Goofs

When David and Jennifer are on the ferry, the sky changes from a late afternoon blue sky, to sunset, then back to blue sky after they get off the ferry.

When David, Jennifer, Stephen Falken and their driver are running down the tunnel at NORAD, the door securing the mountain is shown to be closing and moving toward being fully closed. When they arrive at the door with Pat, the door is further open than it was before.

The code to launch the missiles is "CPE1704TKS" when displayed on the big screen and on most of the launch consoles, but it is shown as "JPE1704TKS" on one console shown in closeup in the sequence where the WOPR is attempting to determine the launch codes itself.

Throughout the Infirmary scenes, the guard's gloves disappear and reappear on his hands, most notably when David asks to use the restroom.

When David is communicating with WOPR, the words appear on the screen before he types them.

When WOPR is searching for the launch code, it is shown to be able to lock onto each digit individually. In which case, it would only take 360 tries (one for each letter and digit), to definitely find the entire code.

After David is arrested, the next scene is at NORAD where a tour group is being escorted. The escort asks a woman with a camera around her neck to sit in the command chair. A visitor would not be allowed to bring a camera into NORAD.

In the beginning of the movie the Air Force captain refused orders to launch the weapon. Later on in the movie, the captain is shown shaking his head in disgust as the new computer takes over. In reality if the captain refuses to launch, he is disobeying a direct order and would have been relieved of duty and/or put on trial. He would never been allowed back in the bunker.

One of the key plot devices in the movie involved using a computer modem to connect to various computer systems. The type of modem depicted in the movie used an "acoustic coupler", which is a cradle that the phone headset is placed in to allow the modem to send and receive audio over a regular telephone.

This type of modem cannot make phone calls on its own, because when the handset is physically removed from the phone it immediately connects to a dial tone, and the only way to hang up is to physically press the button on the phone base or replace the handset.

The first time the modem is used in the movie you can see how it really works: David picks up the handset, and he manually dials the school's phone number on the phone base, then he places the handset in the acoustic coupler so the modem can connect.

The goof is that war-dialing, which is where David had his computer call long lists of phone numbers one after the other, is not even possible with his modem because the phone cannot be physically hung up between calls to make the next call (you can clearly see the handset on the acoustic coupler when the war dialing is going on, so he's not using some other modem). This is incredibly ironic, because the term "war dialing" came from this movie, but it was not even possible as depicted in this movie.

Further evidence that each call must be made or answered manually with this type of modem is when WOPR calls David back, and he has to manually answer the phone and place the handset on the acoustic coupler to connect.

General Beringer could not raise or lower the Defense Condition at NORAD. Only the President of the United States can order a change of the DEFCON, and only after the President consults the military chiefs of staff, the Vice President, Secretary of State, the CIA, analysts and numerous Ambassadors, most likely in Washington D.C. General Beringer would likely receive orders to the current Defense Condition of the country. Also, NORAD is an information center for the North American continent and its primary mission is intelligence gathering and interpretation. The commanding officer of NORAD can not make or dictate strategic policies.

In the 1980s it was not permitted for any Department of Defense computer with classified information on it to be connected to external communication equipment. It would therefore be impossible to dial in as shown. However, during a scene, the military technician exclaims that the phone company "screwed them", implying an external contractor allowed the connection against request and policy.

Despite the DVD commentary and popular belief, Defense Conditions (DEFCONs) actually do go from 5 to 1 as the situation worsens. DEFCON 1 represents imminent or ongoing attack on the US by a foreign power, while DEFCON 5 represents normal peacetime operations.

As the WOPR is obtaining the launch codes, the missiles are shown to have the engines spinning up with the sound of a turbine engine. In the case of a Titan missile, this could be correct, because a Titan has two fuel components: Hydrazine and Nitrogen Tetroxide, which are pumped together by a turbine pump that is in fact powered by small amounts of these propellants. When the turbo-pump is on, it forces large amounts of the fuels together which spontaneously burn. When the pump stops, so does the engine.

When David is asking about the list of games that he printed out earlier, he asks Jim why the list has games such as checkers and backgammon. However when David was printing the list of games, backgammon was not one of the listed games. We can surmise that since David was talking about simpler games, backgammon came to his mind without him remembering it wasn't on the list.

After David realized the seriousness of his situation, after the WOPR (aka Joshua) called David back, why didn't he simply order the WOPR to end the game? To concede, to surrender, to terminate the program? Joshua would have had to obey. (David does try to stop Joshua, but Joshua's prime directive is to "win the game.")

When an Air Force woman is walking around Joshua and is apparently working on checklist, there is no paper on the clipboard as you can see the reflection from the clipboard.

Also, she looks like she is copying information from the displays, but the lights are blinking too fast to be read. They can be read only when the computer is stepping through the code one line at a time. Meanwhile, she completely misses the only readable display that show the system is running a game, proving David's point.

While David is in Mr. McKittrick's office, he accesses a computer. This computer "talks" to him without the aid of a device that interprets signals from the computer and turns them into sound.

When David is typing in the passwords and fails, the log on screen spells out "Indentification failed" not Identification.

At the end when Joshua says "How about a nice game of chess?" the lights come up. The cut right after you see David and Jennifer shows the war room as viewed from the front of the room. At the back of the room, the entire row of computers and electronic equipment lights up for about half a second and then all go off while the rest of the equipment in the room remains on. Clearly, switching that group on tripped a circuit breaker for those props alone.

