WarGames (1983)

Directed by

John Badham

Genre

drama film, thriller film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 48m

Rated

PG

Rating

7.1 of 10 from 2,191 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A teenage computer hacker accidentally breaks into a military supercomputer and starts a simulation of World War III. The government thinks the threat is real and prepares for nuclear war. The hacker must race to stop the computer before it triggers an actual attack.

suspensefultensethoughtfuldatedcerebralominousseriousfast-pacedcold-war anxiety

What happens

WarGames is a 1983 American techno-thriller film directed by John Badham, written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes, and starring Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood and Ally Sheedy. Broderick plays David Lightman, a young computer hacker who unwittingly accesses a United States military supercomputer programmed to simulate, predict and execute nuclear war against the Soviet Union, triggering a false alarm that threatens to start World War III. Martin Brest was originally the film's director, but was fired early into production. The film premiered at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival, and was released by MGM/UA Entertainment on June 3, 1983. It was a widespread critical and commercial success, grossing $125 million worldwide against a $12 million budget. At the 56th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for three Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay. It also won a BAFTA Award for Best Sound. WarGames is credited with popularizing concepts of computer hacking, information technology, and cybersecurity in wider American society. It spawned several video games, a 2008 direct-to-video sequel film, and a 2018 interactive series. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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