The Flick

When “War Games” came out in 1983 I was playing “Missile Command” on my Atari, typing away on my Commodore 64, and reading about my favorite games in Antic Magazine. Needless to say, after seeing “War Games” I was totally consumed by computer culture, and this flick was the holy grail. I dreamed of one day owning my very own Imsai 8080 computer that I could use to hack into Atari’s database so that I could play their games. This film influenced a generation of hackers and this 25th anniversary DVD is a disc that I’ve been waiting to get my nostalgic hands on.

This classic follows David Lightman (Matthew Broderick), a student that cares more about playing video games than concentrating on his school work. Suddenly he catches the eye of cutie Jennifer (Ally Sheedy) and has even less time to worry about petty things like school, but that’s not a big deal because after they start hanging out David hacks into the school’s computer and changes his grades. Soon after that he hacks into what he thinks is a game company so that he can play some beta versions of a few new games, only the game company is a front for the governments War computer the WOPR. It doesn’t take long for the government to catch on and send men to pick up David, but by that time the computer has launched a war simulation that may or may not be a simulation. In order for David to get out of the mess he’s gotten himself into, he has to track down the WOPR’s programer Dr. Stephen Falken and do his best to stop world war 3. Hell yeah!

This flick kicks major ass! The actors are top notch, ally Sheedy is cute and sexy, and the Imsai 8080 rocks. This is one of the few movies that while dated, not only still holds up, but seems to get better with every viewing. If by some miracle of fate you’ve never seen this flick then rush to the nearest video store and pick this one up ASAP because this is most definitely a killer film.

The DVD

Video: The transfer looks great, quite a bit better than the last release!

Audio: The sound is much better than the previous release of this film moving to a 5.1 surround format.

Special Features

"Commentary:" - The prerequisite commentary track is included here and is a carry over from the previous release. I really enjoyed listening to the director and writers talk about the making of this classic film.

“Loading WarGames Documentary” - A very entertaining look at the making of the film, including interviews with cast and crew, storyboards, and much, much more. This was my favorite extra on the disc and a must have for fans of the movie.

“Attack of the Hackers Featurette” - This is a well done look at the world of hacking and the films impact on the hacker community. Really cool look into the world of hacking.

“Inside NORAD: Cold War Fortress Featurette:- A short visit with some of the cast as well as actual military personnel that work at NORAD. Not my favorite feature, but still quite interesting.

“Tic Tac Toe: A True Story Featurette” - A short look into the game that plays such a pivotal role in the film. It’s pretty funny and short enough to keep my attention.

“Interactive Superpower Weapons Briefing Gallery”- This is a pretty cool feature, a gallery with killer menu. You can check out weapons that are actually used by the military.

“Sneak Peak at WarGames - The Dead Code” - A look at the direct-to-DVD sequel. It didn’t look like it could hold a candle to this flick, but might be worth checking out if your bored. It was released at the same time as this disc.

“Original Theatrical Trailer” - I don’t usually enjoy watching the trailers, but this one was fun to revisit.

Overall this is a solid DVD with tons for any fan of “WarGames.”