Back in 1983, the U.S. was engaged in the Cold War with the Soviet Union and computers were just about to really burst onto the scene. In comes "WarGames," a film that, in its own way, spoke to the fears the public had of terrorism from abroad and ever-encroaching technological advancement. The film went on to become a huge hit, launching Matthew Broderick's career in the process and certainly doing no harm to Ally Sheedy's either. Fast foward 25 years to 2008 and once again the U.S. is engaged in a war with a foreign country and concern about terrorism is ever-prevalent.Wargames: The Dead Code is released. Oh, how things change yet stay the same.
Computer hacker Will Farmer (Matt Lanter) engages a goverment super-computer named Ripley in an online terrorist-attack simulation game. Little does Farmer know that Ripley has been designed to appeal to potential terrorists and now it thinks he is one. Before long, Will and his new girlfriend Annie (Amanda Walsh) are on the run in Montreal, Canada. Can he prove his innocence before it's too late? Will Ripley go rogue and initiate total annihilation? Will you really care?
WarGames: The Dead Code starts off okay. It introduces the two main characters as the likeable computer whiz and the intelligent, elfish-looking girl he has an instantaneous crush on. The film also gains interest through its delineation of the government's attempts to fight terrorism abroad, complete with enough explosions and gunfire to get you thinking that perhaps, this direct-to-DVD in name only sequel will be worth your time. Even once the chase portion starts, the film is passably entertaining. The car chases on narrow streets so obviously trying to mimic the Jason Bourne movies are decent fun. The "Fugitive"-like portion is wholly entertaining, yes. But all too brief. Once the two stop running, the film goes downhill fast.
Warning, spoilers ahead. Skip this paragraph if you don't want to know how the film proceeds to suck all life out of the proceedings in the last half hour. Ripley does initiate a countdown to destruction. The government doesn't have a clue what to do so they call on their new captive to help them. He, in turn, calls on WOPR, the computer in the original film. The "thrilling" climax involves fast and furious typing on Will's part followed by him and everyone else watching a computer screen for what seemed like ages as the program he created played itself out as WOPR "battles" Ripley. It is so incredibly cheesy and anti-climactic it ceases being stupidly inept and becomes pathetic as time passes. I realize that the film was made on a budget so a big-time explosion-fest finale was probably not an option but still, what were director Stuart Gillard (a bunch of TV series/movies and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III") and screenwriter Randall M. Badat thinking? Someone has to have told them that such a passive, dull sequence is certainly not the way to conclude a film, let alone act as the supposed climax, right? I guess not.
WarGames: The Dead Code offers some decent thrills for about an hour before completely collapsing during its seemingly endless (not to mention endlessly stupid) final half hour.
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