WarGames was made in 1983 and is now 26 years old the movie was a box office success costing only $12 million but grossing over $74 million after five months in the United States.   The film was nominated for three Academy Awards.   A sequel WarGames The Dead Code was released direct to DVD on July 29 2008.  The film begins during a secret simulation of a nuclear attack, in one of the missile silo bunkers one of two United States Air Force officers is unwilling to turn a required key to launch a missile strike.  After this incident command of the missile silos is taken over by  NORAD and its supercomputer  WOPR which is programmed to predict possible outcomes of nuclear war.  We then see David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) a bright but unmotivated Seattle high school student and computer hacker.   After he receives a failing grade in school, he uses his home  microcomputer and modem to hack into the schools computer system using an unsecured password.   He then changes his grade and does the same for his friend and classmate Jennifer Mack (Ally Sheedy).   David sees an advertisement for some forthcoming computer games and has his computer dial every number in Sunnyvale California, in an attempt to find its system.   When reviewing the results he finds one system does not identify itself which he finds intriguing.   After trying a few commands he succeeds in finding a list of games starting with general strategy games like chess, checkers and poker More intrigued than ever Lightman continues to try to hack into the system without success.   Lightman enlists the help of an older hacker who explains the concept of a backdoor password and suggests tracking down Falken referenced in Falken’s Maze the first game listed.   Lightman finds out everything there is to know about Stephen Falken and learns that Falken had a son,  Joshua and subsequently uses his name as a password to gain access to the unidentified system.    Unknown to David he is actually connected to WOPR the super computer in the Cheyenne Mountain military complex.  WOPR was originally programmed in part by Falken to run simulations on various war fighting scenarios and attempt to find winning strategies.   The list of games Lightman found were the various scenarios.   David  starts a game of Global Thermonuclear War playing as the Soviet Union selecting Las Vegas and his home town of Seattle as first strike targets.   WOPR starts running a simulation of a missile attack on the NORAD displays,   leading the human military personnel to believe that actual Soviet nuclear missiles are inbound.   Dr John McKittrick (Dabney Coleman) and his staff determine that WOPR is running a simulation and defuse the situation,  they find the old phone line and backdoor password and remove them to ensure the event does not reoccur.   However unknown to NORAD WOPR continues to run the simulation in an attempt to trigger the scenario and win the game.   WOPR continuously feeds false data such as Soviet bomber incursions and submarines deployments to the humans at NORAD making them think their under attack which intern forces them to raise the DEFCON level and pushing them toward a retaliation that will start World War III.  News of the events leaks out to the media and Lightman learns the true nature of his actions he is soon tracked down and arrested by the FBI and taken to NORAD.   David under escort arrives at Cheyenne Mountain and sees all the alarms on their screens and realizes that WOPR is behind them.   He tries to tell this to McKittrick but he doesn’t believe him and when he leaves to discuss the issue with his colleges  David tries to talk to WOPR from a computer in McKittricks office but is discovered and taken away and locked up in the infirmary.  David uses his head and manages to escape from the infirmary and is able to leave NORAD by blending in with a tourist group.  Now free and wanted David phones Jennifer for help and together they find Falken (John Wood) who retired after the deaths of his wife and son and now lives under a new identity.  The teenagers convince Falken that he should return to NORAD to attempt to stop WOPR.  David, Jennifer and Falken manage to gain entrance to the Cheyenne Mountain facility before it is locked down and convince General Beringer (Barry Corbin) to cancel the counterstrike.  At this point WOPR attempts to launch the missiles its self and searches for the launch code to launch the missiles,  without humans in the silos as a safeguard  WOPR could trigger a mass launch.    Attempts to dissuade WOPR prove useless and the computer clearly has no understanding of the difference between its games and real life.  Disaster is narrowly averted when David directs WOPR to play tic tac toe against itself, resulting in a long string of draws forcing the computer to learn the concept of futility. WOPR cracks the missile code but before launching it cycles through all the nuclear war scenarios it has devised finding they all result in stalemates due to mutual assured destruction. WOPR observes that the only winning move is not to play. WOPR then casually offers to play a nice game of chess and relinquishes control of NORAD and the missiles.

Matthew Broderick

Matthew Broderick is an American actor who is best known for his role as the title character in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.   His films include WarGames (1983), Ladyhawke (1985), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), Project X (1987), Biloxi Blues (1988), Family Business (1989), Glory (1989), The Freshman (1990), The Road to Wellville (1994), The Cable Guy (1996), Addicted to Love (1997), Godzilla (1998), inspector Gadget (1999), You Can Count on Me (2000), The Stepford Wives (2004),     The Producers (2005) and Finding Amanda (2008).   He has appeared in episodes of Frasier, Freedom A History of Us and 30 Rock and has also lent his voice to animated films The Princess and the Cobbler (1993), The Lion King (1994), Bee Movie (2007) and The Tale of Despereaux (2008).

Ally Sheedy

Ally Sheedy is an American actress her films include Bad Boys (1983), WarGames (1983), Oxford Blues (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), St. Elmo’s Fire (1985), Blue City (1986), Short Circuit (1986), Maid to Order (1987), Heart of Dixie (1989), Betsy’s Wedding (1990), Only the Lonely (1991), Home Alone 2 Lost in New York (1992), The Pickle (1993), Man’s Best Friend (1993), One Night Stand (1995), Groupies (1997), High Art (1998), Sugar Town (1999), Happy Here and Now (2002), Shelter Island (2003, Shooting Livien (2005) and Harold (2008).   She has appeared in TV series such as St Elsewhere, Hill Street Blues, Red Shoe Diaries, The Outer Limits, Oz, CSI Crime Scene Investigation, Kyle XY and Psych.

