Woodyanders Crafty and resourceful teenage computer whiz David (a fine and likeable performance by Matthew Broderick) hacks into a top secret government super computer that has complete control of America's nuclear arsenal. David inadvertently sets in motion a series of escalating events that could possibly trigger a third world war. Director John Badham keeps the ingenious and absorbing story zipping along at a brisk pace, maintains a generally serious tone throughout, and adroitly builds a tremendous amount of nerve-rattling tension. The clever script by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes not only makes a valid and provocative point on how a nuclear war is an unwinnable proposition, but also delivers an equally sharp and incisive commentary on the potential perils inherent in mankind's foolhardy desire to abdicate certain heavy responsibilities to machines under the frail hope that they will handle them better than we can. Ally Sheedy provides sturdy support as David's sweet girlfriend Jennifer. Moreover, this film further benefits from a terrific cast of top character actors: Dabney Coleman as arrogant jerk McKittrick, John Wood as bitter recluse creator Falken, Barry Corbin as the excitable General Berringer, Dennis Lipscomb as the starchy Watson, James Tolkan as hardnosed fed Wigen, and Michael Ensign as Berringer's dutiful aide. Juanin Clay also makes a favorable impression as McKittrick's feisty assistant Pat Healy while Eddie Deezen and Maury Chaykin have funny bits as a pair of wildly contrasting computer geeks. Arthur B. Rubinstein's spirited score hits the stirring spot. William A. Fraker's slick cinematography gives this picture a pleasing polished look. An excellent nail-biter.

evanston_dad My wife and I are having a "we can't believe we never saw that movie" marathon. We're focusing mostly on fantasy/sci-fi movies from the 1980s (though "The Blues Brothers" is on the list, my own most egregious omission; "The Karate Kid" was my wife's), and "WarGames" was part of that project. I expected to have fun making fun of most of the movies on the list ("Krull" anyone?) but was surprised to find that "WarGames" is a damn fine movie. Well scripted, well directed, expertly shot by six- time Academy Award nominee William A. Fraker, and well acted by a young Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy, it's a film that came out at a time when America (and by extension Hollywood) was obsessed with the idea of nuclear carnage, and while some movies used that premise for devastating emotional drama -- "The Day After," "Testament," to a certain extent "Silkwood" -- "WarGames" uses it to build an exciting, crafty adventure/suspense film, more Steven Spielberg than docu-drama. Less responsible, perhaps, but a hell of a lot more fun.And could any 80s actor do smarmy corporate villain better than Dabney Coleman?Fraker was nominated for his cinematography, and the film scored two other Oscar noms, one for its original screenplay (written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes) and the other for its sound.Grade: A

David Conrad "WarGames" is so much more fun than it has a right to be. Being a 1983 movie that trades heavily in technical jargon and low-res computer readouts, it should feel hopelessly dated; it doesn't. As a movie that makes plucky teens its heroes, it should feel juvenile and frivolous; it doesn't. Since its plot is an explicit reaction to Cold War tensions, it should come across as heavy-handed and moralizing; it doesn't. Good acting, writing, and directing—the basics of movie-making—conspire to avoid these pitfalls, seemingly almost in spite of themselves.Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy were two of the most successful teen stars of the 80s for a reason. They look and talk like the kids next door. In this movie, both of their characters would be artificially, almost eerily normal, the Hollywood version of "average" kids, except that they're both just a little bit "off" in ways that aren't necessarily intended but are nevertheless endearing and refreshing. Broderick, probably by nature rather than decision, underplays everything even in the face of nuclear Armageddon, and this works because it keeps the tone light. Another way to balance the apocalyptic plot that places tens of millions of lives on the line would have been to make the acting comically over-the-top, but this would not have been as relatable and would quickly have become tiresome. As for Sheedy's character, she could easily have been just another movie girlfriend relegated to the sidelines, but the script adds idiosyncrasies and Sheedy brings a playfulness that keeps her sharing the spotlight for most of the film. She rides a motorcycle on which Broderick's character rides behind her, a fact that goes rightly unremarked in the movie but which I think deserves approbation from commenters, and she has a charismatic way of sauntering freely into places she isn't expected.The set design has the visual appeal of a Bond movie, with a huge, flashy command center, an underground bunker, and an antagonist's plush island retreat. The camera has lots of room to play among these sets, but the scenes in Broderick's prosaic classroom, closet-sized school office, and cluttered bedroom look small and cramped. His escape from them into the wider, more dangerous world of high-stakes espionage therefore feels like breaking free, and it is a journey we want to go on instead of nitpicking the nonsense of it all. The script gets away with a lot of loose logic because it moves so fast and keeps introducing new twists. Instead of just explaining himself to the authorities (who are doubly stupid here: they have the stupidity of military brass in an anti-war movie and the stupidity of adults in a teen movie), Broderick goes it alone. When the military is told they're playing a game, they persist in thinking it's real, and when Broderick is told early on that his "game" is "definitely military" software, he promptly "plays" it anyway. But the movie knows what it's doing, even if the characters don't, and makes a point of the lack of distinction between games and reality for the computers that we program to manage both. It sounds like a sci-fi premise, but in a rarity for sci-fi and "hacker" movies, the script gets a lot of the technical language right. Like, for example, the concept of "computer learning," which in the movie and often in real life is explored through games of tic-tac- toe.Though in many ways a relic of the '80s, "WarGames"'s smart decisions keep it entertaining for more than just the nostalgic.

RNMorton I liked this movie when it came out and I like it even more now. A very young Matthew Broderick plays a computer geek who stumbles his way into a super secret site linked to a computer with programs replicating nuclear war. At the same time your gumment decides to use the computer to activate nuclear missiles in the event of war. You can connect the dots for what happens next. There are some really special performances, including Ally Sheedy as Broderick's "little friend" (and absolutely enchanting); Corbin as crusty General Beringer; and Wood as the fascinating Dr. Falken. Some of the stuff could be a little hard to accept - like how fast Broderick and Sheedy get around to places towards the end - but it's all so wonderfully played out that it doesn't really matter. You also get a neat look at the very start of the PC age. A true cinema gem of the 80s.