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    WarGames

    • 19831983
    • ALAL
    • 1h 54min
    IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    94K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,423
    492
    • Cast & crew
    • User reviews
    • Trivia
    • IMDbPro
    WarGames (1983)
    A young man finds a back door into a military central computer in which reality is confused with game-playing, possibly starting World War III.
    Play trailer2:20
    2 Videos
    66 Photos
    ActionAdventureDrama

    A young man finds a back door into a military central computer in which reality is confused with game-playing, possibly starting World War III.A young man finds a back door into a military central computer in which reality is confused with game-playing, possibly starting World War III.A young man finds a back door into a military central computer in which reality is confused with game-playing, possibly starting World War III.

    IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    94K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,423
    492
    • Director
      • John Badham
    • Writers
      • Lawrence Lasker
      • Walter F. Parkes
      • Walon Green(uncredited)
    • Stars
      • Matthew Broderick
      • Ally Sheedy
      • John Wood
    Top credits
    • Director
      • John Badham
    • Writers
      • Lawrence Lasker
      • Walter F. Parkes
      • Walon Green(uncredited)
    • Stars
      • Matthew Broderick
      • Ally Sheedy
      • John Wood
    • See more at IMDbPro
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 205User reviews
    • 92Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Nominated for 3 Oscars
      • 4 wins & 14 nominations total

    Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:20
    Official Trailer
    What to Watch: Back to the '80s on Prime Video
    Clip 3:33
    What to Watch: Back to the '80s on Prime Video

    Photos66

    Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy in WarGames (1983)
    Barry Corbin and Michael Ensign in WarGames (1983)
    Dabney Coleman, Juanin Clay, and Duncan Wilmore in WarGames (1983)
    Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, and John Wood in WarGames (1983)
    Matthew Broderick and Howie Allen in WarGames (1983)
    Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy in WarGames (1983)
    Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy in WarGames (1983)
    Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy in WarGames (1983)
    Barry Corbin, Joe Dorsey, and Michael Ensign in WarGames (1983)
    Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, Dabney Coleman, Juanin Clay, Barry Corbin, Michael Ensign, Irving Metzman, Duncan Wilmore, and John Wood in WarGames (1983)
    Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy in WarGames (1983)
    Dabney Coleman in WarGames (1983)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Matthew Broderick
    Matthew Broderick
    • Davidas David
    Ally Sheedy
    Ally Sheedy
    • Jenniferas Jennifer
    John Wood
    John Wood
    • Falkenas Falken
    Dabney Coleman
    Dabney Coleman
    • McKittrickas McKittrick
    Barry Corbin
    Barry Corbin
    • General Beringeras General Beringer
    Juanin Clay
    Juanin Clay
    • Pat Healyas Pat Healy
    Kent Williams
    Kent Williams
    • Cabotas Cabot
    Dennis Lipscomb
    Dennis Lipscomb
    • Watsonas Watson
    Joe Dorsey
    Joe Dorsey
    • Conleyas Conley
    Irving Metzman
    • Richteras Richter
    Michael Ensign
    Michael Ensign
    • Beringer's Aideas Beringer's Aide
    William Bogert
    William Bogert
    • Mr. Lightmanas Mr. Lightman
    Susan Davis
    • Mrs. Lightmanas Mrs. Lightman
    James Tolkan
    James Tolkan
    • Wiganas Wigan
    David Clover
    • Stockmanas Stockman
    Drew Snyder
    Drew Snyder
    • Ayersas Ayers
    John Garber
    • Corporal in the Infirmaryas Corporal in the Infirmary
    Duncan Wilmore
    • Major Lemas Major Lem
    • Director
      • John Badham
    • Writers
      • Lawrence Lasker
      • Walter F. Parkes
      • Walon Green(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    See production, box office, & company info

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    Storyline

    Edit
    A young computer whiz kid accidentally connects into a top secret super-computer which has complete control over the U.S. nuclear arsenal. It challenges him to a game between America and Russia, and he innocently starts the countdown to World War 3. Can he convince the computer he wanted to play a game and not the real thing ? —Colin Tinto <cst@imdb.com>
    hackermodemcold wargamecomputer368 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • The only winning move is not to play.
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Adventure
      • Drama
      • Sci-Fi
      • Thriller
    • Certificate
      • AL
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      According to John Badham, the jeep trying to crash through the gate at NORAD and turning over was an actual accident. The jeep was supposed to continue through the gate. They added the scene of the characters running from the jeep and down the tunnel, and used the botched jeep stunt.
    • Goofs
      When WOPR is searching for the launch code, it is shown to be able to lock onto each digit individually. In which case, it would only take 360 tries (one for each letter and digit), to definitely find the entire code.
    • Quotes

      [after playing out all possible outcomes for Global Thermonuclear War]

      Joshua: Greetings, Professor Falken.

