The Movie
A quarter-century ago, producer Steven Spielberg and screenwriter Chris Columbus taught me a new word I had no interest in learning: Goonies, a derogatory term for the little goons, or misfits, in a small Pacific Northwest town. When a real estate developer is poised to seize their parents' homes to make way for a new golf course, these overcaffeinated preteens band together on a quest that has vexed scores of grownups before them: to find the treasure of the legendary local pirate One-Eyed Willie.
Joined by an older brother and his would-be girlfriend, they follow an old treasure map and other clues, past deadly traps and pursued by a gun-toting family of crooks. It's the adventure of a lifetime crammed into a single night, and its blend of Disneyland-style thrills and slapstick humor have made it a beloved flick for generations of fans since its original release.
The Picture
Colors in this 2.4:1 high-def master are certainly strong, and it can be strong on detail, as for the subtle peculiarities of focus from the anamorphic lenses, but shadows can be noisy too, and a wall of softness prevents this one from being a genuine eye-popper. The blacks meanwhile are richer and more natural than expected, and overall I'd place this one a solid notch above DVD.
The Sound
Like Warner Blu-rays of yore, The Goonies packs a Dolby TrueHD 5.1-channel soundtrack, but curiously defaults to Dolby Digital 5.1, so keep the remote control handy. In general I found this remix a trifle odd, birds chirping a bit too loudly and mechanically in the rears, and grappling guns shooting across the soundstage not quite convincingly. The surround works better when we go underground for the second half of the movie, into the caves and through all the booby traps. Bass is lacking, but highs are clean, for the little creaks or whenever glass breaks.
The Extras
The video commentary with director Richard Donner and stars Sean Astin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman, Josh Brolin, Ke Huy Quan, Kerri Lee Green and Martha Plimpton, like all of the bonus materials here, is recycled from the 2001 DVD. It's now shown as intermittent Bonus View, dubbed "Video Treasures," filling the screen while the movie plays in a little window, then cutting seamlessly back to the full-sized movie. It can be enjoyed as a traditional running audio commentary too.
There's also the 12-minute long-form music video for Cyndi Lauper's song from the film, a seven-minute block of unchaptered deleted scenes, and the 1985 featurette "The Making of The Goonies." Except for the Bonus View "Video Treasures," everything is in standard definition. There was a big 25th anniversary event this past June in Astoria, Oregon where the movie was shot, but nothing from those historic festivities is shown on this new Blu-ray.
What this big box does offer however is a stack of memorabilia. There's a special reprint of an Empire Magazine reunion story, a complete reprint of the "Official Collector's Edition" souvenir magazine from 1985 (only smaller), an envelope containing ten large storyboard art cards, plus a new, exclusive Goonies boardgame for two to four players, challenging us to escape from One-Eyed Willy's cave. This "25th Anniversary" set is the only Blu-ray edition of The Goonies, for now.
Final Thoughts
Goofy fun and adventure for the whole family (provided mom and dad are cool with rolling their eyes occasionally), The Goonies has proven itself as an enduring '80s favorite. Borderline fans will want to rent, but honorary Goonies will want to own this keepsake edition.
Product Details
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Movie | |
| Extras |
