A Reel 30: WARGAMES

“Shall we play a game?”

 

This month marks the 30^th anniversary of WARGAMES.

Directed by John Badham (known at the time for SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER), WARGAMES was a film ahead of its time. Focusing on a high school wiz-kid (played by Matthew Broderick) who accidently hacks (new term for the time) into a U.S. military supercomputer and nearly starts WWIII, the film presented scenarios in global warfare and computer networking which the world would not see for real for nearly 20 more years.

The high concept was frightening for the time, and the gamble paid off. WARGAMES was the fifth-highest grossing film that year, and it was screened at the annual Cannes Film Festival. Critics loved it, and President Reagan would later discuss the plot of the film with Congress. WARGAMES was nominated for three Oscars; Cinematography, Sound, and Writing. The impressive, large-screen digital displays in one of the large set-pieces (NORAD) was good enough to earn a Technical Achievement Award from the Academy. The film would help propel the career of Broderick, and his young co-star, Ally Sheedy. Badham would go on to direct another popular 80’s tech-flick, SHORT CIRCUIT.

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Growing up in the 80’s, access to technology was nowhere near the level that it is today. Manipulating images on the TV screen came via an Atari 2600 game system (or one of its lesser competitors), and those images were clunky and blocky and kinda stupid (although at the time they were awesome). WARGAMES not only opened up the door to the future of gaming and computer networking, but it also gave a bit of validation to all those nerdy kids who preferred to bang away at the computer instead of playing ball outside or getting into trouble with their peers. Those who were inspired by WARGAMES to keep at the tech are likely working in the industry today, or still have a leg-up on the world when it comes to computers. Aside from that, the film also asks interesting questions (and dares to answer) about nuclear war and the ramifications about making a move to wipe out the other side. The world can learn a lot from WARGAMES.

“…and when we go, nature will start over.”