Wargames: The Dead Code (A GSP exclusive Gridfan review)

[Gridfan]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0865957/

This is a odd one, it is a spiritual sequel to the classic Wargames movie, but it is also a spiritual remake in a modern setting. Some of the computer stuff is dead on and modern, while other stuff is way over the top Hollywood style. In other words computer hacking is not like that.

The first half or 2/3 of the movie is pretty damn good, references to Stargate: Worlds (an MMORPG) which is still in beta at the time of writing this. It was so well written and show that at one point I wondered if the ending was gonna be really sudden, it felt like I was near the end of the movie but upon checking the playtime I realized it was only halfway through. Now that's really nice pacing right there.

Sadly the end of the movie they try to recreate the classic and some might say cult classic moments of Wargames, but it's not working. It's like there was a different director doing this part. Visual effects, snap snap snap action, instant hacking and instant custom programming with just a few keys tapped. That's not realistic hacking, that's idealism hacking. Which is a shame as up until that point most of the computer stuff felt real, although a bit flashy at times, still real.

Professor Falken from Wargames make an appearance, as do a old "friend". I won't try to spoil anything here. But I can say that if the latter part of the movie was done similar to the previous part of the movie, this would have been a damn great movie, even to those not that familiar with computers or hacking.

As I said, references to Stargate: Worlds, which is still in beta is made. Various terminology is used and seem accurate. Although I did not take notes to nitpick, I can't recall any facts that stood out as wrong. Which makes the ending that much more as it moves the movie from being a emotional technological thriller, to a fantasy action adventure with some cheese on top.

Not that I'm saying the movie is bad, just that it had the potential to be so much more. With a different ending, and by different ending I do not mean change the ending, just re-do it so it fits the style of the rest of the movie, and this could become a true sequel to the classic Wargames that all fans would like. Maybe the movie would have done better as a 2hr movie instead of 1 1/2hr movie, and extra half hour would have allowed to spread the end out more, get some room for more realism stuff.

Maybe with a half hour extra they could have let the protagonist discover more rather than have other characters hand him solutions on a platter. Not sure whom to blame for this. Writers and Director and Producer I guess. Trying to make the end a Hollywood action ending does not work that well with "computer" movies.

Example, a friend of the main character is taken by government guys earlier in the movie. Later in the movie near the end the main character manages to contact him. His capture and release is explained away in one dialog line or two in a almost casual way. Almost as if the attention to details was zoomed out to a overview near the end of the movie compared to the rest. Really odd, and kind of schizophrenic. And almost at the very end of the movie there is a truly super cheesy moment when a "old friend" laughs. *cringe* I wish they hadn't cheesed that up, seemed out of character. You'll understand when you see it. It almost seems like two different directors did this movie, very odd.

In closing however, it's nice to see a new "computer" movie, where references seem correct, is thrilling, where the majority of pacing seems really good, actors are OK, the danger of AI's with no restraints, the emotional and helplessness that characters feel when their world is torn up. I just wish they'd paced out the ending more, longer movie, dropped some of the cheese topping and explained a few things better. But is it worth watching? Yeah! I enjoyed it, just wish the ending had more "time" really.

But in any case, let's hope more "computer" movies appear. Besides the classic Wargames, and Hackers, the only other good memorable computer movie out there I can think of is now Wargames: The Dead Code, we need more movies I say, much more. There are others, but they are nowhere near these movies, and even the movies mentioned have their flaws.

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