--- title: "WarGames" year: 1983 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/wargames" fi1m_id: "wargames" imdb_id: "tt0086567" tmdb_id: 860 wikidata_id: "Q504697" fi1m_score: 82 critics_score: 71 critics_reviews: 7 published: "2026-09-15" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:35.565197+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # WarGames (1983) Directed by John Badham · 1h 54m · MPA PG · Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller ## Identity WarGames - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/wargames - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** wargames - **IMDb ID:** tt0086567 - **TMDB ID:** 860 - **Wikidata ID:** Q504697 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086567/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/860, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q504697 **Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 71 from 7 reviews *In a sentence:* Nobody wants a teenager near the nuclear weapons, until we meet the adults > John Badham’s computer thriller is tense, funny and unusually good at making technical problems matter. Matthew Broderick keeps the danger believable, though the chases and some thinly written adults make it less sharp than it could be. ## Synopsis David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) is a teenage hacker whose curiosity takes him from a school computer into a defence system. What appears to be a computer game puts him at risk of starting a nuclear war. With Jennifer (Ally Sheedy), David finds himself dealing with adults and a machine, trying to make himself understood as the stakes become clear. John Badham directs this science-fiction thriller, with Dabney Coleman as McKittrick, Barry Corbin as General Beringer and John Wood as Stephen Falken. ## Review John Badham’s *WarGames* is a tense, funny thriller that makes a computer game feel capable of doing real harm. We recommend it, with some patience for the chases and the thinner adult characters. Its teenage hacker, David Lightman, gets into a defence computer and comes close to causing nuclear war. Walter F. Parkes and Lawrence Lasker’s screenplay makes his curiosity plausible even when his behaviour is reckless. He wants to find out what the machine will let him do. Matthew Broderick makes David’s cleverness attractive without making his judgement seem equally sound. His hacking of the school computer establishes the pleasure he takes in getting past restrictions, and Broderick keeps that pleasure recognisably childish. We believe he would carry on when a more cautious person might stop, which saves the thriller from needing to make him suddenly foolish. Ally Sheedy’s Jennifer is good company for him, and their ease together makes the teenage scenes worth watching even before the danger arrives. William A. Fraker’s cinematography is especially useful for its clarity: the computer business holds our attention without making the people seem incidental. Angelo P. Graham’s production design gives the equipment a reassuring authority, which helps us believe that adults would place so much trust in it. The technical detail is convincing enough to stop us looking for loopholes in the premise. Badham keeps the exchanges with the machines understandable, so the threat never requires specialist knowledge. The early list of games gave us a chill. A choice on a screen is such a small action to carry the possibility of nuclear war, and Badham lets that mismatch do the frightening work. Tom Rolf’s editing gives David’s attempts to reason with the computer enough time to be interesting, while keeping the consequences in mind. Arthur B. Rubinstein’s music supplies urgency without making David’s curiosity feel absurdly solemn. There is room for a joke, and enough control for the danger to survive it. Dabney Coleman’s McKittrick and Barry Corbin’s General Beringer are enjoyable company, but the adults are less persuasive than the teenagers. Parkes and Lasker make their resistance to David too easy to dismiss. That makes David’s efforts to reason with them entertaining, though it also lets the screenplay make its case rather easily. The actors do what they can with parts that ask for a quick, firm response when a little uncertainty might have made them more interesting. As a Cold War thriller, *WarGames* is strongest when the danger grows out of an apparently harmless encounter with technology. The later chase sequences are efficiently handled, but they are also where it becomes less distinctive. Badham gets more suspense from the computer game than from these stretches of physical pursuit, and the change feels like a concession to anyone getting restless. At 114 minutes, the film has room for them, though we would have preferred more of the uneasy computer conversations. The PG certificate should not be mistaken for an absence of anything frightening. A child need not understand the computer jargon to grasp what it means for a game to threaten real people, and the film makes that connection plainly. Watch it with a teenager who believes the adults are hopeless with technology. We would not count on winning the discussion afterwards. *Fi1m score 82, published 15 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics like WarGames, and the praise gathers in two places: the premise and Matthew Broderick. The idea of a teenager dialling into a military computer and mistaking it for a game is called irresistible more than once, and Broderick’s hacker, reasoning with adults and machines alike, is singled out throughout. John Badham gets credit for keeping a patchy script moving, and several reviews find the film holds up as a story about computer security and growing up. The reservations cluster around the ending and the adults. Empire finds the late chases and sentimental finish weaker than what precedes them; Variety thinks the grown-up characters are thin. The two coolest notices are among the oldest: The New York Times finds the climax more comic than frightening and the film unwilling to think seriously about nuclear war, and The New Yorker, enjoying the early comedy, objects to the cautionary message and to generals played as buffoons. The spread runs from warm to lukewarm, with no outright dislike. ## Straight answers **Is WarGames worth watching?