Product Details

• Actors: Peter Fonda, Blythe Danner, Arthur Hill, Yul Brynner, John P. Ryan
• Directors: Richard T. Heffron
• Writers: George Schenck, Mayo Simon
• Producers: James T. Aubrey, Paul Lazarus III, Samuel Z. Arkoff
• Format: Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Good Times Video
• VHS Release Date: May 15, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303471552
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #146,004 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Sorely Underrated Follow-Up, May 7, 2004

By 

Joshua Chipman (Shelby, IA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Futureworld [VHS] (VHS Tape)

No sequel can be fairly measured against its predecessor, in my opinion. And 'Futureworld' is no exception. While it lacks Michael Crichton's pen - known for deftly interweaving between sci-fi and suspense - 'Futureworld' actually goes so far as to expand upon the original story, which is something few sequels, even good ones, have been able to do. While the production values do seem to indicate the studio was willing to crap this one out as a TV movie if they thought it wouldn't float their boat at the box office, there's still plenty of shock value to enjoy in 'Futureworld', even if its plot does tend to veer now and then into slightly-cartoonish realms...and even then, the film isn't afraid to remind its viewer that it's not to be taken too seriously.
The plot is as follows: it's been a couple of years since the original film's theme-park disaster - a situation not helped by the dirt dug up by investigative reporter Chuck Browning (Peter Fonda, smug and cocky as Han Solo, only in corduroys and specs) - but Delos is back up and running, better than ever, and the world entire is coming en masse through the new park's gates. But still, the Delos suits regale to Browning's media peers, attendance isn't quite as record-shattering as they'd like...so they invite a wary Browning and his ex-girlfriend, ambitious TV reporter Tracy Ballard (Blythe Danner, who gives as good as she gets with a flair worthy of Lois Lane), to see for themselves that Delos has truly become the Eden it was meant to be.
Alas, with this new Eden there turns out to be a new snake lurking as well...namely, suspicious goings-on within the underground command centers of the park. Surrounding this is a bizarre tapestry of puzzle pieces - a runaway Delos worker shot dead in Browning's arms; an all-too-real nightmare of red-garbed figures carting off guests in their sleep and performing Byzantine examinations; a reclusive mechanic (Stuart Margolin in a likeable performance) who's seen more than he probably should have; and before it's all over, the horrible secret of the new Delos revealed. It's no 'Soylent Green', but then that's probably a good thing.
If 'Westworld' dealt with the dangers of relying upon corporated technology for pleasure, then 'Futureworld' is about what happens when said corporated technology threatens to overtake entire societies. While this isn't exactly prescient to the competitiveness of today's theme-park industry, it does allude to the rat-a-tat-a-tat attitude that defined much of the industry in the early 1990s (when Universal Studios moved in on Disney World and lit the fuse on a full-blown theme-park war).
Apart from all this, the movie does have some other nifty touches: an opening sequence which winks at the original with a clip from a game show of a future Delos guest receiving his vacation package from real-life game show host Allen Ludden; the new 'Futureworld' themed area with one of the neatest (if slightly low-budget) arcades ever seen; constant innuendo involving 'sex-model' robots; and, of course, a cameo by none other than Yul Brynner, once more garbed in black as the Gunslinger - only this time the tin man with the gunbelt seems to have gotten a heart, demonstrated in an erotic dream sequence where he rescues Danner's character from some more of those red-hooded fiends.
'Futureworld' may not resemble 'Westworld' too much, but that probably works to its advantage in the end, opting to take the somewhat-hackneyed 'robots-run-amok' premise in a new direction. It's worth a look.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I liked this better than Westworld, January 6, 2005

By 

Gadgester "No Time, No Money" (Mother Earth) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Futureworld [VHS] (VHS Tape)

[...]

When I was a kid I enjoyed Futureworld much more than Westworld, mainly because I liked the coolness of the robots in Futureworld (whereas in Westworld the robots were all too human). Clark in particular left a favorable impression on me.

I think the story in Futureworld is more enjoyable than Westworld, because it revolves around world domination conspiracies. Westworld is just silly paranois about robots, whereas Futureworld is about robots being used by humans to evil purposes. Unfortunately Futureworld is poorly produced as a lot of potentially exciting scenes, like the fighting between the real and fake humans, are never fully developed, leaving the impression that the film was hastily put together.

Still, after 30 years and having been largely forgotten, this film continues to be an enjoyable sci-fi film.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Fun sci-fi flick, November 27, 2010

By 

Mithridates VI of Pontus (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Futureworld [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Futureworld is the sequel to the equally campy Westworld. The chemistry between the main characters (played by Peter Fonda and Blythe Danner) is actually above average and probably saves the film from utter failure. However, I enjoyed myself despite the predictability, the absolutely silly premise, the lack of action (there's a sword fight and that's about it) and the anti-climactic ending.

If a sci-fi film doesn't have frequent action sequences and beautiful spaceships it MUST ask some engaging questions, present moral dilemmas, ponder on philosophical themes, etc - Futureworld, on the other hand "thinks" with the "brain" of a rather small and sickly ant. And what an unfortunate last film appearance for Yul Brynner (a campy dream sequence with Blythe Danner)...

Plot (some spoilers due to the simplicity and predictability of the plot)

Chuck Browning (Peter Fonda), a reporter who wrote about the "incident" at Westworld, and TV reporter Tracy Ballard (Blythe Danner), are called to write about the newly "improved" Delos amusement part which has reopened. Previously Browning had met with an employee of Delos who promised information about the new park. However, he's killed before he can deliver it. As a result, Browning is suspicious of the motives of Delos. Tracy on the other hand is convinced that Browning is blowing everything out of proportion. Our "heros" are guided through various worlds -- Medievalworld, Romanworld, Westernworld (since abandoned), and finally, the park chosen by Tacy and Chuck, Futureworld (the one I would select!) -- and all the wonders are shown to be safe and improved.

In Futureworld, patrons are "sent up into space" in a rocket to a space station and perform various space walks and skiing on mars etc. It's revealed to our heros that most of the new theme park worlds are staffed entirely by robots.

When Tracy and Chuck return from Futureworld they are drugged and tests are run on them in order to produce clones (surprise!!!!). In the only real action sequence of the film, Chuck and Tracy accidentally trigger the clone machine which produces some wimpy samurais. They are rescued by a friendly mechanic (one of the last non-robots) who has a faceless robot pall whom he plays card games with. Eventually our heros figure out that all the important diplomats and generals asked by Delos to visit the reopening of the park are really going to be cloned in a plan to take over the world.

Final thoughts

In short, don't expect anything unexpected. Don't expect any revolutionary sci-fi elements (I did discover that this as the first feature film to use 3D CGI!). Don't expect particularly good acting. Oh, and watch for the campy dream sequence -- it has absolutely no plot value and apparently, Blythe Danner trotting around with Yul Brynner was a fantasy that many women had at this time.... I dunno.

However, this is a really fun film which commits all the sins of B-film sci-fi. It might be better than Westworld...