Futureworld - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Futureworld



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:

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Movie
1973’s Westworld, written and directed by novelist Michael Crichton, was a breezy bit of 1950s pulp fiction all gussied up with modern sci-fi tropes in a western shell. While it was not the best Crichton book to film ever released in cinema, it has a charm to it that still ages well some 53 years later. And in true Hollywood fashion, after the hit status that was the first film, the powers that be decided to churn out an unasked-for sequel 3 years later called Futureworld. I initially heard about the film as a kid, but for some reason have never watched this flick even once. Westworld was a staple growing up, and something I revisited a few times when the HBO TV series of the same name was released years ago. But Futureworld has evaded my cinematic viewing until I saw this 4K UHD release pop up from Arrow.

Even though Futureworld was Crichtonless from the beginning, you can see his love of technology gone awry in both films. This time we are several years in the future after the infamous “accident” that befell Westworld and the lone gunslinger. But now the resort is expanding, and with it they need better publicity after the debacle just described. So in come reporters Chuck Browning (Peter Fonda) and Tracy Ballard (Blythe Danner) to take a look at the nearly bankrupt Delos corporation (at their request), in hopes of assuring the public that the theme park is perfectly safe for the general public.

Chuck and Tracy are a bit at odds with each other due to the fact that Chuck once fired Tracy from a print publication they both worked at years ago. Now Tracy is a high-end reporter with “55 million viewers” tuning into her program, while Chuck is barely scraping by with a few thousand readers reading his print column. But since Chuck was the person who broke the Westworld fiasco story a while back, he has an opportunity to take a look at the famed resort. As soon as the pair gets there, Chuck is sticking his nose into everything and anything he can, his suspicious mind sure that the Delos Corporation is hiding SOMETHING.

And of course the corporation is, despite Dr. Duffy’s (Arthur Hill) protestations to the contrary. Soon enough, the pair discover an off-limits lab at the back of the building that only the 700 series (the most advanced) robots are allowed in, along with Dr. Duffy. Trying to play it cool, Chuck and Tracy find a friend in the form of grunt worker Harry (Stuart Margolin), who offers them some insight into the place, and ultimately gives them access to the back room. A room that reveals a whole different type of plan than just running a resort for the Delos Corporation. One that would affect not only the visitors, but the entire world.

As I said above, Westworld was a kitschy fun bit of cinema that played off of the 1950s Western tropes while hybridizing it with some more modernistic science fiction themes as well. And while it has aged pretty well, Futureworld hasn’t aged half as well. Maybe it was the paper-thin budget working with American International Productions, or maybe it was the lack of Crichton. But either way, Futureworld is nothing like its predecessor. Instead of a tense thriller with an out-of-control killer gunslinger robot (who weirdly shows up in a dream sequence as a fantasy lover for Tracy, with Yul Brynner reprising his role for all of 3 minutes), we have a sweeping mystery, with out-of-control scientists looking for world domination. And frankly, I find it to be a bit boring. The end fights are kind of silly, and the almost comical “up yours!” ending in the final few moments brought me completely out of the experience. It’s just a subpar sequel, really.

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Rating: Rated PG by the MPAA




4K Video: Video:
According to the press release, Futureworld is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and was restored by Amazon MGM Studios, and subsequently color graded at Color Time.

As is the case with most of the non Arrow overseen masters, this scan isn’t AS amazing as I would have hoped. Don’t get me wrong, it’s quite nice. But there’s no mention of a new scan being done, so I’m going to assume that Amazon MGM simply used an existing 4K master they’ve made in the last decade and just let her rip. But still, from what I can see on screen compared to screenshots of the Shout! Studios release back in 2013, the differences are pretty massive. This is a nice-looking image with good clarity, strong details all the way around, but the typical softness you see in 1970s films. Combine that with a fairly drab color palette (goodness, what were we thinking in the 70s with all that burnished orange and pale greens) and the image looks solid, but never spectacular. HDR and Dolby Vision color grading add some punch to the primary reds and whatnot, but the black levels show some significant gains from what I can see. All in all, a very solid-looking 4 K disc.


Audio:
Arrow’s 4K UHD disc comes with a singular 1.0 Mono LPCM lossless track, and it does the job well. Much like the video score, it doesn’t go above and beyond being a Mono mix, but there are no major signs of distortion or imbalance anywhere. IN fact, the dialog is downright great on this one. The low end is a bit heavier than expected, but overall this is still a mono mix. A simple up-front mix without any real separation (1.0, durrr,), but there’s nothing to complain about either. It’s just a solid mix.


Extras:
• Audio Commentary by Daniel Kremer
• Future Present
• NASA: Science Fact and Fiction
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spot
• Radio Spots
• Image Gallery

Final Score: ​

Westworld was a fun throwback, as I mentioned above, and sadly Futureworld was simply a product of the 70s more than anything. It leaned heavier into the dystopian science fiction future that the 70s were known for. The budget was lower; the effects and costumes are cheaper and more grungy-looking. Yet we have laser guns, sex, hilarious dialog, and a direction that just sort of wanders. I wanted to like this more than I did (especially after just having watched Westworld in 4K UHD a few months back), but naw man, this is a product of its time and needs to stay in the 70s. I had enough fun to enjoy a walk down memory lane (at least for the time period, as this was my first viewing of the film itself,) and I’ll happily shelve the disc after this. Fans of the movie should be pleased, though, as it offers some new extras, a new enco,de and a solid lossless audio mix. Rental for most people.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Peter Fonda, Blythe Danner, Arthur Hill, Yul Brynner, Stuart Margolin, John P. Ryna
Directed by: Richard T. Heffron
Written by: Mayo Simon, George Schenck
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: LPCM 1.0 Mono
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Arrow
Rated: PG
Runtime: 108 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: October 20th, 2026

Recommendation: Rental