The Goonies
The Goonies
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This film has been preserved in the National Film Registry in 2017.
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 Goonies never say die.-Mikey
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The Goonies is a 1985 American adventure comedy film co-produced and directed by Richard Donner from a screenplay by Chris Columbus, based on a story by executive producer Steven Spielberg. Produced by Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, Warner Bros. released the film theatrically on June 7, 1985 in the United States.
In 2017, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Plot
Old-fashioned yarn about a band of adventurous kids who take on the might of a property developing company which plans to destroy their home to build a country club. When the children discover an old pirate map in the attic, they follow it into an underground cavern in search of lost treasure but come up against plenty of dangerous obstacles along the way.
Why It Rocks
- The idea of having a band of kids who attempt to save their homes from foreclosure and, in doing so, they discover an old treasure map that takes them on an adventure to unearth the long-lost fortune of One-Eyed Willy, a legendary 17th-century pirate, making the premise original.
- Mikey, Brand, Chunk, Mouth, Data, Andy, and Stef are all likable main characters.
- The Fratellis are pretty neat villains.
- Sloth is a great side character and his friendship with Chunk is very cute.
- Memorable minor characters like Rosalita.
- Plenty of well-handled comedy.
- The action scenes are well-paced, incredibly and awesome, like Sloth having battle against the Fratellis.
- A great blend of action, adventure, humor, and suspense.
- Amazingly well crafted sets and makeup.
- Lots of memorable moments like Chunk meets Sloth.
- Well done special effects.
- Stellar performances from the cast, particularly Sean Astin, Josh Brolin (who is famously played Thanos from Marvel), Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, Martha Plimpton, Ke Huy Qua, and John Matuszak.
- The poster is very well-crafted, especially when it drawn in watercolor.
- Like Superman, this movie shows how Richard Donner has amazing skills as a director.
- Amazing and memorable score of Dave Gruisin.
- The story is highly engaging and entertaining.
- The ending is fantastic and satisfying.
- "HEY YOU GUUUUUYS!"
Bad Qualities
- It can get too disturbing for younger viewers.
- Similar to Spaceballs there's a large amount of vulgar language for a PG-rated film. (Especially "my mom's favorite piece".)
- It also features the scene where Mouth talks porny at Chunk: "I got some naked pictures on your Mom, taking a bath?" which is also inappropriate for a PG-rated film.
- Mikey, Mouth, Data, and Brand are nearly mean-spirited to Chunk such as he told them that there is a robber that plotting in the old house, but they never listen.
Trivia
- Adapted from an original story by Steven Spielberg, this film was written by Chris Columbus -- who had also written the screenplay for the Spielberg--produced Gremlins the previous year. That film is referenced at the beginning of The Goonies when a police officer believes Chunk is a prank calling him about "little creatures that multiply when you put water on them".
- This film marks the feature film debut of actors John Brolin, Sean Astin, Jeff Cohen and Kerri Green.
- The film is an early feature film credit for renowned animator Wes Takahashi. He went on to work on Top Gun and Who Framed Roger Rabbit among other box-office hits and is known for animating the "boy on the moon" image on the DreamWorks logo.
- Filming began in October 1984 on location in Astoria, Oregon, and on sound stages in Los Angeles at The Burbank Studios. It took more than five months to complete production. The movie grossed over $9 million in its opening weekend alone and $124 million worldwide in its release.
Reception
The Goonies received positive reviews, and has since become a cult film. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 76% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 58 reviews and 91% of the audience giving it a positive review; the average rating is 6.32/10. The critical consensus: "The Goonies is an energetic, sometimes noisy mix of Spielbergian sentiment and fun-house tricks that will appeal to kids and nostalgic adults alike.". At Metacritic it has a rating score of 62 based on 13 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Trivia
- Sloth was playable in the action-adventure platform crossover video game LEGO Dimensions.