Welcome back, fellow geeks, Blu-ray collectors and movie buffs!
Decades ago, I saw on home video Cloak & Dagger (1984) which turned out to be an entertaining film to watch as I was already playing games on Atari 2600 and the arcades. After replaying by chance on cable TV years later, I finally bought myself the 4K Blu-ray and it sure was fun to watch it all over again. Check out my retro movie review of it by clicking here.
The front of my copy of Cloak & Dagger (1984) 4K Blu-ray.
The rear with the details that can be read.
For the newcomers reading this, Cloak & Dagger (1984) is a movie that involved then video game giant Atari in the creative process. The movie’s plot is not based on Atari’s arcade game of the same name (previously titled as Agent X).
Cloak & Dagger (1984) its own original plot of espionage about a young boy Davey (played by Henry Thomas, the star of Steven Spielberg’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial) who witnesses a murder and receives an Atari 5200 cartridge of the game Cloak & Dagger that contains something very important. This in turn makes him a target of armed henchmen who won’t stop until they get him. Due to his reputation of being too playful and living with his wild imagination as a spy, people don’t believe Davey’s claim of witnessing a murder. This film happens to be inspired by the short story “The Boy Cried Murder” written by Cornell Woolrich.
Cloak & Dagger in arcade form. Atari released it in the form of an arcade conversion kit aimed at arcade machines of certain games of its competitors.
The Cloak & Dagger arcade game can be played on your game console with the Atari 50 collection software (over 100 games). This screenshot I captured while playing it on my Xbox Series X console running Atari 50.
A few weeks ago, my copy of the Cloak & Dagger 4K Blu-ray arrived and it came with two discs: One 4K Blu-ray disc which contained the movie in native 4K (scanned in UHD from the 35mm film) resolution of 3840 x 2160p. The other disc has the same movie in HD (1920 x 1080p) plus the extra stuff which can provide viewers and Cloak & Dagger fans a good amount of important content which will help them learn what the video game elements in the film are, what inspired its creative process and why the film is very unique by today’s standards. There is also an informative new interview with Henry Thomas.
Since then, I saw Cloak & Dagger in 4K twice on my Xbox Series X and its 1080p version on a standalone Blu-ray disc player. Cloak & Dagger in 4K looks better than ever as the picture quality is better, images look sharper and clearer, the colors are vibrant, the small visual details (which were not visible in lower resolution before) are more noticeable now, and film grain structure has been preserved intact!
The two discs. The one on the right is Cloak & Dagger in 4K.
As for the story itself, I still find it engaging and enjoyable to watch from start to finish. Cloak & Dagger is clearly a production of its time as it carries clear Cold War references – the Soviet Union and Iran are the evil forces told in very subtle fashion – as well as video game elements and brands (note: ColecoVision even appeared in this Atari-influenced movie) that dominated America’s console gaming market long before PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox arrived. For a movie aimed at parents and children, this one has really intense violence as it involves shooting and even some elements of terrorism.
Ultimately, I got a lot of enjoyment from my Cloak & Dagger (1984) 4K Blu-ray and I highly recommend it to Cloak & Dagger fans, gamers, physical media collectors and anyone who loves watching movies in the comfort of home. Cloak & Dagger (1984) is a very unique and fun movie that Hollywood does not make anymore. You really should see it.
In case you are interested or if you have made up your mind, you can order a copy of Cloak & Dagger (1984) 4K Blu-ray by clicking here.
Welcome back readers, fellow geeks and electronic gaming fans!
In this edition of the Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) series, we will examine print ads from the 1980s and the 1990s that caught my attention and I will explain why they are worth look back at.
For the newcomers reading this, Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) looks back at the many print ads of games (console, arcade, computer and handheld) that were published in comic books, magazines, flyers and newspapers long before smartphones, social media, the worldwide web and streaming became popular. To put things in perspective, people back in the 1980s and 1990s were more trusting of print media for information and images about electronic games.
With those details laid down, here is the newest batch of retro gaming print ads for you to see and enjoy…
1. Star Wars: Rebel Assault print ad
This print ad was strong enough to capture Star Wars fans’ attention and make them interested with the Sega CD.
