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WarGames

  • 19831983
  • PGPG
  • 1h 54m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
103K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,125
1,419
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 trailer2:19
3 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionDramaSci-Fi
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
103K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,125
1,419
  • Director
    • John Badham
  • Writers
    • Lawrence Lasker
    • Walter F. Parkes
    • Walon Green(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • Matthew Broderick
    • Ally Sheedy
    • John Wood
  • Director
    • John Badham
  • Writers
    • Lawrence Lasker
    • Walter F. Parkes
    • Walon Green(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • Matthew Broderick
    • Ally Sheedy
    • John Wood
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 226User reviews
    • 82Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 3 Oscars
      • 4 wins & 14 nominations total

    Videos3

    Official Trailer 2
    Trailer 2:19
    Watch Official Trailer 2
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:20
    Watch Official Trailer
    What to Watch: Back to the '80s on Prime Video
    Clip 3:33
    Watch What to Watch: Back to the '80s on Prime Video

    Photos210

    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, Jack Clinton, 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
    • David
    Ally Sheedy
    Ally Sheedy
    • Jennifer
    John Wood
    John Wood
    • Falken
    Dabney Coleman
    Dabney Coleman
    • McKittrick
    Barry Corbin
    Barry Corbin
    • General Beringer
    Juanin Clay
    Juanin Clay
    • Pat Healy
    Kent Williams
    Kent Williams
    • Cabot
    Dennis Lipscomb
    Dennis Lipscomb
    • Watson
    Joe Dorsey
    Joe Dorsey
    • Conley
    Irving Metzman
    • Richter
    Michael Ensign
    Michael Ensign
    • Beringer's Aide
    William Bogert
    William Bogert
    • Mr. Lightman
    Susan Davis
    • Mrs. Lightman
    James Tolkan
    James Tolkan
    • Wigan
    David Clover
    • Stockman
    Drew Snyder
    Drew Snyder
    • Ayers
    John Garber
    • Corporal in the Infirmary
    Duncan Wilmore
    • Major Lem
    • Director
      • John Badham
    • Writers
      • Lawrence Lasker
      • Walter F. Parkes
      • Walon Green(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    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
      In the International-dubbed prints and the U.S. TV premiere, in the scene where the female airmen is counting down to Impact, there is more background music that plays than in the original version.
    • Connections
      Edited into Crosby, Stills & Nash: War Games (1983)
    • 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 reviews226

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Wanna play Global Thermonuclear War?
    It was with much interest to me to revisit this early 80s hacker piece armed with the knowledge of just how the advent of change in the computer world had evolved. With that in mind the film could quite easily be classed as a bit clunky due to the now almost Neanderthal toys, games and computers used in the movie, but casting aside the nostalgia feelings I had with it, it still hits the spot as both a poignant piece of interest, and a damn good thriller as well.

    Matthew Broderick is David Lightman, a young computer gamer geek who is something of a whizz kid on the PC. He can change his school grades and hack into various sites he shouldn't be even looking at. During one eventful sitting he hacks into a computer called Joshua and plays a game called Global Thermonuclear War, he harmlessly chooses to be The Soviet Union and proceeds to launch a nuclear attack on his own country, the U.S.A. Trouble is, is that the game is for real and the wheels are in motion for World War III!.

    It helps to remember the time this film was made (for those old enough of course), for it was the time of the ever worrying cloud of the Cold War, a time when nuclear war was more than a hearsay threat. I really think that in this day and age where computers literally do run our lives, this film stands up really well not only as a warning piece about messing with technology, but also as a gentle poke in the ribs about defence systems and the people we trust to run them. Though the film is a kind of watered down and accessible 2001: A Space Odyssey for the 80s set, it impacts well and only really suffers from a pointless romantic plot strand involving the sprightly Ally Sheedy (could they not just have been pals?) and the aforementioned dated gadgets. The ending to the film is excellent as the tension builds up nicely and we are left chewing our nails watching a game of Tic-Tac-Toe, sounds simple doesn't it? Not so.

    Good honest and intelligent entertainment. 7.5/10
    helpful•32
    5
    • hitchcockthelegend
    • Mar 4, 2008

    FAQ13

    • Does General Barringer have the authority to launch ICBM's?
    • Why did the FBI take David to NORAD from Seattle just to question him?
    • Why does David have an electric typewriter in his room when he can use the computer and printer he has?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 3, 1983 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • War Games
    • Filming locations
      • Anderson Island, Washington, USA(Goose Island scenes)
    • 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
      1 hour 54 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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