** *WarGames* is worth watching for anyone who likes a tense, funny thriller in which technical problems carry real danger, and we scored it 82. Matthew Broderick keeps a reckless teenage hacker believable, and the computer scenes are the strongest part. The later chases and some thinly written adults make it less sharp than it could be. **How long is WarGames, and what is it rated?** *WarGames* runs 1h 54m and is rated PG by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and science fiction film. **Where can I watch WarGames in the US?** *WarGames* is streaming on AMC+, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and The Roku Channel in the US, and it is also available to rent from Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is WarGames, and is it suitable for children?** *WarGames* is rated PG in the UK and the US, and its fear comes from the idea of nuclear war rather than from anything violent on screen. A child need not follow the computer jargon to grasp that a game is threatening real people, and the film makes that plain. It suits older children and teenagers better than the very young. ### Reviews we read (7) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it a scary and intelligent thriller, one of the best films of the year, praising its convincing computer premise and entertaining execution that balances technical details with emotional engagement. He highlights the director's skillful weaving of computerese, personalities, and puzzles, along with a wonderful ending. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/wargames-1983) - **The AV Club**, Noel Murray (A-): The critic praises the film's blend of Cold War paranoia with timeless themes like internet security and coming of age, noting John Badham's light touch on the script. He highlights Matthew Broderick's performance as the teen hacker trying to reason with both adults and computers. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/wargames-1798204628) - **The Telegraph** (75/100, inferred): The film is tense and witty in its conclusion, with Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy working well together in the story of a hacker who nearly triggers nuclear war. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/11565327/WarGames-review-tense.html) - **Empire**, Simon Braund (70/100, inferred): The film remains a chilling techno-thriller with strong tension from the computer game premise and Matthew Broderick's performance. Later chase sequences and a sentimental ending weaken it. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/war-games-review/) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the script has short circuits but praises director John Badham for soldering it into a terrifically exciting story driven by an irresistible idea about a smart kid causing and resolving global trouble. It notes weaknesses in the adult characters but commends the performances, especially Matthew Broderick. [Read](https://variety.com/1982/film/reviews/wargames-1200425336/) - **The New Yorker**, Pauline Kael (50/100, inferred): The critic praises the sly, affectionate comedy in the first part centering on a teenage computer enthusiast who accidentally accesses a military system. She faults the film’s cautionary nuclear message and its clichéd portrayal of generals as buffoons. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1983/06/13/wrapping-it-up-2) - **The New York Times**, Vincent Canby (50/100, inferred): The review describes it as an entertaining movie that tends to disappear from memory quickly, with an irresistible initial gimmick about a kid hacking into a defense computer but notes the climax is more comic than terrifying. It suggests the film has not given enough thought to the real possibility of thermonuclear war. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/06/03/movies/wargames-a-computer-fantasy.html) ## Details - **Director:** John Badham - **Director:** John Badham - **Writer:** Lawrence Lasker, Walter F. Parkes - **Cinematography:** William A. Fraker - **Editor:** Tom Rolf - **Music:** Arthur B. Rubinstein - **Production design:** Angelo P. Graham - **Costume design:** Barry Delaney - **Producer:** Harold Schneider, Richard Hashimoto - **Cast:** Matthew Broderick as David Lightman; Dabney Coleman as McKittrick; John Wood as Stephen Falken; Ally Sheedy as Jennifer; Barry Corbin as General Beringer; Juanin Clay as Pat Healy; Kent Williams as Cabot; Dennis Lipscomb as Watson - **Runtime:** 1h 54m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG - **Release (the US):** 3 June 1983 - **Genres:** Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller - **Budget:** $12 million - **Box office:** $125 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQUsLAAZuhU ## Where to watch in the US - AMC+: streaming - Apple TV: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-15.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 1984: Best Cinematography (nominated); Best Sound (nominated); Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated) ## If you liked this - *Sneakers* (1992): Computer security becomes a human problem, with an appealingly fallible group of professionals. - *Colossus: The Forbin Project* (1970): For a colder account of people trusting military computers to make sensible decisions. - *Summer Wars* (2009), Fi1m 77: Youthful computer trouble spreads beyond the screen, with room for family comedy. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/summer-wars.md) - *Fail Safe* (1964): The nuclear threat receives sterner treatment, and the adults get no easy reassurance. - *Who Am I* (2014): Another young hacker overestimates his control, with a darker view of online belonging. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/wargames