Wargames (UK)
Click to read:
Is it a game, or is it real?
Certificate: PG
Running Time: 108 mins
Retail Price: £12.99
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie
Synopsis:
Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy star in this compelling drama filled with action, suspense and high-tech adventures! Featuring superb performances by Dabney Coleman and Barry Corbin, Wargames is brilliant... funny... and provocative - a fast-paced, cyber-thriller.
Computer hacker David Lightman can bypass the most advanced security systems, break the most intricate secret codes and master even the most difficult computer games. But when he unwittingly taps into the Defense Department`s war computer, he initiates a confrontation of global proportions - World War III. Together with his girlfriend and a wizardly computer genius, David must race against time to outwit his opponent...and prevent a nuclear Armageddon.
Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Feature length audio commentary by director John Badham and writers Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes
Booklet containing triva and production notes
Original Theatrical Trailer
Video Tracks:
Widescreen Letterbox 1.85:1
Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Subtitle Tracks:
French
CC: German
Italian
Swedish
English
Spanish
German
CC: English
Portuguese
Dutch
Danish
Norwegian
Directed By:
John Badham
Written By:
Walter F. Parkes
Lawrence Lasker
Starring:
Barry Corbin
Ally Sheedy
John Wood
Dabney Coleman
Matthew Broderick
Casting By:
Wallis Nicita
Soundtrack By:
Arthur B. Rubinstein
Director of Photography:
William A. Fraker
Editor:
Tom Rolf
Costume Designer:
Barry Francis Delaney
Production Designer:
Angelo P. Graham
Producer:
Harold Schneider
Richard Hashimoto
Executive Producer:
Leonard Goldberg
Distributor:
Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Your Opinions and Comments
Wargames is directed by John Badham who is known for movies like Saturday Night Fever, Dracula, Blue Thunder (the great helicopter movie starring Roy Scheider and Malcolm McDowell), Stakeout, Another Stakeout, Bird On A Wire, The Hard Way and Short Circuit. The cast is gathered from actors like Matthew Broderick "David Lightman" who is usually quite funny, Ally Sheedy, Dabney Coleman and John Wood.
Well, the story is a bit thin, but not as simple as it may sound and it goes something like this: Lightman kid unknowingly hacks into Government super-computer and plays a "game" of global-thermonuclear war, unwittingly setting the ball rollings towards World War 3. So, next Matthew gets into trouble with the Government, agents and all that kind of things. Then in the end he`s gotta face the "Joshua" and stop the computer with the "Tic Tac Toe" game before it starts the real global-thermonuclear war.
The Wargames became actually very popular movie in the summer of 83 and it earned about $75 million at the boxoffice, which must have been a quite a suprise, because the budjet of this movie was low the average. So it`s a good movie, but do we get among with the MGM`s dvd disc.
It`s got a interesting 8-page booklet with trivia and production notes and a nice looking disc, which holds a good audio commentary by director John Badham and writers Lawrence Lasker / Walter F.Parkes (I had some expectations about this commentary and luckily I can tell you that it was worth of listening) + theatrical trailer.
The video transfer is ok, with a 1.85:1 widescreen, but it looks quite old and the colors are a bit lousy and the sharpness is missing. Sure it`s a better format than Vhs, but not the best looking transfer. The audio quality manages to get better points, because the soundtrack is Dolby Digital 5.1 and Rubinstein`s funny music sounds clear. The menus are silent, with nice looking scene selection and overall the transfer is quite ok. The weakness of this disc is the amount of extra features, but then again many disc`s doesn`t have even theatrical trailer, so what can I say, ask MGM to make Special Edition of this movie.
28llimaH[at]moc.liamtoh