Wargames - 4K Blu-ray Review

Movie
Wargames is the epitome of the “right place, right time” fairy tale story. The film had been in the pipeline for the better part of 10 years, but just happened to get produced and finished right in time for the cold war hype of the 1980s. Dropping right as tensions were rising in 1983s, the film captivated scared audiences with the inevitability and futility of nuclear war, using the backdrop of an AI computer system along with the Soviet Union rattling sabers to get its anti-war message across. Not only that, but it starred Matthew Broderick in his first leading role 3 scant years before he shot to superstardom with Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Looking back at the film today it seems sort of quaint and weakly acted (Matthew Broderick had only a single TV episode and a supporting character role under his belt before being cast for Wargames), but my goodness, this was such a part of growing up in the 1980s that it’s hard to deny the sheer cult status that the film commands. And, I will fully admit this, is still a fun watch even today. Sort of like 1960s and 1950s Disney live action films, they’re a product of the time, but the ability of to still influence and be enjoyed some 60 years later is something one can not deny.

David (Matthew Broderick) is a brilliant kid who is a bit TOO bright for his own good (sound familiar? Bueller? Bueller? Anyone?). He amuses himself by using his hacking skills (as a computer tech for years, watching “hacking” in 1980s and 1990s films is absolutely painful) to change his grades at his High School, and tries to download information about a new video game system coming out by browsing around their network. Unfortunately for him, he accidentally taps into a military Artificial Intelligence mainframe that happens to host a war games A.I. whose sole purpose is to run war games simulations so that the U.S. Government could properly prepare for unthought of scenarios from other nuclear powers around the globe.

Accidentally triggering the A.I. into thinking that he’s the owner of the system, David and his girlfriend Jennifer (Ally Sheedy) find that they’ve turned the computer’s hidden mode on, which now has it thinking that it’s playing a “game”, only a much larger scale. Now the computer has the entire military believing that the world is going to end by nuclear war, and it’s up to David and Jennifer to find the original creator (played by John Wood) of the machine so that it can be disabled before the world goes up in a ball of radiation and flame.

Wargames is undeniably a fun movie. Sure it’s cheesy and deals with creaky old cold war era tropes and cliches, but it’s a taught thriller that keeps true to it’s PG roots. Matthew Broderick is solid as David, but he hasn’t really come into his own yet either. Charisma is good, but his performance is a little stilted and rocky, as Broderick had not fine tuned his personas just yet. However, the rest of the cast is running on ball bearings and smooth as glass. The film is nail bitter from beginning to end, and outside of painfully outdated views of hacking and cold war relations, is a blast to watch.




Rating:

Rated PG by the MPAA




4K Video: Video:

Wargames was given a new 4K remaster from the negative, and the results are quite striking. Wargames has always been a very textured and soft looking film across all the home video releases I’ve seen, and this new 4K image is pretty much another iteration of that, just with better details and stronger colors. The transfer is very filmic, with plenty of natural grain and some very VERY nice detail levels in outdoor shots. The film can be very dark and dim looking a lot of the time, and the optical effects shown throughout give a slightly soft look to the picture. Something that is still present in this new 2160p image. That being said, this is by no means a bad transfer. It’s head and shoulders above the Blu-ray release (the blu-ray included in here appears to be using the new master, instead of the old MGM release repackaged).

The Dolby Vision color grading is quite nice as well, making that dim movie ever so much more appealing. Crush is still present in small amounts, but banding is pretty much gone along with some really nice shadow details with those silky blacks. I also noticed that the over brightening from the MGM is tamed as well ( a common effect of HDR style application). Colors are not going to super pop off the screen simply due to how it was shot and graded originally, but things like a red shirt or a blue background are richer and more vibrant in smaller upgrades. All around a great looking tranfer.







Audio:

Shout Factory opted to keep the same 5.1 DTS-HD MA track from the 2012 Blu-ray, and thus retains the same 4/5 rated score I gave it a decade ago. Supposedly released in Dolby Stereo, the 5.1 mix is either an upgrade, OR take from a 70mm 6 channel score that was supposedly out there. Either way the 5.1 DTS-HD MA track is a solid performer all around. Bass is solid, with some heavy moments when the simulated explosions go off, or the rumble of a logging truck passing by while David is on the phone. Surrounds get some moderate use effects there, as well as ambient noises. Dialog is crisp and cleanly located up front like you’d expect with no major signs of distortion. It’s not going to be a wildly dynamic mix, but certainly ticks off all the check boxes to make a good one.








Extras:

• Audio Commentary By Director John Badham And Writers Lawrence Lasker And Walter F. Parkes
• "Loading WarGames"
• "Inside NORAD: Cold War Fortress"
• "Attack Of The Hackers"
• "Tic Tac Toe: A True Story"
• Theatrical Trailer










Like most 1980s films, Wargames is very much an anti-war film with a heavy handed message, but also light hearted and fairly agile with it’s messages. The military is seen as aggressive and only looking out for themselves, and the scientists and civilians are usually the only one with a brain. HOWEVER, it’s still a wonderfully fun bit of action/sci-fi/thriller history and Shout Factory’s Blu-ray release is a very nice package. Same extras and audio mix as the old Blu-ray, but a very impressive looking upgrade to 2160p with some nifty cover art. Recommended as a fun watch.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, John Wood, Dabney Coleman, Barry Corbin
Directed by: John Badham
Written by: Lawrence Lasker, Walter F. Parkes, Walon Green
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 HEVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Shout Factory
Rated: PG
Runtime: 113 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: December 22nd, 2022