Anti-Technological Ideas in Michael Crichton's 'Westworld'

Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 2,0, San Diego State University (English), course: English 409 - Science Fiction, language: English, abstract: Michael Crichton's Westworld is a comparatively modern science fiction movie released in 1977. It displays the existence as well as the eventual collapse of a futuristic theme park inhabited by robots. Overall, the movie features an anti-technological message which serves as a warning for humanity rather than functioning exclusively in order to provoke action, suspense and general entertainment. This hypothesis will be discussed by considering Crichton's understanding of technology's role in human life and by examining particular features of the actual film. Eventually, Westworld will be put in context with other works of Crichton as well as with further contemporary movies addressing the same subject.