Where to watch WarGames online

Storyline

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 girlfriend and a wizardly computer genius, David must race against time to outwit his opponent and prevent a nuclear Armageddon.

Released

1983-06-03
Revenue

$124,600,000
Budget

$12,000,000
Runtime

1hr 54m
Genre

Thriller, Science Fiction, Drama
Status

Released
Language

English
7.1
Production

Sherwood Productions, United Artists, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Crew

John Badham

Director

Lawrence Lasker

Screenplay

Richard Hashimoto

Producer

Keywords:

artificial intelligence (a.i.) computer government hacker video game cold war fbi prosecution norad nuclear threat

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Cast

Matthew Broderick

David Lightman

Dabney Coleman

McKittrick

John Wood

Stephen Falken

Ally Sheedy

Jennifer

Barry Corbin

General Beringer

Juanin Clay

Pat Healy

Kent Williams

Cabot

Dennis Lipscomb

Watson

Joe Dorsey

Conley

Irving Metzman

Richter

Michael Ensign

Beringer's Aide

William Bogert

Mr. Lightman

Susan Davis

Mrs. Lightman

James Tolkan

Wigan

David Clover

Stockman

Drew Snyder

Ayers

John Garber

Corporal in the Infirmary

Duncan Wilmore

Major Lem

Billy Ray Sharkey

Radar Analyst

John Spencer

Jerry

Michael Madsen

Steve

James Lemp

Commander

Gary Bisig

Deputy

Gary Sexton

Technician

Jason Bernard

Captain Knewt

Frankie Hill

Airman Fields

Jesse D. Goins

Sergeant

Alan Blumenfeld

Mr. Liggett

Len Lawson

Boys Vice Principal

Maury Chaykin

Jim Sting

Eddie Deezen

Malvin

Stephen Lee

Sgt. Schneider

Lucinda Crosby

Nurse in Infirmary

Stack Pierce

Airman

Art LaFleur

Guard

Brad David

Flight Pilot Leader

Martha Shaw

Vice Principal's Secretary

Howie Allen

Boy in Arcade

Michael Adams

Travis

James Ackerman

Joshua

Jim Harriott

Newscaster

Tom Lawrence

Sgt. Sims

Frances E. Nealy

Visitor

Charles Akins

Major Ford

Glenn Standifer

Major Wenstin

Edward Jahnke

NORAD Officer

Paul V. Picerni Jr.

Technician

William H. Macy

NORAD Officer (uncredited)

Videos and Photos

Movie Reviews

Reviews for WarGames

A Review by John Chard 7

Written by John Chard on 2020-04-26

Wanna play Global Thermonuclear War? It was with much interest to me to revisit this early 80s hacker piece armed with the knowledge of j... read more

Wanna play Global Thermonuclear War? It was with much interest to me to revisit this early 80s hacker piece armed with the knowledge of just how the advent of change in the computer world had evolved. With that in mind the film could quite easily be classed as a bit clunky due to the now almost Neanderthal toys, games and computers used in the movie, but casting aside the nostalgia feelings I had with it, it still hits the spot as both a poignant piece of interest, and a damn good thriller as well. Matthew Broderick is David Lightman, a young computer gamer geek who is something of a whizz kid on the PC. He can change his school grades and hack into various sites he shouldn't be even looking at. During one eventful sitting he hacks into a computer called Joshua and plays a game called Global Thermonuclear War, he harmlessly chooses to be The Soviet Union and proceeds to launch a nuclear attack on his own country, the U.S.A. Trouble is, is that the game is for real and the wheels are in motion for World War III!. It helps to remember the time this film was made (for those old enough of course), for it was the time of the ever worrying cloud of the Cold War, a time when nuclear war was more than a hearsay threat. I really think that in this day and age where computers literally do run our lives, this film stands up really well not only as a warning piece about messing with technology, but also as a gentle poke in the ribs about defence systems and the people we trust to run them. Though the film is a kind of watered down and accessible 2001: A Space Odyssey for the 80s set, it impacts well and only really suffers from a pointless romantic plot strand involving the sprightly Ally Sheedy (could they not just have been pals?) and the aforementioned dated gadgets. The ending to the film is excellent as the tension builds up nicely and we are left chewing our nails watching a game of Tic-Tac-Toe, sounds simple doesn't it? Not so. Good honest and intelligent entertainment. 7.5/10

A Review by GenerationofSwine 10

Written by GenerationofSwine on 2023-01-13

Ally Sheedy, whatever happened to her. When I was a little kid, I mean REALLY little she was one of the few stars I could name...and then sh... read more

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)

A Review by John Chard

A Review by John Chard 7

Written by John Chard on 2020-04-26

A Review by GenerationofSwine 10

Written by GenerationofSwine on 2023-01-13

Ally Sheedy, whatever happened to her. When I was a little kid, I mean REALLY little she was one of the few stars I could name...and then she disappeared save for a couple memorable appearances in Psy...