Fresh
Classic humanist-didactic filmmaking, effectively presented as a thriller.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
WarGames
Is it a game, or is it real?
1983 · 1h 54m · PG
Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller
Directed by
John Badham
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WarGames
Overview
High school student David Lightman has a talent for hacking. But while trying to hack into a computer system to play unreleased video games, he unwittingly taps into the Department of Defense's war computer and initiates a confrontation of global proportions. Together with his friend and a wizardly computer genius, David must race against time to outwit his opponent and prevent a nuclear Armageddon.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
93%
Tomatometer
Fresh
To me, the most enjoyable aspect of WarGames is when David is at work on his computer system. There's something wonderfully nostalgic about watching a guy play with such antiquated machinery and recognize that it was [once] considered state-of-the-art.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Fresh
John Badham solders the pieces into a terrifically exciting story charged by an irresistible idea: an extra-smart kid can get the world into a whole lot of trouble that it also takes the same extra-smart kid to rescue it from.
Variety Staff, Variety
Fresh
As tense and effective now as it was 25 years ago. The worry back then was more about Soviet missiles than about credit card identity theft, but good filmmaking techniques haven't changed.
Michael Booth, Denver Post
Fresh
As a premise for a thriller, this is a masterstroke.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
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