DVD review (region 2)
Directed by Richard T. Heffron
Starring Peter Fonda, Blythe Danner, Arthur Hill
Release date Out now

Two years after the events of Westworld, Delos have reopened their robot-filled fantasy resort. Two journalists take a trip there and try to get to the bottom of a sinister conspiracy…

While Westworld has long been accepted as part of the canon of sci-fi classics, its 1976 sequel, Futureworld, has generally been regarded as an inferior and rather dull sequel by those that remember it. However, while it’s not quite as original or chilling as Westworld, this is a fun little robo-thriller and hopefully this DVD release will prompt some reassessment of its merits (though some extras might have helped).

Peter Fonda and Blythe Danner have a nice chemistry as the rival journalists and ex-lovers, exchanging humorous barbs and sly digs as they uncover the sinister secrets behind Delos. If Westworld was an action-packed hybrid of a proto-Jurassic Park and proto-Terminator, Futureworld is more like a lighthearted SF take on such conspiracy theories as The Parallax View.

Though the narrative doesn’t really contain any major surprises, the film is filled with smart touches like Danner and Fonda squaring off against their mechanical clones, and whistleblowing employee Harry (Stuart Margolin) playing cards with his faceless robot assistant. Yul Brynner, in his last movie appearance, briefly reprises his role as the relentless gunslinger in a Delos-induced dream sequence – but here the character is seen as more of a lover than a fighter! Matt McAllister

VERDICT: 7/10
An unjustly neglected sequel.

Click here to buy Futureworld at Forbidden Planet (forbiddenplanet.com)