As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

If Peter Watkins The War Games had been broadcast as intended in 1965 it would had scared the hell out of people of Britain. The BBC delayed its broadcast until 1985. By that time the BBC scared the nation with the drama Threads.The War Game was released in the cinemas and won the Best Documentary Oscar, however this is not a documentary.This docu-drama imagines the effects of a nuclear strike in Britain. It is based on research of nuclear tests carried out in the USA, the impact of the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombing campaigns and its aftermath in various German cities during World War 2.This is a grim film, it gets darker the more it goes on. Coldly showing the deaths from the aftermath of a nuclear strike but also showing a society that is breaking down.Even 50 years later this is a shockingly bleak film.

I had heard about this film for ages, and I was glad to read it was featured in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I always assumed it was a documentary focusing on World War II, I had no idea it was a fictionalised feature about something completely different, so I looked forward to it. Basically, filmed in black and white, and lasting only fifty minutes, this is a realistic approach and insight into what would happen following the events of a Soviet Nuclear attack on Great Britain, i.e. the devastation and measures taken. In Soviet Vietnam the war stars after the Chinese invade, and the United States authorises tactical nuclear warfare against them, and West Berlin and Russia are forced into joining the battle as well, and this eventually leads to Britain being struck by missiles. The prelude to the attack sees residents of British cities forced into evacuation to the country, and the story centres on Rochester where a missile aimed at Gatwick Airport missed its target and struck, and the areas of Kent and Maidstone are seen to have been attacked as well. The missile explosions cause terrifying incidents and results, not just mass hysteria and chaos, but blinding light that effects many people's vision, a heat wave that melts the skin and in some cases eye balls, the spread of radiation poisoning that causes severe sickness, and of course the people are damaged psychologically which means the collapse of society. With the British Army and police are doing all they can to help those affected by the disasters, they are also forced into terrible acts in an effort to clear the ruin and stop any further incidents, such as burning corpses and shooting looters. Narrated by Michael Aspel and Dick Graham. At the time in 1965 it was meant to broadcast this film proved so controversial and shocking, it was called "too horrifying for broadcasting", that the film was shelved for a year, but when it was released in cinemas it gained reputation, but still didn't show in full on television until 1985. I can certainly see what all the fuss was about, it is very gritty and powerful film with the ability to shock with its realism and execution, and of course some gory effects, it probably caused many viewers to worry about being vaporised at any moment, but today it is remembered for its notoriety, and being a shocking but fascinating documentary drama. It won the Oscar for Best Documentary, Features, and it won the BAFTA for Best Short Film and the UN Award for director Peter Watkins. It was number 74 on The 100 Greatest Scary Moments, and it was number 33 on The 50 Greatest Documentaries. Very good!

A chilling pseudo-documentary dedicated to the measures England had in place to deal with nuclear attacks during the cold war era. Framed as a newscast interspersed with short, stern-faced lectures and quotes from the experts, it's a brutally honest glimpse into the horrors that were looming around every corner. Since it is, at heart, a public service film, it falls into a few of the associated traps - a low budget, obviously staged setups, a flood of monotone speakers glaring directly into the camera - but the unflinching approach it takes to such a powerful, intense subject excuses most of those shortcomings. By no means a party picture, it's still a fascinating look into how poorly prepared humanity was (and still is) for the mutual destruction its nations were flirting with, almost playfully, at the time. Chillingly effective, alarmingly grounded and hauntingly vivid - our trigger-happy national leaders could stand a modern viewing, lest the concept of nuclear war become too abstract.

The War Game is a very important what-if documentary. It was banned in Britain until 1985. It is the best what-if documentary I have ever seen and it is a very scary experience. The film shows what would have happened if Britain suffered a nuclear attack and how local authorities and the emergency services would have dealt with it. It doesn't show how the central government would have been handled it and it focuses on the ground level. Firefighters struggling to deal with fires caused, to a child going blind because of the flash, to a the aftermath showing food riots and longterm illnesses. As well as showing these experiences and playing it like it was really happening, the documentary also gives people facts and statistics about government planning for a nuclear attack. This documentary is very well done doesn't overplay things like some other films would have done. It shows how horrible a nuclear attack would have been and you can't watch it without a scenes of shook and sorrow. It is a very good thing and I think it still has a great impact, but I can imagine that it must have been very shocking in the 60s and 70s. You need a strong stomach to watch this film but it is worth it, especially if you like what-if scenarios.