Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Westworld: Season Four Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 8, 2022

Fans of Westworld probably already know that HBO in all their wisdom has cancelled the series, and so some who haven't yet gotten around to watching this fourth season may wonder if it's worth it to even bother. I'd pretty strenuously argue that, yes, it is most definitely worth it, but the fact that the show has been cancelled is perhaps less of a "deal breaker" than it might be otherwise in that Westworld's seasons have often been structured as almost "self contained" collections, though there has obviously been a narrative through line tethering the story, and admittedly this season ends with (another?) apocalyptic cliffhanger, so there's that. Speaking of apocalyptic cliffhangers, fans of the series will also know that Westworld: Season Three ended in just such a manner, though rather interestingly rather than showing the immediate aftereffects of an imminent war, season four actually picks up some years after the conflict, showing characters already radically changed by the melee. Later in the season, things catapult even further into the future, but as might be said, "everything new is old again", in that history (so to speak) seems to be about to repeat itself as this season draws to a close. This fourth season may in some ways also be rather oddly "ripped from the (fringe online) headlines" in that it presents a kinda sorta global conspiracy which secretly controls the lives of poor, hapless humans, and probably more saliently, those in the halls of power.

For those interested in our coverage of previous seasons, please click on the following links:

Westworld: Season One Blu-ray review

Westworld: Season One 4K Blu-ray review

Westworld: Season Two Blu-ray review

Westworld: Season Two 4K Blu-ray review

Westworld: Season Three Blu-ray review

Westworld: Season Three 4K Blu-ray review

As is addressed in the little "making of" featurettes for the episodes included on these discs as supplements, there are manifold references to the previous seasons of Westworld in this season, with some rather cool "updates" of both characters and settings, though some of these may verge on the subliminal, an aspect (pun unavoidable) that may echo the series' continued exploitation of various ratios to depict "reality" (?) versus "simulation" (?). In any event, some of the previous seasons' theme park settings have morphed in the 1920s Jazz Age here, though initially it's a glut of "present day" character (re)introductions that take up most of the narrative space. William (Ed Harris), or whatever seems to be William, is involved in trying to secure data being held at a converted Hoover Dam, leading to the introduction of one of this season's more disturbing villains, houseflies (you read that correctly).

Meanwhile in a rather interesting if initially perplexing introduction, Christina (Evan Rachel Wood), who certainly looks like a "new, improved" version of Dolores, is working in Manhattan at a videogame production company where, in a kind of cheeky plot device that may remind some of a veritable "flip side" to Free Guy, she creates so- called non-playing characters. The always tenuous line between supposed reality and simulation is blurred pretty clearly in this plot strand when it soon seems like Christina's creative efforts are having an effect in the "real world". Though it won't be spoiled here (which means some of this season's labyrinthine plotting won't even be dealt with in this review), there's a "reveal" toward the end of the first episode that may elicit a gasp or two from longtime fans.

Other major character arcs include Maeve (Thandiwe Newton), Caleb (Aaron Paul), Charlotte and/or Dolores, as you will (Tessa Thompson), and what might be termed the comedy relief of Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) and Stubbs (Luke Hemworth). The whole season starts to be like a funhouse mirror version of "once and future" events, and in fact the kind of wonderful if frightening thing about Westworld as a whole is how it slowly but surely once again perhaps rips a warning from the headlines in that artificial intelligence seems intent on gaining the upper hand. And in fact despite a once again hugely multilayered and ambitiously novelistic approach to interwoven plot points, this fourth season's underlying foundational element may be just that point, though that's not to say that we pesky humans might still have a smart idea or two of our own.

There is frankly just too much going on in this fourth season for any less than a War and Peace sized review to account for it all, but this season provides another thrilling ride through so many interlocking levels of reality and simulation that it's like guiding force Jonathan Nolan wants to out-Inception Inception. I'd argue he comes remarkably close to doing just that. Some others may argue he and his team have bitten off more than they can chew, and there is a certain feeling of entropy that starts to intrude toward the end of the season, but I still found this to be an often astounding set of episodes.

Westworld: Season Four Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Westworld: Season Four is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of HBO and Warner Brothers Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer mostly in 1.78:1 (as with previous seasons, some scenes, notably involving Bernard, "expand" to 2.39:1). Westworld has been one of the more consistently remarkable television series from a visual standpoint in recent memory, and that tradition continues with another spectacular presentation on Blu-ray for this final (?) season. The series continues to offer superb detail levels despite a wide array of technologies utilized, and rather surprisingly given those variances, there's a pleasingly homogeneous look to things like palette and grain structure (whether real or simulated, just to get even more "meta" than this series already is). There are some interesting if frustratingly brief looks at how some of the special effects were achieved in some of the making of featurettes included with this release, and both practical in camera and CGI efforts help to keep the visuals filled with creepy sights, including everything from swarming virulent flies to the innards of horses. Some of the "Sublime" material is intentionally a little dreamlike and hazy, but detail levels are still often amazingly crisp. Compression encounters no major hurdles.

Westworld: Season Four Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Westworld: Season Four features a really impressive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix which I'm scoring at 4.5 rather than 5 for the sole reason that I need to indicate in some form or fashion that the 4K UHD release has an arguably even more impressive Dolby Atmos option. If you think you're "settling" with this track, though, don't be overly concerned, because it offers the same sweeping immersion that the Atmos track does in several of the special effects sequences, as well as some floorboard rumbling LFE courtesy of both sound effects and an absolutely ingenious score by Ramin Djawadi. There's consistent engagement of the side and rear channels throughout each episode, and even some of the most cacophonous moments offer secure layering and prioritization. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional subtitles in English and several other languages are available.

Westworld: Season Four Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One

• Creating Westworld's Reality offers making of overviews of each episode on the disc:

  The Auguries (HD; 5:45)

  
  

  Well Enough Alone (HD; 5:27)

  
  

  Annees Folles (HD; 6:16)

Disc Two

• Creating Westworld's Reality offers making of overviews of each episode on the disc:

  Generation Loss (HD; 4:56)

  
  

  Zhuangi (HD; 5:11)

  
  

  Fidelity (HD; 4:44)

Disc Three

• Creating Westworld's Reality offers making of overviews of each episode on the disc:

  Metanoia (HD; 4:22)

  
  

  Que Sera, Sera (HD; 5:03)

• Westworld On the Road (HD; 16:47) looks at some of the gorgeous locations used for this season.


• Westworld: An Exploration of Humanity (HD; 14:42) is an interesting piece with principal cast and crew discussing the "meta"physics of the show.


• Westworld's Temperance: A Set Tour (HD; 5:39) is a fun look at this season's "playground".

Additionally, a digital copy is included and packaging features a slipcover.

Westworld: Season Four Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's kind of interesting to note that the current Netflix phenomenon 1899, which bears more than a few passing similarities to at least some of the many plot strands woven through Westworld, repeatedly uses both the visual and actual spoken trope of "wake up!", and that's what Christina is shown repeatedly doing throughout this season. The fact that all of these characters are in various stages of "waking up" provides a common tether to what is a huge, sprawling enterprise that intentionally feeds on and both figuratively and literally reflects prior seasons. I've long associated the great Bad Robot production masthead with the late, lamented Lost, and in that regard, while many (including this reviewer) found that series' wrap up to be less than completely fulfilling, it at least got the chance to wrap up. I'm hoping maybe HBO reconsiders their cancellation decision, at least insofar as perhaps greenlighting a finale movie event which might help to tie up several dangling threads. Westworld has been an unusually challenging series, and that proclivity continues in this fourth season. Technical merits are solid and the supplements appealing. Highly recommended.