6 Surprising Ways HBO's Westworld Will Remind You of The Hunger Games
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If you found the premiere of HBO's Westworld vaguely familiar, you aren't alone. Not only is the series based on a 1973 movie of the same name, but it also has some striking similarities to The Hunger Games. From the dystopian theme park to the main characters, Westworld plays like a bizarre (much racier) cousin to the popular franchise. Odds are, if you were a fan of The Hunger Games, you are going to love this new series. Here's how the two match up!
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People Are Used For Entertainment
If the Hunger Games were ever turned into a theme park, odds are, it would look a lot like Westworld. While the Capitol residents watch people fight to the death from the comfort of their own lavish homes, in Westworld, the wealthy experience it firsthand. All the hosts are just "pieces in the game" to ensure that the visitors have the vacation of a lifetime.
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There's a Gamemaker Holding All the Cards
Dr. Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins) is essentially a nicer version of President Snow. He orchestrates the entire theme park, just as Snow does with the games, and refuses to shut it down, even when things go haywire. Not to mention, his colleagues are already plotting against him. If his fate is anything like Snow's, this can't end well.
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It Has a Hemsworth Brother
The Hunger Games essentially introduced us to Liam Hemsworth, while Westworld has made us take notice of his older brother, Luke, who's playing Stubbs.
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Bernard Is Basically Beetee 2.0
Jeffrey Wright must really like playing tech wizards. His character in Westworld, Bernard Lowe, is almost identical to the District 3 tribute, right down to the glasses. Only difference is that he's helping the antagonists this go-around.
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There Are Star-Crossed Lovers
From the very beginning, Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) and Teddy (James Marsden) have an ill-fated romance. They are bound together by the creators of Westworld, just like Katniss and Peeta are in the arena. Only time will tell if their love is "real."
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An Uprising Is on the Horizon
Just as the districts rebel against the Capitol, it seems like the hosts are getting ready to rebel against the humans. This is particularly foreshadowed in the lab, when Dolores tells Stubbs that she would never hurt a living being. Her quote seems pretty insignificant until she is returned to Westworld. As she plays out her usual routine, she makes a sudden character shift when a pesky fly approaches her neck and she slaps it with her hand, going against her previous statement that she would never kill a living being. Looks like the humans better watch their backs.