7) It Looks Gorgeous
HBO invested a whopping $100 million budget into Westworld and, putting aside the actual content for the moment, that investment has really paid off in how absolutely beautiful the show looks.
The expansive western plains of the park make for terrific setting – it’s a stunning landscape, to be sure, but it’s also eerie and desolate. In many ways, it reflects the nature of Westworld itself – it’s attractive in one way, but fundamentally empty and lacking in life in another.
This is enhanced by some clever direction (the first episode is helmed by series creator Jonathan Nolan). When we see a shot of the charming folk of Sweet Water looking out across the plains, everything looks normal at first. Until we realize that a fly is crawling over their face and they’re still smiling.
Even when the action moves out of the park and into the laboratories of Westworld’s creators, there are lots of great visuals. The androids under construction looking like a Da Vinci sketch. The old warehouse full of naked bodies standing around in the dark like discarded mannequins. The list goes on.
With gorgeous locations, evocative sets and striking imagery, Westworld is undoubtedly one of the most visually arresting shows on TV at the moment.