MovieMonday.com - Futureworld with Peter Fonda, Blythe Danner, Arthur Hill, Yul Brynner, John Ryan, Stuart Margolin

Techno Films

Futureworld (B+)

STARS...
Peter Fonda, Blythe Danner, Arthur Hill, Yul Brynner, John Ryan, and Stuart Margolin.

PLOT SUMMARY...
When an adult amusement park reopens, after a deadly malfunction, two reporters are invited for a tour.

QUICK SCAN...
This film brings to mind "Westworld". Peter Fonda and Blythe Danner have fun with the roles of rival reporters. Stuart Margolin is sympathetic as a friendly, park employee. Yul Brynner, who turns up in a dream sequence, as the gunfighter robot from "Westworld", steals the show. The FX computer images of Fonda are quite good.

DIRECTOR: Richard T. Heffron
YEAR & RATING: 1976 (PG)

BEST BETS:

Westworld

The Terminator
SYNOPSIS...
Two rival reporters, a man and a woman, get the job of covering the opening of the new amusement park on the island of Delos. They fly over on the plane, with foreign dignitaries and a contest winner.

The reporters blast off for Futureworld. Later, they discover a secret plot to replace major world leaders with robots.

The guy reporter kills the owner of the Delos Park, discovering that he too is a robot. Both reporters escape from Delos, with the intent of blowing the whistle on Delos' evil secret.

Review:

Director Richard T. Heffron's, FUTUREWORLD, is a decent, if not inspired, follow-up to the classic "Westworld".

Delos, the amusement park/island that suffered an outbreak of killer robots, in "Westworld" (1973), is about to reopen. World leaders, as well as journalists, are invited to the reopening.

A new park attraction, called Futureworld, has replaced the now defunct Westworld. Two journalists, taking the tour, stumble on a secret plot taking place behind the scenes at Delos.

Peter Fonda ("Easy Rider") with glasses and in good humor, is surprisingly effective as a journalist determined to unravel Delos' hidden secret. Under Heffron's able Direction, Fonda gives one of his better screen performances.

Blythe Danner ("Prince of Tides") as a rival journalist with the nickname of "socks", is a delight to watch. With her blonde good looks, alert eyes, and whisky voice, she breathes life into what could have been a two dimensional, "girl reporter" role.

The late Yul Brynner ("The King and I") who was a killer robot, in "Westworld" (1973), makes a brief appearance in a dream sequence, with Danner. Since Brynner's gunfighter robot character was destroyed at the end of "Westworld", the story had to be jiggled a bit to fit him into FUTUREWORLD, but he's a welcome screen presence.

Stuart Margolin ("The Rockford Files") is sympathetic as a Delos technician who befriends Fonda and Danner. A scene, where Margolin plays poker with his faceless, robot buddy, is good fun. It's also my favorite scene in the film.

Directors of Photography, Howard Schwartz and Gene Polito, deliver effective screen visuals. They are particularly resourceful in the scenes set in Futureworld.

The Music, by Fred Karlin, is stirring and dramatic. It effectively punches up the on screen action.

FUTUREWORLD will be fairly watchable for most Sci-Fi viewers. Fonda/Danner fans will get their money's worth. FUTUREWORLD is a world well worth visiting.

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Futureworld (B+)
	STARS... Peter Fonda, Blythe Danner, Arthur Hill, Yul Brynner, John Ryan, and Stuart Margolin. PLOT SUMMARY... When an adult amusement park reopens, after a deadly malfunction, two reporters are invited for a tour. QUICK SCAN... This film brings to mind "Westworld". Peter Fonda and Blythe Danner have fun with the roles of rival reporters. Stuart Margolin is sympathetic as a friendly, park employee. Yul Brynner, who turns up in a dream sequence, as the gunfighter robot from "Westworld", steals the show. The FX computer images of Fonda are quite good.
DIRECTOR: Richard T. Heffron YEAR & RATING: 1976 (PG) BEST BETS: Westworld The Terminator	SYNOPSIS... Two rival reporters, a man and a woman, get the job of covering the opening of the new amusement park on the island of Delos. They fly over on the plane, with foreign dignitaries and a contest winner. The reporters blast off for Futureworld. Later, they discover a secret plot to replace major world leaders with robots. The guy reporter kills the owner of the Delos Park, discovering that he too is a robot. Both reporters escape from Delos, with the intent of blowing the whistle on Delos' evil secret.
Review: Director Richard T. Heffron's, FUTUREWORLD, is a decent, if not inspired, follow-up to the classic "Westworld". Delos, the amusement park/island that suffered an outbreak of killer robots, in "Westworld" (1973), is about to reopen. World leaders, as well as journalists, are invited to the reopening. A new park attraction, called Futureworld, has replaced the now defunct Westworld. Two journalists, taking the tour, stumble on a secret plot taking place behind the scenes at Delos. Peter Fonda ("Easy Rider") with glasses and in good humor, is surprisingly effective as a journalist determined to unravel Delos' hidden secret. Under Heffron's able Direction, Fonda gives one of his better screen performances. Blythe Danner ("Prince of Tides") as a rival journalist with the nickname of "socks", is a delight to watch. With her blonde good looks, alert eyes, and whisky voice, she breathes life into what could have been a two dimensional, "girl reporter" role. The late Yul Brynner ("The King and I") who was a killer robot, in "Westworld" (1973), makes a brief appearance in a dream sequence, with Danner. Since Brynner's gunfighter robot character was destroyed at the end of "Westworld", the story had to be jiggled a bit to fit him into FUTUREWORLD, but he's a welcome screen presence. Stuart Margolin ("The Rockford Files") is sympathetic as a Delos technician who befriends Fonda and Danner. A scene, where Margolin plays poker with his faceless, robot buddy, is good fun. It's also my favorite scene in the film. Directors of Photography, Howard Schwartz and Gene Polito, deliver effective screen visuals. They are particularly resourceful in the scenes set in Futureworld. The Music, by Fred Karlin, is stirring and dramatic. It effectively punches up the on screen action. FUTUREWORLD will be fairly watchable for most Sci-Fi viewers. Fonda/Danner fans will get their money's worth. FUTUREWORLD is a world well worth visiting. MovieMonday.com * Super Star Index * Award Winners * CelebrityFrame.com