Would You Like To Play A Game?
War Games, the 1983 film that had kids all over America dreaming of cracking government computers, has finally spawned a sequel. I watched War Games: The Dead Code
I was worried early on…the first part of the movie has the feel of a second-rate remake or reboot more than a sequel. But eventually the plot heads back to the original source material and brings it up to date nicely.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s still a lot of silliness in this movie–like the McGyver moment when Will ‘invents’ a WiFI antenna from a Pringles can, and his friends act like he’s just invented the wheel. And the premise that get’s Will in trouble in the first place — an autonomous government computer system identifies terrorists and executes them based on how well they play a computer game — is utterly preposterous. Sort of like locking up people who are good at Grand Theft Auto. And the frequent World of Warcraft references may help sell this movie to most viewers, but they are more likely to induce groans from the more online-savvy viewers this movie will appeal to most.
But overall, this movie works. Even the special effects and action scenes are well done. And, without giving too much away, several characters from the original movie play significant roles in The Dead Code.
I’m sure the plot holes and occasionally weak dialog could have been tightened up a lot with a bigger budget, and it’s unfortunate that this movie was made for DVD instead. But it’s still a decent movie worth watching — and a must-see for any fan of the original.
Buy On Amazon: War Games: The Dead Code
