When my dad, a computer science professor, decided to incorporate
computer-related movies into one of his classes this year, one of the
first films he considered was WarGames, the 1983 drama in which a
pre-Ferris Beuller Matthew Broderick hacks into a government computer
and almost starts World War III. I’d seen it years before, and as I
watched, I found that I remembered most of it. The movie is
simultaneously tense and light-hearted and includes some great dialogue
and terrific chemistry between Broderick and an equally youthful Ally
Sheedy.
Broderick plays David, a smart-alecky teen who mouths
off at teachers and doesn’t apply himself to his studies despite being
extremely intelligent. In his off time, he plays around with computers,
whether that involves racking up the points in the arcade or using the
impressive techie setup in his room to tap into programs to which he
shouldn’t have access. His classmate Jennifer, played by Sheedy, doesn’t
know the first thing about computers, but she’s attracted to David’s
quick wit and, once the righteous indignation wears off, touched by his
offer to change her failing science grade. Hence, she is with him when
he taps into what he thinks is a computer gaming company.
While
he thinks he is playing a state-of-the-art video game, he has actually
activated WOPR, a secret government computer simulating wars between
nations to calculate the repercussions on both sides. As a result, the
higher-ups, who are just getting used to this simulator, believe that
the United States is under attack. A computer expert explains the
situation, and after the evening news reports on the false alarm, David
realizes that he is responsible. What’s more, though he tries to shut
down the program, the computer insists upon finishing the game, a fact
that officials refuse to acknowledge when they bring him in for
questioning. It’s up to one clever kid and his plucky sidekick to
convince the government not to strike against the Soviet Union. If he
doesn’t stop them from taking defensive measures in time, the results
will be apocalyptic.
It’s very scary to think that a tech-savvy
teenager could bring the world to the brink of accidental nuclear war.
The scenario is just shy of realistic, yet it certainly has enough
believable elements to make it compelling viewing. Watching this will
teach viewers a few important lessons. Never write your password down
and tape it next to the computer – especially if you are a high school
principal. Never use a single word as entry into your computer –
especially if that computer happens to be capable of setting off a major
international conflict. And chiefly, never allow a computer such power
in the first place. Incidentally, aside from all these fairly obvious
lessons, the movie also taught me a nifty way of eating corn on the cob
that I had never before encountered. Butter a piece of bread, then wrap
the bread around the corn and you’ll have a uniformly buttered cob
without a lot of dripping. Of course, you also have a spare piece of
bread lying around, but still, I was happy with the results when I tried
it.
Because of my dad’s profession, computers have always been a
part of my life, even as far back as this movie’s release. In the
nearly hour-long making-of documentary, Broderick talks about how this
movie exposed many people to the idea of home computers for the first
time. I remember the black screen and the command prompts, as well as
the kick I got out of having a “conversation” with the computer in which
I typed and it talked back. For me, then, seeing the now clunky-looking
technology in David’s room was a nice nostalgia blast.
Another
thing that the documentary mentions is that originally, screenwriters
Lawrence Lasker and Walter Parkes envisioned John Lennon portraying
Falken, the reclusive genius who created the WOPR and whose aid David
seeks after he breaks out of NORAD, the government facility where WOPR
is housed. Instead, John Wood plays Falken, and the creepiest part of
the movie occurs when he hollowly tells the teens of the futility of
their efforts as a film about the extinction of the dinosaurs plays in
the background. Wood’s morose maturity balances out their vibrant
urgency; he has the gravitas and expertise to convince the government
that David speaks the truth, while it’s up to David and Jennifer to
persuade the bereaved programmer that human existence is worth
preserving.
While the main plot involves David’s quest, we also
periodically check in with NORAD, where the chief characters are Dabney
Coleman’s McKittrick, a snappish official who is all for taking missiles
out of the hands of the humans and turning over as much responsibility
to the computer as possible, and Barry Corbin’s General Beringer, who’s
not too keen on WOPR and whose colorful, homespun exclamations add
levity to most of the movie’s darkest moments.
Keeping the
primary focus on the teenagers helps to lighten the movie’s mood, so
while this is a high-concept film with a truly unsettling premise, it’s
also fun to watch. As annoying as David can be in the presence of
authority figures, he’s mostly the kind of guy you want to root for, and
Sheedy, who I mostly know from her wonderful turn as batty animal lover
Stephanie in Short Circuit, simply shines alongside Broderick.
If you’ve never seen this commentary on the dangers of giving computers
too much control, now is a good time to play WarGames.
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