War Games (1983)

(source)

According to my doctor friends I should have been well a long time ago if I didn't go out when I was about to be healed.  Since I'm still under the weather, I tried my best to get useful.  Now, I am watching WAR GAMES. I was still in High School when I watched this the first time when geeky looking Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy were still so very young like me.  It was a box office hit.  When I watched it the first time, I was so impressed, but right now, a lot of things that happening in the movie look so goofy.  I think everything looked like Atari blips that time.  With the technology nowadays, everything just look like child's play.  Maybe that's why David and Jennifer thought they were just playing when they almost caused a war.  The film has lots of goofs that we notice today, of course, but even so, being shown 32 years ago, this was considered to be very hi-tech(the geeks noticed it then, but normal viewers like us were in awe).  Before filming it took three to four years of careful research and I think that's why it earned a lot, besides the acting and direction, I mean.

2008 poster or DVD cover

Directed by John Badham

Written by Lawrence Lasker, Walter F. Parkes and Walon Green

High school student David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) unwittingly hacks into a military supercomputer while searching for new video games. After starting a game of Global Thermonuclear War, Lightman leads the supercomputer to activate the nation's nuclear arsenal in response to his simulated threat as the Soviet Union. Once the clueless hacker comes to his senses, Lightman, with help from his girlfriend (Ally Sheedy), must find a way to alert the authorities to stop the onset of World War III.-WWW

Cast from Wikipedia

• Matthew Broderick as David Lightman  (20 years old when filming. 21 when it was released.  He played a 17-year old intelligent kid who was an underachiever)
• Dabney Coleman as Dr. John McKittrick
• John Wood as Dr. Stephen Falken and the voice of Joshua/WOPR
• Ally Sheedy as Jennifer Mack  (Same age as Matthew)
• Barry Corbin as General Jack Beringer
• Juanin Clay as Pat Healy
• Dennis Lipscomb as Watson
• Joe Dorsey as Col. Joe Conley
• Michael Ensign as Beringer's Assistant
• William Bogert as Mr. Lightman
• John Spencer as Capt. Jerry Lawson
• Michael Madsen as Lt. Steve Phelps
• Alan Blumenfeld as Mr. Liggett
• Maury Chaykin as Jim Sting
• Eddie Deezen as Malvin
• Art LaFleur as Guard (Sgt. Ginzberg)
• Stack Pierce as Airman
• Stephen Lee as Sgt. Schneider
• Jesse D. Goins as Sergeant (as Jesse Goins)
• James Ackerman as Joshua Falken