WarGames (War Games) (1983)
86%RT Audience Score: 76%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 3 Oscars
4 wins & 14 nominations total
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
Review 1: “The acting in this movie was superb. The characters were well-developed and the plot was engaging. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.”
Review 2: “I loved the cinematography in this film. The shots were beautifully composed and the use of color was stunning. It was like watching a work of art come to life.”
Review 3: “The soundtrack for this movie was incredible. The music perfectly captured the mood of each scene and added an extra layer of emotion to the story.”
New Review: “Holy cow, this movie was a rollercoaster ride of emotions! The acting was so good, I felt like I was right there with the characters. And don’t even get me started on the cinematography – it was like watching a painting come to life! But the real MVP was the soundtrack. I mean, I was tapping my foot and humming along the whole time. Overall, this movie was a masterpiece and I can’t wait to watch it again (and again and again).
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp., MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Mount Vernon, Washington, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1983
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 53m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 3, 1983 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 25, 2001
Genre(s)
Action/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, directed by John Badham, written by Lawrence Lasker, Walter F Parkes, techno-thriller, Cold War, suspenseful, inventive, PG, box office performance, budget, reviewed by critics, produced by Harold Schneider, action, drama, English, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp., MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Surround, Global Thermonuclear War, military supercomputer, nuclear arsenal, World War III, hacking, video games, simulated threat, Soviet Union, authorities, alert, high school student, girlfriend, tension, unpatronizing teen drama, critic reviews
Worldwide gross: $79,567,667
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $243,473,695
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 594
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 26,551,112
US/Canada gross: $79,567,667
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $243,473,695
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 270
US/Canada opening weekend: $6,227,804
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $19,056,817
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 682
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $12,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $36,719,492
Production budget ranking: 1,018
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $19,773,447
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $186,980,756
ROI to date (est.): 331%
ROI ranking: 422
Ally Sheedy – Jennifer Mack
John Wood – Dr. Stephen Falken
Dabney Coleman – McKittrick
Barry Corbin – General Beringer
Juanin Clay – Pat Healy
Kent Williams – Cabot
Dennis Lipscomb – Watson
Joe Dorsey – Col. Joe Conley
Irving Metzman – Richter
Michael Ensign – Beringer’s Aide
William Bogert – Mr. Lightman
Susan Davis – Mrs. Lightman
James Tolkan – Nigan
David Clover – Paul Richter
Drew Snyder – Ayers
John Spencer – Capt. Jerry Lawson
Rosanna Huffman – Janet Gilmore
Jesse Goins – Airman
Erik Stern – Airman
Gary Bisig – Airman
Jason Bernard – Sergeant
Alan Blumenfeld – Mr. Liggett
Maury Chaykin – Jim Sting
David Caruso – USAF Sergeant
Castulo Guerra – Corporal
Michael Madsen – Steve Phelps
Eddie Deezen – Malvin
Art LaFleur – Guard
Stack Pierce – Sergeant
Stephen Lee – Sergeant
John Garber – Sergeant
Michael Adams – Sergeant
Director – John Badham
Producer – Harold Schneider
Writer – Lawrence Lasker, Walter F. Parkes
Composer – Arthur B. Rubinstein
Editor – Tom Rolf
Cinematographer – William A. Fraker
Production Designer – Angelo P. Graham
Art Director – William J. Cassidy
Set Decorator – Jerry Wunderlich
Costume Designer – Betsy Cox
Makeup Artist – Michael Hancock
Special Effects – Michael Lantieri
Stunt Coordinator – Buddy Joe Hooker
Assistant Director – David Sosna
Casting Director – Wallis Nicita
Director(s)
John Badham
Writer(s)
Lawrence Lasker, Walter F. Parkes
Producer(s)
Harold Schneider
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 3 Oscars
4 wins & 14 nominations total
Academy Awards
Plot
A young computer whiz kid accidentally connects into a top secret super-computer which has complete control over the U.S. nuclear arsenal. It challenges him to a game between America and Russia, and he innocently starts the countdown to World War 3. Can he convince the computer he wanted to play a game and not the real thing ?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Ally Sheedy, who plays David’s girlfriend in the film, was originally auditioning for a smaller role but impressed the filmmakers so much that they gave her the larger part.
John-Badham.jpg