If there is anything notable about the Sega CD (Mega CD in other parts of the world) platform, it is the fact that the machine was an add-on to be connected with the Sega Genesis (Sega Mega Drive elsewhere) console. That being said, LucasArts included the Sega CD as one of several platforms for the multiplatform release of their 1993 game Star Wars: Rebel Assault. The above print ad caught my attention with its use of 9 screenshots (emphasizing a wide look at the game’s Star Wars concept) and text description (emphasizing multi-media features connected with gameplay), and for a time it made me interested in the Sega CD. Looking back at the game’s marketing, Star Wars: Rebel Assault was designed to not only give gamers sessions of play to enjoy but also opportunities to immerse themselves deeper into the realm of Star Wars. The game even had selected video clips from the original Star Wars trilogy movies.
2. Cloak & Dagger print ad
This print ad could have used at least two screenshots from the arcade game…
In 1984, there was a movie titled Cloak & Dagger (read my retro movie review by clicking here) which was not only the 4th cinematic adaptation of the short story “The Boy Cried Murder” (written by Cornell Woolrich) but also had the real-life electronic game Cloak & Dagger as a crucial plot element. To make things clear, there was a Cloak & Dagger game released in the arcades (as emphasized in the above print ad) from Atari. Behind the scenes, the filmmakers and Atari worked together which explains the video game tie-in with the movie. While the above arcade conversion kit print ad does not show screenshots of gameplay, the four images of the playable protagonist Agent X shown were from the game’s short transition sequences (moving from one level to another) which were also displayed in the 1984 movie. Those images were enough to remind me about the movie I enjoyed.
More on the Atari connection, the movie had a cleverly presented short scene showing the young protagonist Davey (played by Henry Thomas) playing Cloak & Dagger on his Atari 5200 console with spliced gameplay footage of the arcade version shown within cuts. In real life, however, Atari never released a version of Cloak & Dagger for any console nor computer in the 1980s. Today, you can play the game on the Atari 50 collection on consoles.
3. BurgerTime print ad
This BurgerTime print ad was entertaining to look at and easily reminded viewers about food and the popular game coming home.
Back in 1982, BurgerTime (Japanese title: Hamburger) was released in the video arcades and turned out to be a big hit in both Japan and America. Seeking to capitalize on the game’s success, Mattel Electronics acquired the rights of the game from Data East and went on to release versions of it for the Intellivision, Atari 2600, Apple II and the IBM personal computer. Mattel went on to market the game for consoles and computers by coming up with a print ad (the one above) that had comic book-style hand drawn art of the playable protagonist chef Peter Pepper running away from walking versions (anthropomorphic figures) a hotdog, an egg, and a pickle. The ad showed a single screenshot which was sufficient enough to show readers the concept of the game clearly. In my experience, I never got to play BurgerTime in the arcades but I first learned about its existence thanks to the eye-catching print ad above which appeared in comic books I read. In addition, the print ad also does an effective job to remind readers about food.
4. SOS print ad
This print ad made me interested in the game as I was already aware of the historical sinking of the Titanic, and I already saw the disaster film The Poseidon Adventure.
Moving back to the 1990s, I saw the above print ad of the video game SOS for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) while reading a comic book. The nice artwork caught my attention as it easily reminded me of the disaster movie The Poseidon Adventure (1972) as well as the real-life tragedy of the Titanic. Then I saw the screenshots on the print ad and they made me interested on the game which I later played on a rent-by-the-hour game joint. Looking back at the text description of the print ad, it did not describe what the technical and graphical features of SOS were. That being said, I was surprised to experience the game’s use of the SNES Mode 7 effects which enabled the scaling and rotating of the in-game environment which affected gameplay in many ways. Read my retro review of SOS by clicking here.
5. Star Trek: The Next Generation – Future’s Past print ad
This 2-page print ad was strong enough to invite readers to literally join the Star Trek: TNG crew and go where no man has gone before. By the way, when was the last time you saw Marina Sirtis or Gates McFadden on a video game ad?
Long before wokeness ruined Star Trek in this modern age, the sci-fi franchise reached a tremendous high in popularity and projects in the 1990s as that decade had Star Trek: The Next Generation (most of its TV seasons and three movies were released within the decade), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager that kept fans entertained.
