Young teen Mikey Walsh and his friends set off on a quest to find Pirate One-Eyed Willie's treasure in hopes of saving their homes from demolition.
"They call themselves "The Goonies." The secret caves. The old lighthouse. The lost map. The treacherous traps. The hidden adventure. And Sloth… Join the adventure."
Ah, kids adventure films, how fondly we remember.
In an effort to ward off property developers and save the Walsh's from having to move away. Mikey Walsh, Brand Walsh and their intrepid friends, set off to look for pirate treasure they believe exists after the discovery of a dust covered map.
Fun fun fun! Treasure, pirates, booby traps, crooks, weird cellar dwelling humans, water slides, wishing wells and budding teenager romances, The Goonies has it all.
Directed by Richard Donner and written by Steven Spielberg and Christopher Columbus, The Goonies is one of those rare animals that thrills the children and bewitches the adults in equal measure. Romping along at a fair old click, the film never stops to pause for breath, thus dragging the viewers along for the ride.
There is no expense spared with the production (the sets are delightful) and the cast are mostly engaging. There's some minor annoyances, such as the girls being adventure caricatures, but itches are easy to scratch if you have engaged from the off with its fantastical charms.
It's a film that once loved in childhood should hopefully stay far beyond into your adult years. A junior Raiders Of The Lost Ark perhaps? Maybe not, but still one wholly satisfying action adventure experience, one that's standing the test of time for many of us with our fondly nostalgic glasses perched delicately on the end of the nose. 8/10
Second time seeing this and while it's not quite the classic in my book, still a fun family-adventure flick with some nice production design and a nice cast along with some great talent behind the camera with Spielberg producing (and story), Chris Columbus's script and Richard Donner directing. Added bonus for me being an Oregonian and this filmed in Astoria. **3.5/5**
