WarGames: The Dead Code
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Movie Reviews of WarGames: The Dead Code
Movie Review: Really glad I waited to see this on TV first
Summary: 2 Stars
I have mixed feelngs about this movie, or at least what they aired on TV. I liked that R.I.P.L.E.Y. (whose acronym is never explained, to my knowledge) is tied in as an extension of the W.O.P.R. and that a character (or perhaps two, including Joshua) from the original classic is included for additional continuity. I wish they could have used the same actor and even the same voice synthesizer, but those are the least of the problems with the movie. I don't like any of the main characters who, unlike Broderick, Sheedy, Coleman, Wood, Clay, and others, are rather two-dimensional and not partcularly likeable. Worse, they who don't learn a darn thing from their experience, and end the movie as self-absorbed and self-interested as when it began. In the original David and later Jennifer realize for what they are fighting and the dire consequences of failure, and evince that understanding during their meeting with Falken at his Goose Island retreat. In this sequel the two fugitives are out to save themselves through most of the movie, and arguably up through the end as well. Even the concern the hero has for his ailing mother and the "untold-hero" story of his father seems tacked on rather than an integral part of the character or the plot.
I'll probably purchase this DVD when the price drops a bit more just to have both halves of the story, but won't watch it anywhere near as often as the first movie.
Movie Review: Both a remake and a sequel?
Summary: 2 Stars
This film holds the distinction of being the only film I have ever seen which seems to be both a remake and a sequel at once. It is presented as a sequel to the original 1983 WarGames in that it builds upon events which transpired in the original film. It comes across as a remake in that Dead Code essentially warms over the plot of the original substituting modern elements into the same storyline with an identical ending.
The many subtle references to the original film are commendable. Making a sequel with essentially the same plot and ending as the original is not. Dead Code is hardly a worthy successor to the classic original.
Movie Review: Blech
Summary: 2 Stars
One star would be too low as it had two redeeming moments, but I'm comfy with two stars. A straight to DVD film - it's obvious why it made no sense to release it to theatres. They tried to take the original film, and update the politics and technology, but didn't pull it off. A couple good ideas in the script, and a couple of good moments, but they're outnumbered by a hundred bad ideas. The ending stole too much from the original. If you loved the original then just keep your expectations low and you'll have a good time. If you're on any kind of budget, the only winning move is not to press play.
GREETINGS PROFESSOR FALKEN.
Movie Review: Just terrible...
Summary: 2 Stars
The original war game was plausible due to its simplicity. David hacked a computer and it started a game. End of story.
This one, tracking terrorists via video games, is just ridiculous.
Aside from the opening sequence, a waste of time.
Movie Review: Underdeveloped, implausible, and dull.
Summary: 1 Stars
I'm a big fan of the original WarGames, so I took a chance on this movie based on the good reviews I saw here. Now that I've seen it, I wish I had back its 100-minute run time, not to mention its overvalued release-date sticker price. From start to finish, it had the feel of something written by an amateur who has no real knowledge of the world being sketched - whether it be computers, gamers, hackers, business, law enforcement, or government. Things just happened in the movie, or became close calls, without any real reason or way of getting there. The explanations that were eventually offered for how the characters knew what they knew had potential but were ultimately ridiculous and fell short of filling the holes or making much of the technical stuff plausible. There isn't a drop of "real life" in this movie, whether it be humor, believability, or a context in which drama can unfold.
Even the action lacked any coherence. This was especially clear during the Montreal chase, when the protagonists outran cars on foot and it was not at all clear who was involved or why. It seems to me that not enough thought was put into how this might unfold in an analogous real-life situation.
The pattern followed for the plot was formulaic and not well developed: a paranoid and dystopic vision of society where the antagonists have unlimited power and reach and the protagonists are nobodys who are largely immoral (almost sociopathic) and seem to be able to whip up something out of nothing over and over again to save the day. A twist added is that the "bad guys" really don't have any power at all and ultimately look like fools with oversized egos and paychecks. This probably most of all gives me the impression of amateur writing at a young level - or perhaps a dumbing-down vector. Contrast this with the final act of the original WarGames: the antagonists get in over their heads, but they remain believable all the way through the story. The source and scope of their power and authority is never in question, nor are their motives. Each character in the movie is fully developed as a character, with personality and history that are not simply superfluous to the story but instead drive it. All of the characters, from the smallest to the stars, belong and are well-integrated into the whole. They seem like real people and we get to know them in that way.
My recommendation: save your money and wait for this movie to play on TV - preferably on a channel having commercial breaks.