WarGames

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WarGames

PG

1983

1h 53m

Mystery & Thriller

Action

Drama

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

46 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

High school student David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) unwittingly hacks into a military supercomputer while searching for new video games. After starting a game of Global Thermonuclear War, Lightman leads the supercomputer to activate the nation's nuclear arsenal in response to his simulated threat as the Soviet Union. Once the clueless hacker comes to his senses, Lightman, with help from his girlfriend (Ally Sheedy), must find a way to alert the authorities to stop the onset of World War III.

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Critics Consensus

Part delightfully tense techno-thriller, part refreshingly unpatronizing teen drama, WarGames is one of the more inventive -- and genuinely suspenseful -- Cold War movies of the 1980s.

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David Denby

New York Magazine/Vulture

Like a man drawn to the edge of a cliff by the lure of the abyss below, we're secretly obsessed by the apocalypse. Moralists may claim that WarGames is more exploitation than warning, but it's still an exciting, giddily entertaining movie.

Jan 1, 2020

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Martin Chilton

Daily Telegraph (UK)

The chase sequences with government agents are tame but the film builds to a tense (and witty) conclusion at the Cheyenne Mountain nuclear bunker in Colorado Springs.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 31, 2015

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Classic humanist-didactic filmmaking, effectively presented as a thriller.

Jul 30, 2013

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James Croot

The Post NZ

[WarGames] is a standard ‘80s teens-in-peril and up-against-the-authorities tale, but one which, despite a strange side-trip to an Oregon island, really does a great job of building up the tension towards a thrilling finale.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 7, 2023

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

A clever if occasionally far-fetched adventure-thriller.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 14, 2023

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

WarGames kicks off with an exciting sequence...

Rated: 3/4

May 10, 2020

Full Review

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Frans B

At the time of production, this must have been awesome. Great idea and relatively high tech at the time, but sadly, not so memorable, somehow. Novel nonetheless. Great cast convincing in character and some suspense and drama. Good cinematography and visually advanced in the 80's.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/26/25

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Stephen C

Success in 1 hour, 52 minutes, and 45 seconds!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dubbed and subtitled in worldwide studios!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Starring Matthew Broderick as a computer gamer/hacker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/11/25

Full Review

Kim P

Some of the ratings posted must not be taking into account when this movie was filmed. The tech was cutting age back then and looks like a Coleco handheld game today in the 2020s.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/01/25

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Shizue Leigh H

An absolute pleasure to watch — all 5,955 times!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/14/25

Full Review

Brent A

50% rating ... Decent film. I didn't like the "teen drama" aspect of the storyline, but overall it had an interesting premise.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/07/25

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Jay C

This is a movie way ahead of its time. Fast forward 42 years, and we’re living in a world where AI systems are now part of nearly everything we do. In that context, WarGames foreshadows how easily things can go wrong if we allow technology to operate unchecked. It highlights the dangers of automation, cyber warfare, and the consequences of relying too heavily on systems we don’t fully understand.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/12/25

Full Review

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John Badham

Director

Matthew Broderick

David Lightman

Dabney Coleman

Dr. John McKittrick

Ally Sheedy

Jennifer Katherine Mack

John Wood

Dr. Stephen Falken

Barry Corbin

Gen. Jack Beringer

WarGames: Official Clip - David & Jennifer Kiss

2:10

WarGames: Official Clip - Joshua Searches for Launch Codes

1:48

WarGames: Official Clip - Tic Tac Toe With Joshua

1:42

WarGames: Official Clip - It's a Bluff

2:11

WarGames: Official Clip - DEFCON 1

2:14

WarGames: Official Clip - Shall We Play a Game?

2:08

WarGames: Official Clip - Asexual Reproduction

2:06

WarGames: Official Clip - The Only Winning Move

2:30

WarGames: Official Clip - He's Gonna Start a War!

2:00

WarGames: Official Clip - A Lesson in Futility

2:15

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Synopsis

High school student David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) unwittingly hacks into a military supercomputer while searching for new video games. After starting a game of Global Thermonuclear War, Lightman leads the supercomputer to activate the nation's nuclear arsenal in response to his simulated threat as the Soviet Union. Once the clueless hacker comes to his senses, Lightman, with help from his girlfriend (Ally Sheedy), must find a way to alert the authorities to stop the onset of World War III.

Director: John Badham
Producer: Harold Schneider
Screenwriter: Lawrence Lasker, Walter F. Parkes
Distributor: MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Rating: PG
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 3, 1983, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 29, 2016
Runtime: 1h 53m
Sound Mix: Surround

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