Considering its high popularity, it was not surprising that a video game adaptation of Star Trek: TNG was released in 1994 titled Star Trek: The Next Generation – Future’s Past (the version for Super Nintendo Entertainment System) and I saw the above print ad while reading a gaming magazine. Using a slightly altered version of the TNG group photo, the print ad emphasized its concept that the player will be able to lead the crew of the Starship Enterprise and take part in a series of missions in different parts of space with the likes of Captain Picard, Commander Riker, Data, Worf, Dr. Crusher, Deanna Troi and La Forge. While I was never a Star Trek fan, the above print ad caught my attention with its concept, the group photo and the screenshots gave me an idea of what the game has to offer. It should be noted that Star Trek: The Next Generation – Future’s Past was released between the end of Star Trek: TNG’s final season and the theatrical release of Star Trek: Generations.
6. Super Castlevania IV print ad
This was one of the most eye-catching print ads I’ve seen about a Konami video game.
The jump in technology from one console generation to the next can be beneficial for gamers if game developers harnessed the advantages of new technologies to make new games that turned out to be more engaging and more enjoyable. Such was the case with Super Castlevania IV for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1991. The above print showed Konami highlighting the positive feedback their game received from different gaming media outlets and used screenshots to give gamers and long-time Castlevania fans exciting stuff to see. I got to play the game on the mini SNES console and I can say that in terms of visuals, controls and gameplay, Super Castlevania IV truly lived up to its title and it remains fun to play to this day.
Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from playing the video game and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.
Welcome back retro gaming fans, collectors and readers!
Today, we will go back to the early 1980s to examine one particular video game I played many times on the Atari 2600 and it has a science fiction concept inspired by a certain dream that the late game designer Alan McNeil had.
With those details laid down, here is a look back at Berzerk, developed and published by Atari, Inc. on the Atari 2600 in 1982.
Cover of the Atari 2600 game package.
Game concept
Based on the official description of the game, players play a lone, armed human character who is a prisoner on an alien planet that is made up of mazes that have electrified walls. Several armed robots are actively hunting the human has no choice but shoot them and somehow surpass them to survive. There is, however, a more powerful villain called Evil Otto lurking nearby…
Gameplay and quality
When firing so close to a robot, be aware that it will fire at you without hesitation. To avoid getting hit, be aware of your character’s position, distance and the ability to move.
As typical with console games during the early 1980s, Berzerk’s design is pretty simple. Using the Atari 2600 joystick (which has only one button), you have to move your character around while avoiding touching the robots and electrified walls, and find your way out going to the next level. When it comes to in-game action, using the joystick, you are also able to shoot laser blasts in different directions (including diagonal).
From time to time, the level of challenge and gameplay intensity rises whenever the robots stand or move randomly on certain spots of the floor and when the random locations of the walls make it challenging to move around. In situations like these, I was compelled make quick decisions on when to move, which robots to shoot, and analyze if it is safe to move to another spot without getting electrified by a wall.
Adding further to the challenge is the sudden entrance of Evil Otto (who appears in the game as a digital smiley face) who is indestructible and passes through walls (note: this happens as long as you did not adjust the console to make the game easier). Once Evil Otto comes in (after you spent a certain amount of time in the level), I had to move my character out of the level even if there were still some robots remaining and shooting at me. Evil Otto even destroys robots that got on its way which symbolically shows how powerful he is.
In a situation like this, you will have to think fast on when to move, when to fire and how much distance do you need to be safe. That being said, you must also avoid touching the walls which are all electrified.
As mentioned earlier, there is an option available on the Atari 2600 version of the game that makes encounters with Evil Otto a bit easier. This allows players to blast Evil Otto to remove him for a temporary period of time and he comes back afterwards. In my experience with this game, I preferred the more challenging settings as the gameplay was already engaging with it. I should also state that while there are many robots walking around and ready to blast you, their intelligence is pretty low as you will see a few of them walk straight to the wall and get destroyed. There were also times when a robot simply walks straight into a fellow robot which destroys them both. Also there were times when a robot’s laser blast destroys another robot that got in the way. That being said, the option for easier gameplay on the Atari 2600 was unnecessary for me.
While the game design is simple, there is a ton of depth in terms of new levels you will find yourself in after exiting the previous level. Avoiding robots and Evil Otto to get out might look like the only goal for playing but in reality there is incentive to shoot as many robots as you can as scoring highly will reward you an additional life for ever number of points earned. There is no story ending at all as the game will go on and on for as long as you keep enjoying playing.
