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

01/01/2020

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.

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Martin Chilton

Daily Telegraph (UK)

07/31/2015

4/5

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.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

07/30/2013

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

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James Croot

The Post NZ

06/07/2023

4/5

[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.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

01/14/2023

3/4

A clever if occasionally far-fetched adventure-thriller.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

05/10/2020

3/4

WarGames kicks off with an exciting sequence...

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Robert V

2d

This movie definitely passes the test of time. Wargames explores AI presciently 40 years ago. I enjoyed that there are multiple characters that have autistic characteristics portrayed in a positive light. It kept me on the edge of my seat, wanting more. It had enough comedy mixed with high stakes situations and a plausible premise.

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Alejandro E

@Alex970 4d

As weekend escapism, it passes the test, thanks to its dose of suspense. To say that it is a warning about the risks of computer abuse and the danger of arms build-up would be an exaggeration.

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Frans B

@FransB Nov 26

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.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Nov 11

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

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Kim P

Nov 1

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.

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Shizue Leigh H

Sep 14

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

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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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