WarGames (1983)
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A young hacker's game with a military supercomputer leads to a terrifying reality where a nuclear war is about to begin.
The story
David Lightman, a talented but unmotivated high school student in Seattle, uses his home computer to access various systems. While searching for a computer game company, he connects with a mysterious system that does not identify itself. He begins a game of 'Global Thermonuclear War' against an unknown opponent. Unbeknownst to him, he is actually connected to a high-security military supercomputer at a NORAD installation. The computer, which cannot distinguish between a simulation and reality, begins to process his actions as real-world military movements, triggering a series of escalating alerts that threaten to initiate a nuclear conflict with the Soviet Union.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
David Lightman, a high school hacker, connects to a military supercomputer named WOPR while attempting to play a game of 'Global Thermonuclear War.' Because WOPR cannot distinguish between a simulation and reality, it begins to treat David's moves as actual military actions, escalating the DEFCON level and alarming NORAD personnel. After being apprehended by the FBI and taken to the military installation, David realizes the gravity of his actions. He escapes and travels to find Stephen Falken, the creator of the system. Together with his friend Jennifer, they reach Falken and convince him to help stop the computer. As WOPR initiates a massive simulated Soviet strike, the group convinces military officials to delay their response. In the final moments, as WOPR attempts to launch missiles on its own, David and Falken trick the computer into playing a game of tic-tac-toe against itself. This forces the machine to recognize the futility of war, leading it to conclude that the only winning move is not to play. WOPR then relinquishes control and asks for a game of chess.
- First release year
- 1983
- Runtime (minutes)
- 114
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Badham
- Writers
- Lawrence Lasker · writer; Walter F. Parkes · writer
- Cast and characters
- Matthew Broderick · David Lightman; Dabney Coleman; John Wood; Ally Sheedy · Jennifer Mack
- Genres
- techno-thriller; drama; thriller; science fiction
- Themes
- Artificial Intelligence; Cybersecurity; Nuclear War; Human-Machine Interaction
- Tone and mood
- Tense; Suspenseful; High-tech
- Premise and plot tags
- Techno-thriller; Cold War; Hacking; AI
- Source material / true-story basis
- Original screenplay
- Reception
- The film was a widespread critical and commercial success, praised for its suspense and its role in popularizing concepts of computer hacking and cybersecurity.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 94% · scale: approval rating · review count: 47; Metacritic · score: 77 · scale: 100 · review count: 15
- Awards and nominations
- BAFTA Award · Best Sound · win
- Production trivia
- The film was influenced by the real-life 1983 Soviet nuclear false alarm incident.; The character of Dr. Stephen Falken was inspired by and named after Stephen Hawking.; The film's premise led to the enactment of the first Presidential directive on computer security (NSDD-145).
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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