In relation to the gameplay, there is no music at all and that creates an immersion with emphasis on the excellent sound effects the game has. The sounds of the laser blast, the explosion of the robot, and the electrifying of your human character’s body still sound great and they have a strong futuristic, sci-fi touch.
Conclusion
The digital smiley face here is Evil Otto. Don’t let the smile fool you because it will go after you to destroy you, and not even the walls nor the robots can block its way.
Berzerk (1982) on Atari 2600 is still a fun game to play after all these decades. Its design is simple and yet there is depth within the gameplay. There is no story to complete but the game will keep on going as long as you enjoy blasting robots for more points to gain additional lives as rewards which should motivate you to keep on playing. Considering how simple the game’s design has always been, the sound effects really made playing it an immersive experience. This game is truly a classic that has to be played if you have the means to do so.
Welcome back readers, fellow geeks and electronic gaming fans!
In this edition of the Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) series, we will examine print ads from the 1980s and 1990s that caught my attention and I will explain why these are worth look back at.
For the newcomers reading this, Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) looks back at the many print ads of games (console, arcade, computer and handheld) that were published in comic books, magazines, flyers and newspapers long before smartphones, social media, the worldwide web and streaming became popular. Back in the old days, many gamers trusted the print media a lot for information and images about games.
With those details laid down, here is the latest batch of retro gaming print ads for you to see and enjoy…
1. Popeye multiplatform print ad
A fine example of promoting the Popeye video game on multiple platforms visually.
During the early 1980s, an arcade game based on Popeye was released and it became a hit with gamers who lined up and inserted coins to play. That game, which had three stages, was eventually ported by Parker Brothers to multiple platforms of Atari, ColecoVision, Intellivision, T.I. and Commodore.
The print ad you see above is a classic display of how one particular game appeared as a multiplatform release. The screenshots showed different versions of the Popeye game on multiple Atari platforms plus the others. See how different the game looks on each platform? The level of visual details and elements varied from one another as each machine had different specs that Parker Brothers had to adjust to. This is a fine example of promoting one game for different machines for those who love video games.
2. Kool-Aid Man Video Game print ad
I never got to play this Kool-Aid Man video game.
Remember Kool-Aid? For the newcomers reading this, Kool-Aid was a very popular product line of flavored juice drinks sold in powdered form. I myself used to mix Kool-Aid with ice-cold water and enjoyed drinking it. In 1954, a promotion of Kool-Aid with a touch of entertainment happened by highlighting the character Kool-Aid Man (famously known as the walking and talking pitcher filled with Kool-Aid juice). In later years, the Kool-Aid Man was often shown breaking through walls saying the line “Oh yeah!”.
The Kool-Aid Man gained tremendous attention as a pop culture figure in the 1980s when a new series of advertisements and promotions happened branching into video games and even comic books. The above print ad was a clever move to promote Kool-Aid as a drink as well as a video game for the Intellivision and the Atari 2600 consoles. Even if you were not too fond of video games in the 1980s, the Kool-Aid game ad would still make you think about the drink. Clever and entertaining!
3. Zombies Ate My Neighbors game print ad
I saw the 2-page ad many times in comic books and video game magazines.
Going into the 1990s, Konami’s print ad of the video game Zombies Ate My Neighbors (for Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis) appeared a lot in the comic books I read when I was much younger. Having seen lots of horror movies – including zombie flicks – the ad easily caught my attention not because of the screenshots but because of the visual style used. For one thing, there was this 1950s America-inspired imagery on the photo of the scared woman with three zombies slowly approaching her. As for the game itself, there were plenty of small-sized screenshots that had lots of interesting details and pixel art (note: 3D polygons in video games were not yet common back then) which gave me a clear idea that it was a humor and horror-laced 2D adventure. Not only that, the text descriptions combined with the fake quotes added zest into the presentation. After having examined all the details carefully, I really felt like Zombies Ate My Neighbors would be a fun-filled game to play on the SNES.
4. Lunar: The Silver Star print ad
With anime artwork used, it was easy to have the impression that the original Lunar game was based on an existing anime series or movie.
In the early 1990s, Game Arts developed and released the Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) Lunar: The Silver Star on the Mega CD platform in Japan which in some ways was also a technological breakthrough – the game came with full motion video (for short videos), animated images, and CD-quality sound (that really made the soundtrack lively to listen to). After achieving critical and commercial success in Japan, the game was picked-up by Working Designs to be localized and released in the North American market for the Sega CD (the American counterpart of the Mega CD) platform. In promoting the game for American Sega CD owners as well as American gamers in general, a print ad highlighting anime images with five screenshots and only a few words was published on both comic books and magazines.
