Before “Player One” was “Ready”: Video Game Movies of the ‘80’s

By Michael Lyons

It may be Spring of 2018, but “Ready Player One” makes it feel like Summer in the ‘80’s.

Steven Spielberg’s immensely entertaining adaptation of Ernest Cline’s novel tells the tale of a future in which society escapes into a virtual world called the Oasis.  Young Wade Watts races against other players in this video-game-like reality to uncover “Easter Eggs” that provide clues that allow the winner to rule the Oasis.

Populated by pop culture references and icons (mostly from the ‘80’s), “Ready Player One” unfurls like an ‘80’s summer blockbuster ABOUT ‘80’s summer blockbusters, which in turn has been directed by Spielberg himself, THE architect of the summer blockbuster!  Talk about “meta!”

If you’ve seen it (and if you haven’t, stop reading and get to your local “multiplex!”), you are no doubt like many: nostalgic for not only ‘80’s movies, but for many of the video games that came from that decade and gave birth to over thirty years of obsessive video game play that followed.

To help fuel this reminiscent vibe, here are three movies, that were not only ‘80’s summer blockbusters and blockbuster “wanna-bees,” but they center around the video game world.

So, take off your Members Only jacket, sit back back and put your high top sneakers up, because from three ‘80’s summers in a row, we are about to go “back in time!”:

“Tron” (Released July 9, 1982)

The spiritual godfather of so many movies that have followed, “Tron” was a box-office disappointment upon its initial release, but its cult status and importance in film has increased since its initial release.

The story of video arcade owner Flynn (Jeff Bridges), a former computer programmer, who finds himself pulled inside a computer and a video game world has become the flashpoint for computer generated images that now dominate almost every major Studio film.

The images of the battle tanks, the soaring recognizers, the disc battle, the solar sail and other inventive scenes and vehicles inside the world, coupled with the still viscerally entraining Light Cycle race were absolutely jaw dropping for audiences at the time who were weaning themselves off of Pong and becoming obsessed with Atari.

In today’s age, where CGI can create a better reality than the one we live in, these scenes seem more like a quaint period piece.  We are like ‘90’s audiences watching “Snow White and Seven Dwarfs.”  However, without “Tron,” the advancements in technology that have changed how movies are made would have never happened.

Despite its clunky story, there’s no denying for any movie fan that “Tron” is a visually exciting time capsule; a movie about video games made at the precipice of their popularity!

“War Games” (released June 3,1983)

“Shall we play a game?”  Spoken in a monotone, computerized voice this has become so familiar to so many movie fans and synonymous with our ever growing technological world.

It’s the question posed by a government computer named War Operation Planned Response (nicknamed WOPR) to two teenagers (Mathew Broderick and Ally Sheedy) who accidentally hack into the computer, looking to play a video game and instead wind up launching thermonuclear war.

What follows is a tense, government conspiracy thriller, deftly directed by John Badham (who had another hit this same summer with “Blue Thunder”).  Additionally, as the teens in the film search out and find a scientist named Falken (John Wood) who created the computer and is now in self-imposed exile, the film develops an emotional tone at its center, which meshes well with the “ticking clock”-like plot.

This makes “War Games” a rarity for its time and now: a summer blockbuster about video games with hardly any special effects that’s focus is on characters and a story with a dark, foreboding cautionary tale message that’s still resonates today.

“The Last Starfighter” (Released July 13, 1984) 

After its release, famed film critic Gene Siskel counted “The Last Starfighter” as one of his “guilty pleasures.”  It’s easy to see why.

When one thinks of popcorn entertainment that’s as light and breezy as the summer time it was released during, this film fits the bill.  And no need to look any further than a movie that will make you feel smothered in the ‘80’s.

“The Last Starfighter” tells the tale of a dreamer named Alex (Lance Guest),  a teenager who lives with his mom in a trailer park and excels at video games.  In fact, the video game he plays actually acts as a recruiting vehicle for interstellar beings (a nice touch).

Due to his high score, Alex is recruited by an extra terrestrial con-man named Centauri (the always wonderful Robert Preston), who eventually convinces Alex to come with him, join the ranks of Starfighters to defeat the evil Xur and defend the galaxy.

What follows is a pretty “by the numbers” film, but still an oh-so-entertaining one, in its earnest attempt to build a world and utilize still developing computer effects.  Made just two years after “Tron,” The spaceships and effects in “The Last Starfighter” don’t show much advancement, but they are still an exciting glimpse into the Stone Age days of CGI.

Added to this is a wonderful supporting performance by veteran actor Dan O’Herlihy (hidden under lizard-like alien makeup) as Alex’s sidekick, Grig.

With its predictability and a style that’s simply copying the Spielberg/Lucas playbook, there’s a lot to balk at in “The Last Fighter,” but with its wholesome, gee-whiz quality, there’s also a lot to like.

Each of these films serve as perfect companion prieces to “Ready Player One,” as all films are about both the virtues of escapism and the importance of living in the real world.  As Wade himself says about reality: “It’s real.”

Sources: IMDb

Wikipedia