Retro Review: Wargames (1983)

Mar 112010

The great thing about doing this column is that I get to see a lot of movies that I missed. ¬†The wife had been wanting to check this one out and it finally became available on the Netflix Instant Queue, so we jumped at the opportunity. ¬†I’m a pretty big gadget freak so all of the retro tech used throughout the movie gave me a nerd chubby. ¬†Not only that though, I never thought an action sequence comprised of flashing screens and strobe lights could work but damn it if it doesn’t. ¬†So let’s get to it then.

NORAD decides to automate the launching of nuclear weapons after a simulation demonstrates that humans are incapable of consistently making a decision to eradicate mass amounts of human life. ¬†A computer called WOPR (pronounced “Whopper”) is placed with this decision making skill. ¬†Enter David Lightman (Matthew Broderick), who is a bit of a computer whiz. ¬†After having his computer auto dial a number of phone numbers to try and reach a software company, he inadvertently dials into WOPR. ¬†Intrigued by the veil of secrecy around the phone number he’s located, he eventually finds his way into the mainframe and challenges the WOPR to a game of Global Thermonuclear War. ¬†Little does he know that he starts off a chain reaction of alerts at NORAD that quickly progresses the DEFCON numbers.

I may be the last nerd to ever see this movie so please excuse me if the synopsis above is rote to you. ¬†I’m sure the whole idea of dialing into a computer seemed like an drug induced trip in the early 80s. ¬†Hell, even nowadays we would think something of the same only because we live in a broadband world. ¬†But still it was a hoot to see Broderick whip out that giant floppy (disk) and stick it in (to run a program). ¬†All kidding aside, if you’re at all into gadgets, you owe it to yourself to check this one out. ¬†I did some research and found that the production went to great lengths to get the simple images to appear on the giant displays in the pivotal war room that the majority of the film plays out in. ¬†Computers back then couldn’t run the resolution necessary for the screens so basically they had to generate each individual frame, taking considerable amounts of time. ¬†It’s something we take for granted now because as long as you have some sort of video port on your computer, you can hook up to just about any video source available. ¬†Hell, we can just run a PowerPoint slide show that we created in five minutes and it could not only perform the same functions you see in Wargames, it would look 100 times better.

Above all of that though, the film just crescendos real nicely. ¬†Everything unfolds at a pace that feels right. ¬†By the time you’ve transformed your TV into a disco light from a dance club, you’ll be holding your breath to see the resolution. ¬†I know I mentioned it in the opening, I but I really haven’t been this excited by a bunch of flashing lights since KISS! ¬†It also helps that the hero is a nerd but he’s also really cool. ¬†And he gets the girl in the end (Ally Sheedy). Usually the characters that have as much computer skills as this dude just show up to hack something and return to their parents’ basement. ¬†This film shows that having massive amounts of computer knowledge doesn’t mean you’re just some loser running a blog about movies, TV, gaming, and music. ¬†I mean… Oh look, a new paragraph!

I hate to keep this short but I really don’t have much else to say. ¬†This is a cool flick and I highly recommend it. ¬†The Instant Queue version I watched wasn’t HD but it actually looked really good considering. ¬†Add it to your queue, even if you’ve already seen it. ¬†It’s time to see it again. ¬†No, I don’t care if you watched it yesterday, this is required. ¬†You’re welcome.

Since the review ran a little short, let’s start a discussion below. ¬†Of course you’re welcome to talk about the movie, but I’d like to know the very first computer you or your family ever owned and your favorite thing you played on it. ¬†Our first one was a second hand IBM that came with Jack Niclaus Golf. ¬†It ruled, as seen below-

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Zack_S

oh man. i feel like i've been talking about this movie a lot lately. maybe it IS returning to glory.
my dad rolled with an APPLE II complete with greenscreen monitor and SIXTY-FOUR FREAKING K of memory. the first game i ever played was called BOG MONSTER. a text-based game where you typed in if you wanted to step to the left, to the right or straight ahead. you had a few stones in your pocket you could throw to see if it was safe to step forward, and you had to get outta the swamp before the monster ate you. played for HOURS. did i mention it was green and text-based?
James

Haven't seen this since He-Man was on. I was got this confused with Cloak & Dagger as kid for some reason. Probably because of Dabney Coleman.

I don't remember what it was but I'm pretty sure it was an apple because my dad has always been about jobs n' co but I'll update when I get a chance to ask him. All I remember about it was that it had a bright orange on black display and there was a top down Rambo game on that I attempted to like. I got an NES shortly afterward and that Rambo was done.
http://www.mediabreach.com Adam

I always used the Apple IIE's in middle school and fucked around doing basic programming. The first computer my family bought was in '93 or '94, I can't remember exactly. No idea what kind it was, i was too busy listening to metal and being rebellious. I played Doom alot on that family computer and some game called Wolfpack that was submarine warfare. That game ruled.
Alex

Our first computer was an Austin Computer; yes, there really was a company called 'Austin Computer'. Anyway, I was 7 and one night my dad came home with it; he'd won it in a company raffle. I was so blitzed out at the idea of having a “computer” with “Windows 95″ and the “Internet” through “America Online” where you could fucking talk to people in “chat rooms” that might not even be in the same city, the same state, the same country…!!! (OMGN3RDG4SM!!!!!)

First game: Warcraft II. Played until my eyes were completely bloodshoot, then kept playing; I worried my parents very much.
Zack_S

oh man. i feel like i've been talking about this movie a lot lately. maybe it IS returning to glory.
my dad rolled with an APPLE II complete with greenscreen monitor and SIXTY-FOUR FREAKING K of memory. the first game i ever played was called BOG MONSTER. a text-based game where you typed in if you wanted to step to the left, to the right or straight ahead. you had a few stones in your pocket you could throw to see if it was safe to step forward, and you had to get outta the swamp before the monster ate you. played for HOURS. did i mention it was green and text-based?
James

Haven't seen this since He-Man was on. I was got this confused with Cloak & Dagger as kid for some reason. Probably because of Dabney Coleman.

I don't remember what it was but I'm pretty sure it was an apple because my dad has always been about jobs n' co but I'll update when I get a chance to ask him. All I remember about it was that it had a bright orange on black display and there was a top down Rambo game on that I attempted to like. I got an NES shortly afterward and that Rambo was done.
http://www.mediabreach.com Adam

I always used the Apple IIE's in middle school and fucked around doing basic programming. The first computer my family bought was in '93 or '94, I can't remember exactly. No idea what kind it was, i was too busy listening to metal and being rebellious. I played Doom alot on that family computer and some game called Wolfpack that was submarine warfare. That game ruled.
Alex

Our first computer was an Austin Computer; yes, there really was a company called 'Austin Computer'. Anyway, I was 7 and one night my dad came home with it; he'd won it in a company raffle. I was so blitzed out at the idea of having a “computer” with “Windows 95″ and the “Internet” through “America Online” where you could fucking talk to people in “chat rooms” that might not even be in the same city, the same state, the same country…!!! (OMGN3RDG4SM!!!!!)

First game: Warcraft II. Played until my eyes were completely bloodshoot, then kept playing; I worried my parents very much.
Rlno

Can someone give the name of the girl in the picture? She does the countdown right after the arrival of professor Falquen at Norad and she does not appear in the casts.