Even though Lunar: The Silver Star’s core concept was never described in the ad, the anime imagery was still eye-catching and the chosen screenshots gave viewers a preview of the gameplay and the animated images. That being said, it was no surprise that gamers who happened to be a bit interested in anime noticed the print ad. At the same time, the ad gave some gamers the impression that Lunar was a game based on an existing anime franchise. This approach on game advertising was daring and it happened at a time when Japanese RPGs had a limited audience among gamers in North America.
5. Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete print ad
In the 2nd half of the 1990s, a remake of Lunar: The Silver Star was released in Japan titled Lunar: Silver Star Story for Sega Saturn (1996), Sony PlayStation (1998) and Windows PC (1998). While it still maintained the 2D visuals for presentation, gameplay and exploration, the remake had smooth anime sequences, new artworks, better sound effects and music. Working Designs pounced on the opportunity to localize the game in America for PlayStation and released it in 1999 with the title Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete. Not only did Working Designs work hard on localizing the game (the English dubbing and singing of the game’s songs were meticulously done), they released it with a very lavish packaging with the dedicated fans and collectors in mind.
By looking at the above print ad that magazines published, Working Designs highlighted the positive feedback quotes from EGM, Gamers’ Republic, PSM and Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine to convince gamers Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete is a great game. While the screenshots showed what kind of eye candy gamers could expect, Working Designs made sure that they would know that the lavish package includes 4 discs (2 game discs, 1 music CD and 1 CD that had video documentary of the making of Lunar), a full-color map in the form of a cloth, and a hardbound art book and instruction manual.
Considering the dynamism of the Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete print ad and the game’s packaging, I can only speculate that Working Designs had to do it aggressively because the gaming landscape changed dramatically as 3D polygonal graphics became the standard while lots of other Japanese RPGs from different publishers were released in 1999 (including the sequels Suikoden II and Final Fantasy VIII) and many of them had more elaborate game designs and visual presentations. Eventually market forces and unfortunate business events led Working Designs to closing down permanently in 2005.
6. Star Wars: Jedi Arena print ad
Remember when Luke Skywalker tested his lightsaber skills with the floating Seeker in the 1977 movie?
Back in the early 1980s, Parker Brothers was very active releasing games on the Atari 2600 console which my family had. At that same time, Star Wars was very popular (and without the wokeness and identity politics garbage of Kathleen Kennedy and woke Disney) and any new game based on the sci-fi franchise was something to be excited for. In the above print ad of Star Wars: Jedi Arena, an artwork showing the iconic her Luke Skywalker testing his lightsaber skills with the floating Seeker ball was displayed and located between Luke’s legs is a monitor showing the screenshot of the game. Looking at the text description, Parker Brothers creatively focused on the aspect of the Jedi way of using the lightsaber interacting with the Seeker ball. Having played the game myself, I can say the ad was creative and pretty much captured the core concept of the game.
Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from watching the movie Cloak & Dagger (1984) and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.
Welcome back my readers, fellow movie buffs and 20th century pop culture enthusiasts! Decades ago, I got to watch the movie Cloak & Dagger when it was first released on home video. As time passed by, I got to replay it on cable TV and DVD. I have yet to see its 4K Blu-ray disc version (note: you can order it here) Starring Henry Thomas (the star of Steven Spielberg’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial) and Dabney Coleman, Cloak & Dagger was one of those American movies that did not succeed in movie theaters but found its audience on home video, cable TV and free TV.
The 1984 movie was released at a time when video games gradually made its way into motion pictures in varied ways just before Nintendo started reshaping video gaming. Back then, I was very young and already got into playing games on console and at the arcade which helped me relate with the video game elements of Cloak & Dagger. In case you are wondering, the filmmakers and Atari, Inc. itself collaborated together. There may be some among you who never saw this 1980s flick and some of you may be wondering what is significant about Cloak & Dagger and why is it the topic of this retro movie review.
With those details laid down, here is a look back at Cloak & Dagger (1984) directed by Richard Franklin and written by Tom Holland and Nancy Dowd inspired by the short story “The Boy Cried Murder” written by Cornell Woolrich. This movie is the 4th cinematic adaptation of the said short story.