INCORRECTLY REGARDED AS GOOF: David walks out of the 7-11 with the refreshing Big Gulp which he had just purchased. But you can see through the cup and notice that it's only about 1/4 full. David drank it in the store.

When Jennifer asks David to change her grade as David is playing Galaga, David loses his game.

But, on the lower left of screen, he still has 3 lives left.

The Air Force uniform worn by Barry Corbin, in his role as General Beringer, appears to be a stock costume designed to depict an Air Force general of the early 1960s rather than the 80s. This is obvious from the complete lack of medals for the Vietnam War, while at the same time having an abundance of World War II decorations. A four star general in 1983 would most certainly have served in Vietnam and most likely would not have joined the Air Force until after World War II.

When WOPR reports a Soviet launch detection, Beringer asks McKittrick if this is another simulation. While McKittrick's response is heard, his lips do not move.

When playing Galaga (1981) the second time (when Jennifer asks David to change her grade) the audio of a Galaga sending down its tractor beam is heard, but that is not happening on the screen.

When the Horizon Air aircraft is landing, its clearly a turboprop aircraft. When the engines are reversing as it lands, the engines are of a jet engine.

When Jennifer tells David to "Hop on" the moped her lips do not move.

When David and Jennifer are coming up to David's house for the first time, there is a shot of David's dog, Beau, barking. However, he is just running and his mouth isn't moving.

As the camera passes around the WOPR computer, it stops at a point where you can see a crewman in a red shirt trying to hide out of sight of the camera behind the computer.

When David is arrested in the 7-11 parking lot, a blue van pulls up, cutting him off. Just before the FBI agent opens the side door, the lighting equipment can be seen reflecting off the van.

The scene in which one of the radar analysts is asked to report activity showing Soviet submarine deployment, he says, "22 Typhoon-class submarines departing Petropavlovsk, turning south bound at Nordkapp." However, the screen displays submarines around a map of the Kola Peninsula in European Russia. Petropavlovsk is located on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Asian Russia. The location shown on the map is accurate, however, as all of the Typhoons were based at Nerpichya Base which is located on the Kola Peninsula.

[0:23:58]The address shown for Protovision is 2407 Rogers Blvd Sunnyvale, CA 95051. 95051 is the ZIP (postal) code for Santa Clara, and neither city has a Rogers, Blvd.

Just before the junior crewman "enables" the missiles a list of geographic coordinates (target locations?) appears on the video feed of the missile in the silo. The coordinates are all for locations in the Pacific Ocean. Since targeting data is pre-selected, this couldn't be the location of Soviet submarines.

When we see David, Jennifer and the Professor running from the entrance to the NORAD tunnel to the blast door it takes them only 27 seconds to travel from the tunnel opening to the blast door. The distance from the tunnel opening to the blast door at NORAD is one mile. The world record for fastest one mile run is 3 minutes; 43 seconds and 13 nanoseconds. There's no way they could have possibly made it from the tunnel entrance to the blast door (one mile; on foot) in 27 seconds.

When David leaves NORAD and is at the payphone, he tells Jennifer he needs a flight from Grand Junction, Colorado. Yet Grand Junction is almost 300 miles away from NORAD, on the opposite side of the Rocky Mountains. While Colorado Springs, where NORAD is based, is oddly never mentioned in the film at all.

There are improper arrest and apprehension procedures by the FBI. When David is picked up by the FBI, he is immediately read his Miranda rights as if it were a local arrest. Since David was a minor under 18, the FBI would have been required to bring him either to the local police precinct or his home so that his parents could be notified. Furthermore, there is no way that the FBI could have linked David to the calls made to the WOPR, since his home telephone was in his parents' name; thus, the FBI would have in reality gone to David's house first and questioned his parents.

When David was asked why he had called back, he states that Joshua called him. They should be able to see via the trace that the call had indeed originated from Joshua.

Richter realized the first "attack" was just a simulation. There is no reason he wouldn't recognize the second one was, also, especially since it was right after the first one.

David reads Falken's classified address from McKitterick's computer screen (not having time to erase it before they're dragging him out) in addition to him yelling "Call Falken" as he is dragged from the war room. Given such information the FBI should have been been waiting for him in Oregon.

Joshua being a computer would have had to follow every command of Dr. Falken, whether it was David or Falken himself. Either way, neither of them ask or even order Joshua to stop playing the war game.

In the list of Global Thermonuclear War scenarios, the names of some countries are misspelled: Angentina for Argentina, Isreal for Israel, Palistinian for Palestinian, and Maylasian for Malaysian.

When David requests the number for Protovision from the operator, he's given a number with a 555 prefix. He also requests other prefixes for the area and is given four more, but when he sets up his autodialer, he only uses the four additional prefixes and neglects to include the 555 prefix in his scans.

The F15 pilot reports 40 miles visibility, but the cockpit is shown passing through clouds.

Security protocols are severely violated during David's arrest in NORAD. Although he is a suspected criminal spying for the Soviets, he is left alone in McKittrick's office and later he is closed in an infirmary equipped with various objects he could use to his advantage or to simply kill himself.

When David is making a call to Jennifer from a pay phone at 1:14:05, he says that he needs a plane ticket to Salem, Oregon. He mispronounces it "Or-uh-gone" instead of the correct "Or-uh-gun." As someone living in Seattle, he wouldn't make this mistake. But as an actor from New York, like Matthew Broderick, he would get it wrong as most east coasters do.