Review of WarGames (1983) by Grant W — 09 Jun 2008
I have so much nostalgia about this movie--plucky teenage hackers and global thermonuclear war!--that after so much time since my last viewing I'd forgotten that beyond all that it's actually a damned good movie.
Great characters, solid writing, a terrifying plot that's real in all the right places... the characters especially stand out to me upon rewatching it. There are no villains in this film, only people doing their best and failing (like all people).
The relationship between the two main characters, too, is refreshingly downplayed and real. The sequence near the end, with the missiles hitting in simple bright white circles on the screens, is still horrifyingly cold after all these years; and the symmetry between Falken wanting to teach the computer "futility"--that is, to give up and let everyone die--and the computer's final lesson in the "futility" of war itself is still touching and relevant.
This review of WarGames (1983) was written by Grant W on 09 Jun 2008.
WarGames has generally received very positive reviews.
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