In the 1980's, the realisation that computers will soon play an extremely important role in everyday life was becoming more and more evident. This idea was treated with excitement, curiosity, and fear - people genuinely did not know how powerful they would become, but they were certainly fearful of it. Cinema explored this fear in successful films such as The Terminator (1984), which depicted a future where humans were locked into a battle with robots, and Tron (1982), in which a character is sucked into a game where he is forced to battle with the computer to survive. Never had the capabilities of computers been so realistically portrayed than in WarGames, a film that introduced the world to home computers, hacking, and how humanity can be replaced by machines (as well as the idea that nuclear destruction is still a threat).

When two missile controllers fail to launch a missile during a test launch due to uncertainty, government bigwig McKittrick (Dabney Coleman) introduces his superiors to WOPR (War Operation Plan Response), a giant super-computer that repeatedly plays games with itself to generate stats and results of possible nuclear war outcomes. The operation is given the go-ahead, and workers find themselves replaced by this metallic super- brain, that will deal with any potential nuclear threat to the US. High school punk David (Matthew Broderick) is a highly intelligent computer- obsessive who uses his hacking skills to change his grades on his high school system. When he learns that a company is releasing new breakthrough games in California, he scans the area for computers in order to hack into their mainframe. He stumbles upon a computer that lists many strange war games, including 'Global Thermonuclear War'. He begins a game, choosing to be Russia, but unbeknownst to him, he is actually playing WOPR who is playing the game for real. Soon David is brought in by the FBI who suspect him of working with the Russians, while the threat of global nuclear destruction lingers as WOPR carries on playing the 'game'.

I viewed this film quite often when I was a child as I owned the VHS, but admittedly the film went over my head somewhat and I found it quite boring. Watching it now, I was shocked to find out this is a very good film, and it makes for a gripping adult thriller, while maintaining that 1980's kids-film-feel. The technical aspects shown on screen are extremely well-researched, and David's hacking activities make for exciting and interesting viewing. It's also fascinating to see the early giant, clunky computers of the 1980's and an early portrayal of the Internet. Overall, this is a highly entertaining thriller that is well acted, scripted and filmed (and even received three Academy Award nominations), and has plenty of those nostalgic qualities for us children of the 80's.

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In Seattle, the teenager David (Matthew Broderick) is a lazy but bright student that prefers to hack and change his grades in the high-school computer than study. One day, David's best friend Jennifer (Ally Sheedy) is with him and he decides to hack the toy company Protovision seeking new games and he accidentally connects the War Operation Plan Response system in a computer located at the North American Aerospace (NORAD) at Birmingham using the password Joshua that was the name of the son of its creator, the deceased scientist Stephen Falken (John Wood).

David challenges the computer to play a Global Thermonuclear War game between USA and the Soviet Union. Sooner he realizes that the computer is playing for real and the United States of America is changing its condition to DEFCON 1 in a game with no winners.

"Wargames" is one of my favorite films of the 80's and despite the Cold War, it is nostalgic to watch again a period with little violence in the world and how life was easier, flying in a plane is just as one good example that we can see in this film. Hollywood still was able to make good movies based on great original stories. Matthew Broderick was an amazing promising actor with "Ladyhawke" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and the hacker David is ahead of time. Ally Sheedy shows her charm, lovely smile and a great chemistry with Broderick.

"Wargame" has a witty and funny story with a magnificent message in times of Cold War that is highlighted in the very end: "The Only Winning Move (in a nuclear war) Is not to Play". Fortunately most of the Powers that Be of the world has finally understood this message with the end of the Cold War. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Jogos de Guerra" ("War Games")

Young computer hacker David (Matthew Broderick) accesses a top secret supercomputer which controls US nuclear missiles. He sets out to play a game only to discover that it actually set in motion thermal nuclear war. He and new girlfriend Jennifer (Ally Sheedy) must stop the march to nuclear warfare.

This is the granddaddy of computer hacking movies. For such an early computer movie, it's relatively reasonable. However the escape from NORAD detention seems way too easy. That and other simplifications could be overlooked. This remains the best of early computer hacking movies.

Broderick and Sheedy have an easy chemistry. They work well together as a teen couple. They were tops of the teen brat pack. Then they put a couple of veteran actors Dabney Coleman and Barry Corbin to anchor the other side. With the good acting and the realistic hacking, it is not only groundbreaking but a really fun watch.