Dabney Coleman

Dabney Coleman is an American actor his films include The Slender Thread (1965), This Property Is Condemned (1966), The Trouble with Girls (1969), Cinderella Liberty (1973), The Towering Inferno (1974), Bite the Bullet (1975), Midway (1976), Nine to Five (1980), Tootsie (1982), WarGames (1983), The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), The Man with One Red Shoe (1985), Dragnet (1987), Meet the Applegates (1990), The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), Inspector Gadget (1999), Stuart Little (1999), The Climb (2002), Where the Red Fern Grows (2003, Domino (2005) and Hard Four (2007).   He has appeared in TV series such as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Fugitive, I Dream of Jeannie, Bonanza, Ironside, Columbo, Kojak, Police Story, Quincy M.E and Law & Order Special Victims Unit.

John Wood

John Wood is an English actor his films include Stolen Face (1952), The Challenge (1960), The Rebel (1961), Live Now Pay Later (1962), Just for Fun (1963), Which Way to the Front? (1970), Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), Somebody Killed Her Husband (1978), WarGames (1983), Ladyhawke (1985), Lady Jane (1986), Jumpin’ Jack Flash (1986), Orlando (1992), The Young Americans (1993), Shadowlands (1993), The Madness of King George (1994), Sabrina (1995), Jane Eyre (1996), The Gambler (1997), The Avengers (1998), Mad Cows (1999), The Little Vampire (2000), The Body (2001), The Rocket Post (2004) and The White Countess (2005).   He has appeared in TV series such as The Avengers, Hondo, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Kavanagh QC, Foyle’s War and Lewis.

Barry Corbin

Barry Corbin is an American actor his films include Urban Cowboy (1980), Stir Crazy (1980), Any Which Way You Can (1980), Honkytonk Man (1982), WarGames (1983), My Science Project (1985), Nothing in Common (1986), Under Cover (1987), Critters 2 The Main Course (1988), Who’s Harry Crumb? (1989), Ghost Dad (1990), Career Opportunities (1991), Solo (1996), Timequest (2000), The Gristle (2001), Waitin’ to Live (2002), Blackwater Elegy (2003), Yesterday’s Dreams (2005), The Dukes of Hazzard (2005), Beautiful Dreamer (2006), No Country for Old Men (2007), Beer for My Horses (2008) and That Evening Sun (2009).   He has appeared in TV series such as M*A*S*H, Hart to Hart, Boone, Hill Street Blues, Dallas, The A Team, Murder She Wrote, Northern Exposure, The Magnificent Seven, Spin City, JAG, Walker Texas Ranger and The Unit.

Michael Madsen

Michael Madsen is an American actor his films include WarGames (1983), The Natural (1984), The Killing Time (1987), Shadows in the Storm (1988), Kill Me Again (1989), The Doors (1991), Thelma & Louise (1991), Beyond the Law (1992), Reservoir Dogs (1992), Fatal Instinct (1992), Free Willy (1993), The Getaway (1994), Wyatt Earp (1994), Species (1995), Free Willy 2 The Adventure Home (1995), Mulholland Falls (1996), Donnie Brasco (1997), Species II (1998), The Florentine (1999), The Alternate (2000), The Ghost (2001), James Bond Die Another Day (2002), Kill Bill Vol 1 (2003), Kill Bill Vol 2 (2004), Sin City (2005), Scary Movie 4 (2006), Strength and Honour (2007), Deep Winter (2008) and The Portal (2009).   He has appeared in TV series such as St Elsewhere, Cagney & Lacey, Miami Vice, Crime Story, War and Remembrance, Tour of Duty and Quantum Leap.

Maury Chaykin

Maury Chaykin is an American Canadian actor his films include Double Negative (1980), Death Hunt (1981), WarGames (1983), Mrs. Soffel (1984), Wild Thing (1987), ron Eagle II (1988), Twins (1988), Millennium (1989), Dances with Wolves (1990), The Pianist (1991), My Cousin Vinny (1992), Sommersby (1993), Beethoven’s 2nd (1993), Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), Cutthroat Island (1995), Gone Fishin’ (1997), A Life Less Ordinary (1997), Mousehunt (1997), The Mask of Zorro (1998), Entrapment (1999), The Art of War (2000), Hostage (2002), Intern Academy (2004), Heavens Fall (2006), Hooked on Speedman (2008) and Adoration (2008).   He has appeared in TV series such as The Twilight Zone, Due South, Lexx, Andromeda, CSI Crime Scene Investigation, Stargate SG 1, Boston Legal and Entourage.

Art LaFleur

Art LaFleur is an American character actor his films include Any Which Way You Can (1980), Cannery Row (1982), Big Ball (1983), WarGames (1983), Unfaithfully Yours (1984), City Heat (1984), Trancers (1985), The Man with One Red Shoe (1985), Cobra (1986), Rampage (1987), The Wrong Guys (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), Air America (1990), Death Warrant (1990), Oscar (1991), Trancers II (1991), Forever Young (1992), The Sandlot (1993), Maverick (1994), Man of the House (1995), First Kid (1996), Running Time (1997), Last Chance (1999), The Santa Clause 2 (2002), Hostage (2005), The Santa Clause 3 The Escape Clause (2006) and Speed Racer (2008).   He has appeared in TV series such as Charlie’s Angels, M*A*S*H, The Incredible Hulk, The A Team, Hill Street Blues, Northern Exposure, Tales from the Crypt, Renegade, Baywatch, The Magnificent Seven, ER and Cold Case.

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