WarGames (1983) was such a ballsy, topical film for its time

I just rewatched this on BluRay and was blown away by how fresh it all feels, despite being almost 40 years old now. At the time, hardly anyone had a computer. Phone phreaking was in its infancy. It was even rare for a young actor to lead a suspense/action film (this was just before all the 80s teen oriented movies).Watching the film now, its easy to take for granted the set-design of NORAD. In 1983 though, screens like this didn't exist. They had to front project the top 5 screens using movie projectors, then rear-project the bottom 7. The displays had to obviously be individually created using optics (this was pre-CGI) and then all run in perfect sync, as did the numerous monitor displays around the room. A strobe light was then synced with the display explosions to give bursts of light in the room. It made me miss the days of ambitious practical effects and that sensation of thinking "WOW", which must have been mind-blowing for audiences at the time. In the days where anything is possible with CGI, it's not quite the same.Other things I learned from the bluray:- It was Michael Madsen's first performance, acting only in the awesome opening 6 minutes which plays like a mini-Crimson Tide when launching nuclear missiles.- Martin Brest (Beverly Hills Cop) was originally directing, but was fired mid-shoot for having too dark a vision of the story. Damn, I'd love to have seen that.- The original script was far more authentic to hacking but was condensed down as it was thought audiences would find it boring (its still one of the most authentic portrayals though).- The story's main theme was to be the passing over from one generation to the next, giving way to the new era of young thinkers (hackers etc, who would soon become a powerful force). This was foreshadowed in the opening scene where the younger missile launcher has a change of heart, conflicting with the older one.- The writers had originally wanted John Lennon to play a Stephen Hawking version of the old programmer in a wheelchair, but he was then assassinated. via /r/movies https://ift.tt/2ui2NOi