WarGames (1983)
WarGames (1983)
WarGames is a strange movie. It is clearly stuck in the 1980’s, when computers were starting their rise to prevalence and the United States was still deadlocked in the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Yet, in the 2019 world, this film is still strangely relevant (which happens to be a frightening thought). This film is all about using technology to start World War III. Considering the state of our world today, this is the kind of plot that can be realistically plausible. Which is one of the many reasons why this movie is effective. Despite the charms of the 1980’s, this film is a scary, but extremely effective thriller. Not only does it work as a thriller, it also works as an effective teen film thanks to the charming performances from Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy.
When this original idea came to fruition in 1979, technology was not even involved. The whole concept was about “a dying scientist with no one to understand him, except for one person- a rebellious kid who is too smart for his own good. Writers Walter F. Parkes and Lawrence Lasker were inspired from geniuses such as Stephen Hawking. The technology feature of the screenplay finally began to form when they visited Stanford and learned about NORAD and young computer hackers. This use of technology in the film was very influential. This is the first mass-consumed product that uses computers on such a high-scale and even mentions the Internet. President Reagan and his advisors even watched the film to come up with computer laws and regulations that would follow a year or so later.
Enough about reality, let’s focus on the meat of the film-the story itself. The United States Air Force decided to change their missile release program from human-based to computer-based. The idea behind this move is because human factor will come into play. There are supporters such as NORAD Chief John McKittrick (Dabney Coleman) and opponents such as Air Force General Beringer (Barry Corbin). The system, War Operation Plan Response, was created by deceased scientist, Stephen Falken (John Wood). Meanwhile, high school student David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) is a computer whiz, but extremely lazy when it comes to academics. He befriends Jennifer (Ally Sheedy), a similarly-unfocused person. David decides to hack into a video game company, and sees an interesting game called Global Thermonuclear War. Little does David know that he hacked into the wrong system and he might have started World War III.
Both Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy would have a major presence in films during the 1980’s, and this film is a huge reason why. Both actors are extremely charming and they excel in terms of chemistry with each other. Sheedy, who already appeared in 1983’s Bad Boys, does have to work with an underwritten character-but she makes her character her own and saves it. Broderick is very amusing and makes his characters relatable. After all, wouldn’t we all wish that we could hack into our high school’s grading system and change our grades? That scene is a very well-done, charming sequence. As for the adult characters, they do come across as dumb sometimes which is odd because they work with such complicated technology that could save or destroy the world. Hmmmmm. Thankfully, Dabney Coleman and John Wood are solid character actors.
WarGames is a great film that excels in two genres-techno thriller and coming-of-age. Even though the movie is some thirty-five years after its release date, it still holds a high degree of relevance. Given the hacking of recent elections or the threat of World War III occurring given our world issues, this film certainly can add to these scares. The film was released during the Cold War, so I know Americans were given frightening thoughts after watching this movie. Laugh all you want at the technology in this particular film, but the themes do remain the same. I loved how director John Badham (from Saturday Night Fever fame) created tension using these themes.
Thanks to the winning performances of Ally Sheedy and Matthew Broderick, this movie is a thrill to watch. I consider it to be important and relevant in today’s world but as a film itself, it is incredibly entertaining. The expertise that was put together to make this film as real as possible is fantastic, thanks to the taut direction of Badham and the excellent screenplay from Lasker/Parkes. Also, the film does have a cool musical score which fits well with the film’s nature. Overall, a great recommend!
My Grade: A-
WarGames is a strange movie. It is clearly stuck in the 1980’s, when computers were starting their rise to prevalence and the United States was still deadlocked in the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Yet, in the 2019 world, this film is still strangely relevant (which happens to be a frightening thought). This film is all about using technology to start World War III. Considering the state of our world today, this is the kind of plot that can be realistically plausible. Which is one of the many reasons why this movie is effective. Despite the charms of the 1980’s, this film is a scary, but extremely effective thriller. Not only does it work as a thriller, it also works as an effective teen film thanks to the charming performances from Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy.
When this original idea came to fruition in 1979, technology was not even involved. The whole concept was about “a dying scientist with no one to understand him, except for one person- a rebellious kid who is too smart for his own good. Writers Walter F. Parkes and Lawrence Lasker were inspired from geniuses such as Stephen Hawking. The technology feature of the screenplay finally began to form when they visited Stanford and learned about NORAD and young computer hackers. This use of technology in the film was very influential. This is the first mass-consumed product that uses computers on such a high-scale and even mentions the Internet. President Reagan and his advisors even watched the film to come up with computer laws and regulations that would follow a year or so later.
Enough about reality, let’s focus on the meat of the film-the story itself. The United States Air Force decided to change their missile release program from human-based to computer-based. The idea behind this move is because human factor will come into play. There are supporters such as NORAD Chief John McKittrick (Dabney Coleman) and opponents such as Air Force General Beringer (Barry Corbin). The system, War Operation Plan Response, was created by deceased scientist, Stephen Falken (John Wood). Meanwhile, high school student David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) is a computer whiz, but extremely lazy when it comes to academics. He befriends Jennifer (Ally Sheedy), a similarly-unfocused person. David decides to hack into a video game company, and sees an interesting game called Global Thermonuclear War. Little does David know that he hacked into the wrong system and he might have started World War III.
Both Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy would have a major presence in films during the 1980’s, and this film is a huge reason why. Both actors are extremely charming and they excel in terms of chemistry with each other. Sheedy, who already appeared in 1983’s Bad Boys, does have to work with an underwritten character-but she makes her character her own and saves it. Broderick is very amusing and makes his characters relatable. After all, wouldn’t we all wish that we could hack into our high school’s grading system and change our grades? That scene is a very well-done, charming sequence. As for the adult characters, they do come across as dumb sometimes which is odd because they work with such complicated technology that could save or destroy the world. Hmmmmm. Thankfully, Dabney Coleman and John Wood are solid character actors.
WarGames is a great film that excels in two genres-techno thriller and coming-of-age. Even though the movie is some thirty-five years after its release date, it still holds a high degree of relevance. Given the hacking of recent elections or the threat of World War III occurring given our world issues, this film certainly can add to these scares. The film was released during the Cold War, so I know Americans were given frightening thoughts after watching this movie. Laugh all you want at the technology in this particular film, but the themes do remain the same. I loved how director John Badham (from Saturday Night Fever fame) created tension using these themes.
Thanks to the winning performances of Ally Sheedy and Matthew Broderick, this movie is a thrill to watch. I consider it to be important and relevant in today’s world but as a film itself, it is incredibly entertaining. The expertise that was put together to make this film as real as possible is fantastic, thanks to the taut direction of Badham and the excellent screenplay from Lasker/Parkes. Also, the film does have a cool musical score which fits well with the film’s nature. Overall, a great recommend!
My Grade: A-
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