WarGames

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WarGames

PG

Released Jun 3, 1983

1h 53m

Mystery & Thriller

Action

Drama

Sci-Fi

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Popcornmeter

93%

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46 Reviews

76%

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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

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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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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

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Nashville I.

Criminally forgotten and overlooked, Matt Broderick and Ally Sheedy lead a nice jaunt with a fun childlike twist on a tech problem. War Games is smart but knows exactly how to keep it simple enough that it doesnt lose the audience. By far one of the most snackable adventure films of the 80s!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/07/25

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Michael P

I was kind of expecting a more 80s cliche movie with your typical action ending bit really, this movie far more than that and it truly was a good movie. The acting is great, the story is also really good with great themes about war and the games we play. It has a surprising speech about human existence which, I must admit, I'm trying to forget because it's terrifying to me. Yes, there's some pacing issues and the "hacking" side is a little far fetched but overall I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/11/25

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Audience Member

My favourite movie as a child. This is real cinema. 80s movies at its top.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/27/25

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Julian L

8.2/10. This philosophical thriller is an excellent pick for tweens and adults.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/29/25

Full Review

Charlie G

They make a huge error near the end of the movie when they declare: "Nobody plays Tic Tac Toe because you cannot win." This is untrue. If you avoid starting in the center square but instead start at one of the corners, you can indeed win.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/20/25

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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