Futureworld (1976)

Directed by Richard T. Heffron. Starring Blythe Danner, Peter Fonda, John Ryan, Stuart Margolin, Arthur Hill, Yul Brynner, James M. Connor. [PG]

Westworld sequel finds the Delos company in damage control-mode but still dabbling in technological forces they probably shouldn’t. For the sake of a PR boost, print reporter Fonda and television reporter Danner are invited to review the updated theme park, but they sniff out something fishy, starting with the discovery that many of the employees in charge of operating the robotic role-players are robots themselves! Less action, more intrigue, and expanded coverage/criticism of contemporary corporate and political machinations, even though it’s not hard to figure out what’s going on (unless you’re entirely unfamiliar with Invasion of the Body Snatchers). New “gadgets” like simulated space travel, cloned samurais, and boxing avatars are fun; the erotic dream where Brynner briefly reprises his Gunslinger role from the first film is worth some campy chuckles, but otherwise doesn’t serve a purpose beyond bringing back a familiar (and striking) figure. Fonda is a little too laidback for a programmer like this but Danner adds a few dashes of spunk and sex appeal to the mix. Purported to contain the first instance of three-dimensional computer graphics in cinema. Brynner’s final film appearance.

66/100