Matthew Broderick Sets Off a Dangerous Game in WarGames

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.

Stick with Nick

I'm not even sure if Nickelodeon still runs the animated series Inspector Gadget, but if it does, watch that instead. I grew up on that show, with its clueless hero, his brainiac dog and niece, and his poor chief who always managed to get himself blown up. It was cute, it was funny, it was a good cartoon. But Disney seems to have a recent trend in turning good cartoons into bad movies. Inspector Gadget is the latest example of this phenomenon.

Matthew Broderick stars as John Brown, a police officer wannabe who, after an unsuccessful attempt to catch murderer Dr. Claw (Rupert Everett), has his body destroyed by a car explosion and is provided a new one by the pretty scientist Brenda Bradford (Joley Fischer) whose father was the victim of the murder. The body comes equipped with a myriad of gadgets, and these are what will be used to catch Dr. Claw and bring him to justice.

As usual, Penny has a lot more to do with catching the bad guy than the Inspector does; he bumbles his way through most of the movie, causing physical harm to many and laying waste to a good deal of the town. Brain has little to do with this movie as a cute beagle who spends most of his time tucked under Penny's arm. Taking Brain's place in importance is the Gadgetmobile, a wisecracking car who is most responsible for the apprehension of the bad guys.

A cast of supporting dodos rounds out this movie, from SNL veteran Cheri Oteri as the thoroughly annoying mayor to Andy Dick as Claw's wimpy mad scientist assistant. Instead of the menacing, never-seen presence that Dr. Claw presents in the cartoon, the movie version is goony at best. And his imitation Inspector Gadget, who looks little like Broderick except for the clothes, goes beyond obnoxious as a menace to society. Cartoony action and bad slapstick are the order of the day, but it was done so poorly that I only found myself chuckling a couple times.

This movie had very few redeeming qualities that I could see. Yes, the gadgets were kind of cool, but I'd much rather see them in cartoon form on the clueless inspector I grew to love, excellently voiced by Don Adams. My advice to you: skip this movie and find some old episodes of the animated series instead. It's much funnier and not nearly as disgusting.