Goonies

Plot

With all their homes about to be sold to a developer to build a golf course, a group of kids who call themselves ‘The Goonies’ find a treasure map in one their attic’s, and head off in search of treasure. One of the problems they face however is the mob family called the Fratelli’s who have heard about the treasure too, and are on their tails to find it.

Direction

I had forgotten that this was directed by action guru Richard Donner, however it predates his Lethal Weapon Legacy films.

The start of the film feels almost as if it is going to be a dark gritty gangster film with baddie Jake Fratelli’s escape from prison.

Sadly, I didn’t catch too many techniques used, but there is a good use of CGI (considering it is 40 years old) as well as practical effects, make up (for Sloth) and some of the best sets of the 80s.

Cast/Characters

Featuring a who’s who of future stars. Sean Astin and Josh Brolin play the main brothers Mikey and Brand.

Corey Feldman, Martha Plimpton, (future Oscar winner) Ke Huy Quan, play some of the other kids.

Robert Davi, Joe Pantoliano and Anne Ramsay play the Fratelli’s – and late former pro footballer John Matuszak plays Sloth

Screenplay/Setting/Themes

The relationship between brothers Mikey and Brand is mixed. At one stage they were quite close to one another, which I found quite sweet as I was unable to relate, but at other times they were quite antagonistic towards one another.

There are plenty of moments where the kids talk incessantly over each other, and this is somewhat irritating. I did chuckle at one of Mama Fratelli’s lines ‘I hate kids’ after they talk endlessly at her.

As mentioned earlier, the sets were pretty incredible, especially considering they really built a full-size replica for the film.

Score/Soundtrack

Some fun 80s soundtracks including the likes of Cyndi Lauper, and mimics a few pop culture themes like James Bond and Superman (also directed by Donner).

Overall

I’m going to get a lot of hate for this, but I didn’t love this. Admittedly this was the first time I had watched this since about 1990 – so my memories of enjoying as a child have dissipated.

I think this was more aimed at kids than adults, so I found it hard to really relate to as a 40+ year old man.

3.5/5