The movie poster of Cloak & Dagger (1984)
Early story
The story begins with Jack Flack (Dabney Coleman) overcoming Soviet guards to enter a place to retrieve top secret documents from incoming people. It turns out that Jack Flack is nothing more than a fictional character imagined by a young boy named Davey (Henry Thomas) who keeps on immersing himself with flights of fantasies, loves playing games and believes that real life is filled with enough opportunities and places to play. In the presence of game store owner Morris (William Forsythe) and his little blonde neighbor Kim (Christina Nigra), Davey boasts a lot about Jack Flack as if he was a real-life hero and even talks to him as his imaginary companion that no one else could see nor hear. Inspired by the said character and the world of espionage he always imagined, the boy carries with him a black water pistol for a “gun” and a softball for a “grenade”.
Morris then sends Davey and Kim out to do a real assignment – an errand to travel within the city going to a certain company and retrieve something for him. Afterwards, the two commuted and entered a building which Davey does with his fantasy of espionage and infiltration burning in his mind. Leaving Kim on the ground floor, he climbs up the stairs until he reaches a certain window and sees something sinister going on in the next level as reflected on one of the windows outside.
Suddenly a door opens near him and a wounded man slowly hands him an Atari 5200 cartridge titled Cloak & Dagger, tells him to bring it to the FBI, and mentions “one million three hundred twenty nine.”
The door near them suddenly opens with two armed men emerging. Right in the presence of Davey, they opened fire at the wounded man who fell down to his death. Davey just became the witness of an actual murder and becomes the target of the two gunmen…
Quality
Henry Thomas and Christina Nigra as Davey and Kim respectively.
To get to straight to the point, I can declare that this movie is very clearly a spy thriller designed to engage both children and adults. It took the key concept of the short story “The Boy Cried Murder” and implemented it into its very own tale that happens to be set during Ronald Reagan’s America (the 1980s) with elements of video games, espionage and even murder mixed together.
The story told through Davey was crafted to be entertaining while keeping viewers in suspense as to how the overly imaginative young boy would deal with real-life danger and consequences as he became the target of murderous men who would not stop at all. Davey is clearly in danger for much of the movie and you will get to sympathize with him and wish he should stop being obsessed with fantasy so he could overcome the trials that were happening. This is, indeed, a well structure and nicely directed work by Richard Franklin who seem to be inspired by past works of Alfred Hitchcock (note: Franklin directed the sequel to Hitchcock’s classic Psycho).
As mentioned earlier, this movie was made to engage both children and adults. Cloak & Dagger is not exactly a wholesome viewing experience as its presentation has always been quite intense because of on-screen violence that was executed carfully. There are guns, shooting and even killing in this flick which proved to be integral to the overall presentation and clearly added to the thrill factor. You will get to see getting Davey shot at by the armed henchmen (Eloy Casados and Tim Rossovich) who clearly do not give a damn of shooting a minor as they are so focused on their mission. Looking at the henchmen in this film, I can imagine them as traitorous Americans conspiring with their nation’s foreign enemies such as the Soviets, the Iranians and the Palestinians. Along the way, there is the clear villain named Rice (Michael Murphy) who has this subtle touch of evil as well as a good amount of sleaziness in him. While the violence is intense, it does not necessarily push this film into rated R territory.
Michael Murphy as the sleazy villain who is willing to kill Davey even though he is a minor.
The two henchmen about to commit murder in the presence of Davey. There is evil visible in their faces.
Henry Thomas really shines as the protagonist here. While Davey here shares a few elements with E.T.’s Elliot – struggling to move forward with the absence of one parent and adjusting his life with what he perceives to be the best ways possible – he truly dramatizes how weird and wild he could be living his life with a very loose grip on reality. For him, local society in San Antonio, Texas, provides him a huge playground for his spy game and he sure distracts people as he walks by them talking to his imaginary friend Jack Flack. Still, there are key parts of the story in which Henry Thomas convincingly dramatizes Davey who feels lonely inside as he misses his late mother and is unable to spend quality time with his father. Thomas also acted with intensity in the scene in which he makes a trade with the villain and also during his last face-off with him in the 2nd half of the film. Henry Thomas really was a good youth actor and his performance here is often overshadowed by his role in Spielberg’s E.T.
