WarGames

PG

Released Jun 3, 1983

1h 53m

Mystery & Thriller

Action

Drama

Sci-Fi

List

94%

Tomatometer

47 Reviews

76%

Audience Score

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

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

Jul 30, 2013

Full Review

James Croot

Stuff.co.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

Full Review

Alan Jones

Starburst

WarGames is, in my book, a perfect motion picture.

Aug 1, 2022

Full Review

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Lianessa J

Who knew in 1983 that Matthew Broderick would be fighting AI in a war game? If this happened today, the entire world would be destroyed by a nuclear arsenal.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/16/24

Full Review

Max W

What an interesting premise. Very thought provoking and thrilling, leading us to the obvious conclusion, of course, that in order to win, one must not play the game. Must have been quite something when it first came out in the 80s

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/14/24

Full Review

Jace E

I'm on an 80's kick right now and Wargames is the cause of it. This was my first watch and I was pleasantly surprised. Matthew Broderick is fantastic, and I didn't even recognize Ally Sheedy. Some of the supporting actors are particularly weak (like the General caricature), but for the most part the cast was great. The whole concept is a bit absurd, but it works. Seeing how much technology has advanced in the last 40 years is fascinating. The Tic Tac Toe idea is brilliant, the raw corn rubbed in buttered bread made me laugh out loud, and I just want to know who was driving the wild ATV. Best Character: David Best Quote: "How about a nice game of chess?" - Joshua Best Scene: The initial hack Note: My biggest disappointment is that Leo McGarry only has 30 seconds of screen time... but at least we get to hear him say "Your turn next, Ginsberg"

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/13/24

Full Review

John G

May seem out of date with the focus on nuclear war. Don't be fooled. A compelling and suspenseful plot, well acted. The ending is profoundly relevant - today. In many ways this movie imagines its future with precision.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/15/24

Full Review

Georgan G

More silly than drama, but the premise was fresh in 1983. Even then I couldn't help but see the giant holes in the plot. Still, an eye-opener at the time for a less computer literate audience.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/13/24

Full Review

harwee h

A classic and epochal.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/12/24

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

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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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