Given the advancements we’ve seen in technology in the 36 years since the thriller was released, it may seem kind of silly for the plot to center on a video game that serves as a backdoor into a weapon system that can start World War III, but it remains a cool viewing experience for its fun performances (most notably from leads Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy) and interesting look at the mentality of the Cold War era.
You can laugh at certain parts, but still seriously enjoy it.
Many of the films on this list involve things going wrong with video games in spectacular and fantastical ways, but John Badham’s WarGames is of a different breed in that it’s a bit more grounded in reality while also being a science fiction movie.