Dabney Coleman on the other hand plays both Jack Flack and Davey’s father Hal. Coleman is quite versatile playing different characters here. As Jack Flack, he fits in excellently into Davey’s uncontrolled belief of espionage as he gives him advise which were taken seriously leading into danger. Of course, advising Davey does not really mean the fictional spy cares for him on a personal level and you will eventually Flack’s true value before the film ends. Flack’s final moments could inspire you to re-examine the true meaning of heroism. As Hal, Coleman convincingly plays the father who has been so busy working in the Air Force as an air traffic controller, he has been unable to spend quality time with his son and the recent death of his wife really took its toll on their family. Compared to Jack Flack, Hal is indeed caring towards his son but his hectic work schedule prevents him from bonding closely with him. Coleman delivered a fine performance during the scene when Hal explains to Davey what real-world heroism is and that not all heroes just shoot bad guys. There definitely are helpful values on parenting within Hal.
Henry Thomas and Dabney Coleman are really convincing as son and father.
Thomas and Coleman artistically have really fine chemistry together as the father and son (Hal and Davey) and as the wannabe adventurer spending lots of time with his action hero (Davey and Jack Flack). Considering Davey’s obsession with fantasy and the attention he pays so much to Jack Flack, he was practically living with idolatry and foolishness. If you observe closely, Davey is very lively with Flack and not so lively with his father.
Even though this movie is fictional, it still dramatizes that parenting will never be easy. That being said, this should inspire parents and also incoming parents to prepare themselves on nurturing their children and ensure they help them understand the differences between reality and fantasy.
Video game elements
Screenshot from the Cloak & Dagger arcade game. This game can be played nowadays through Antstream Arcade on Xbox consoles.
To make things very clear, Cloak & Dagger (1984) is not an adaptation of the electronic game that was released the same year. Rather it has the Cloak & Dagger game as a key plot element in the form of an Atari 5200 game cartridge (referred to as a “tape”) which the movie dramatizes to be real.
As a kid, I got to play arcade and console games a lot. As such, seeing Davey play the Cloak & Dagger game on his Atari 5200 as well as gameplay footage was a very entertaining viewing experience for me the first time I ever saw this movie. It was a scene I personally related with.
In real life, however, the Cloak & Dagger game from Atari, Inc. was released only in the arcades as the efforts to create a port for the Atari 5200 never got fulfilled. That being said, it was through very clever film editing that video footage of the arcade version were inserted into the scene in which Davey played the Cloak & Dagger cartridge on his console in the presence of his father. To clarify things, the Atari 5200 was a commercial failure in real life and it seems that making a console version of the arcade game did not make business sense to Atari, Inc. at all.
If you want to play the Cloak & Dagger arcade game in your home right now, you will need an Xbox console and Antstream Arcade ($30 for 1-year subscription, $80 for lifetime pass). Cloak & Dagger is just one of over a thousand games available through Antstream Arcade and you can learn more by clicking here and here.
Conclusion
Henry Thomas as an armed Davey.
I have seen Cloak & Dagger (1984) many times throughout my life from childhood and to adulthood. I can clearly say that this 1980s movie is still really good to watch as its appeal to both children and adults remains strong and intact. It is a medium-paced spy thriller that not only follows a young boy who witnesses and murder and gets into danger (note: even his neighbor gets involved) but also dramatizes (in entertaining ways) how dangerous situations can get when you are living with uncontrolled personal fantasy and interacting with a heroic friend who does not really exist. Considering the time this movie was released, I am delighted to tell you cautious readers that there definitely is no wokeness nor were there any traces of political correctness that got in the way of its presentation. Going back to the parenting aspect of this film, it is made clear that children need their parents for moral support and there is absolutely no way that games, fictional heroes and geek culture could ever be good alternatives. Like the adults, children should never lose their grip on reality and should be taught that uncontrolled fantasy can lead to real-life danger. Very clearly, director Richard Franklin and the crew did a fine job telling a solid story and emphasizing the main characters while also providing suspense, action and thrills.
Considering all the mixed elements it has, Cloak & Dagger (1984) can be engaging towards parents, their children, fans of espionage and people who love video games. Finally, I should state that the City of San Antonio in the Lone Star State of Texas is indeed a great location for filmmaking and viewing.
Author Carlo Carrasco 