WarGames (1983)

Composer(s):
Arthur B. Rubinstein

Released in:
1983

Reviews

Classic score for great movie!
by Michael Longstreet (May 16, 2008)
War Games – Arthur Rubinstein

Rubinstein’s use of the typical 1980 electronic music is not overused in his score for War Games, which I found quite refreshing. Rubinstein, whose other credits include Stakeout and Blue Thunder, uses a brilliant mixture of soft strings, powerful brass, and electronic sounds to give this score an all-around good sound.

This album actually has a little of everything on it. It has some creepy melodic tracks like “Faulken’s House,” and “Nuclear Alert,” while the album does also contain some campy sounds familiar to the 1980s. “Video Fever” is the music used with David is playing a video game, and “Principal’s Office” contains many of the same happy tunes.

What fans will love though, is the overall War Games themes spread throughout the soundtrack. What can only be categorized as Daniel’s theme, the almost Southern sounding light hearted tune, can be heard on tracks like “Off to See Faulken” and “I Can’t Swim.” Also, the quick military theme used in the main title is also prevalent on many of the tracks, especially “War Games” and “WOPR.”

I found many great aspects to this good score from such a classic movie. While the standouts on the album are “Helicopter Pursuit & Launch Detected,” “WOPR,” and “Closing the Mountain,” there really aren’t any bad tracks on the CD. These are all fantastic tracks that keep the spirit of the movie alive throughout the whole album. He uses heavy percussion when it’s needed, and isn’t afraid to back off either. This is my first experience with an Arthur Rubenstein score, and I must say, I am highly impressed.

If you like scores with military themes, or the great classic 1980s sound, then you’ll definitely enjoy paying full price for this one.

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suggested by:
Bregt De Lange

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