WarGames
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WarGames (198?)
Review by Glenn Burgess
A chilling opening scene sets the pace for this top computers-go-bonkers film. The boy Broderick (who actually IS a boy at this time) is something of a tech-head who somehow isn't an anorak, and strikes up a bit of a thing with Ally Sheedy. Simultaneously, the US government is changing it's missile launch systems so that computers run the show instead of lots of blokes arsing about with launch verification. How are the two connected? Broderick's character has got a bit of a bad-ass computer setup in his bedroom, but of course, it's a bit retro by today's standards. Acoustic couplers, 5 1/4 inch drives, ah it takes me back... Anyway, the kiddies accidentally trigger an American thermonuclear response to soviet missiles. Except there aren't any soviet missiles. It's just a simulation. Anyway, the military doesn't like this, and it all triggers a fun series of events. For a change, a lot of the tech stuff in this film is quite feasable, and the persistence of the AI program Broderick stumbles on is chilling. Atmospheric and ace.

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