WARGAMES THE MOVIE
March 30, 2009
I’m actually probably not such a good person to talk about movies since I don’t watch many. Which is odd because I rarely end up disliking them. I actually rarely dislike anything at all I guess; the equivalent for me is more just not liking things enough to really care about them.
Anyway, my brother has the TV on pretty much constantly when he’s around and I never feel like fighting him over it so I ended up watching a movie called War Games tonight. It’s pretty obviously from the ’80s, with a slight sci-fi bent most obvious in the main character (played by Matthew Broderick) having a relatively attractive girlfriend in high school. Other than that, though, he’s pretty relatable even now; pretty smart, but underachieving and more interested in enjoying himself.
As for the overall plot, it’s another movie with a message about nuclear war, but not only will I not compare it to Dr. Strangelove (which is probably my favorite movie ever), I have to say it’s pretty enjoyable in its own right despite being blatantly preachy and incredibly absurd. There’s basically not a single plot point that’s remotely believable, at least to anyone who knows anything about computers or AI. The best part is at the climax when they’re shouting at the computer to just LEARN.
Then, of course, it does.
Even though nothing that happens in the entire film stands out as particularly believable, it’s still pretty enjoyable once you start suspending disbelief. It’s got a classic ’80s charm and feels pretty well-paced. It’s also really light on special effects (if there are really any at all, I don’t think I particularly noticed any) and has some fantastic sets, particularly the expansive NORAD they built, with all sorts of lightning and what I’m pretty sure is an incredible number of computer screens for a 25-year-old movie.
