists seeing small signs of things going wrong which should be building tension, but these people aren't really characters and so it kills the pace, as do the 'Romanworld' and 'Medievalworld' asides. This version of the 'robot uprising' doesn't have any sentience attached to it either; it's just unthinking machines calculatingly killing anything with a high body temperature. The film is enjoyable throughout, though. It's just that it could have used with some tightening in the pacing and structure department. 6/10