      Stephen Falken: Hello, Joshua.

      Joshua: A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?

    • Alternate versions
      [Report] In the premiere telecast version of the film, in the scene where the female airmen is counting down to Impact, there is more background music that plays than in the theatrical version and home video releases containing English language versions. However, the extra background music plays in foreign versions of the movie. Also, the extra BGM has not played in subsequent TV airings since that first telecast, as far as I am aware.
    • Connections
      Edited into Canadian Bacon (1995)
    • Soundtracks
      Video Fever
      Performed by Arthur B. Rubinstein, Cynthia Morrow, Brian Banks and Anthony Marinelli (as The Beepers)

      Lyrics by Cynthia Morrow

      Music by Arthur B. Rubinstein

      Produced by Anthony Marinelli (uncredited)

    User reviews205

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Let's play Global Thermonuclear War
    WarGames is a film which in some ways seems hopelessly dated and in other ways seems to have been way ahead of its time. There's the Cold War angle, the United States and the Soviet Union gearing up for the seemingly inevitable World War III and the nuclear holocaust that would go along with it. It's a 1980s storyline which doesn't play as well all these years later with the Soviet Union long having been consigned to the dustbin of history. Nowadays the threat comes not from one communist superpower but from...well, pretty much anywhere it seems. But then again this movie, made in 1983, is at its heart really about a computer hacker. Who, in 1983, even knew there was such a thing as a computer hacker? Ahead of its time this movie is.

    While certain aspects of the story may seem less relevant today there is no denying that WarGames is an effective, entertaining thriller. There may be some flaws in the movie's logic now and again, not everything we see seems entirely plausible. But the movie works. The story centers around Seattle high school student David Lightman, who is not doing particularly well in school. But it's not because he isn't bright, he certainly is. He just seems unmotivated and perhaps distracted by his obsession with computers. That obsession plays itself out as he attempts to hack into a video game manufacturer's computer...and instead unknowingly hacks into a Defense Department computer. In playing the "games" on that computer he almost starts World War III. Whoops.

    Matthew Broderick plays David and his performance is excellent as he portrays a young teen who finds himself caught up in a situation beyond his imagination. Ally Sheedy plays his friend Jennifer, a character who seems a tad bit underdeveloped. It often seems that Jennifer's just along for the ride rather than having any real purpose in the plot. But Sheedy does well with what she has to work with. Our young hero and heroine are very much the focus of the story, at times to detrimental effect. All the adults in the story seem rather one-dimensional. Some of them have very important roles to play in the story yet we never know much of anything about them. Besides David and Jennifer there's really only one other character for whom there is any kind of character development going on and that character doesn't even show up until rather late in the proceedings. But this is a movie which will definitely hold your attention. It's a tense, taut thriller which also has some heart to it. And it often looks spectacular, most notably in the scenes which take place inside the NORAD war room, a movie set which was stunningly impressive for its time and actually would still be stunningly impressive today. All in all WarGames is a well-made, suspenseful, enjoyable film. It has its flaws but it is still a film well worth seeing.
    helpful•29
    3
    • hall895
    • Jul 2, 2009

    FAQ8

    • How did David manage to connect with such a secure defense system computer like "Joshua", aka the WOPR?
    • What's the video game that David is playing at the arcade when he's late for school?
    • Why was David letting his computer dial so many random numbers in the Sunnyvale area?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 15, 1983 (Netherlands)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • War Games
    • Filming locations
      • Cheyenne Mountain Complex, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
    • Production companies
      • United Artists
      • Sherwood Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $12,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $79,567,667
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $6,227,804
      • Jun 5, 1983
    • Gross worldwide
      • $79,567,667
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 54min
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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