While characters are clearly defined with text book keynotes and the world building is of the magical suburban that was sold to audiences from the Spielberg stable and its imitators, we are treated to a plot that works a treat and moves at a clip. If you have seen Stranger Things but not The Goonies you might be struck with an odd deja vu. You might also notice that this PG rated piece with its hard on jokes and sex references got away with that. If anything the rating system has become more protective of the sensibilities of the under fifteens. Then again, with a cast dominated by that group, for whom else was this movie made?
Answer: for the family night at the movies and then the home video night. John Hughes had already nailed the teen and young adult date night market, Spielberg's concerns went straight to the audience that got into everything else he'd made or oversaw. The Goonies is a kids Raiders of the Lost Ark. It won't have the goofy Nazis but it can have the kind of baddies that would later appear in the likes of Home Alone. You don't get a single Indy Jones but why would you need him when each of the kids has his or her own quest?
The difference between just squeezing it down to essentials and making a movie that the kids want to see again and again is a director who can bring some serious mainstream muscle to the project, so that it never gets too cute. Richard Donner did the prestige TV to big screen journey like Frankenheimer or Lumet, only Donner kept at the big movie side of things, hitting huge with The Omen and Superman. Reigning in the cutesy tendencies of a Spielberg story that were allowed too much bloom in things like Gremlins, was part of the assignment for him. What we get from this is a non-stop fun ride with some acceptable life lessons for the little 'uns along the way.
As much love as this movie gets from Gen Xers with nostalgia, there is an elephant hanging around in the corner. The Goonies fulfilled the need for a second bite at the Indy Jones cherry but it was also doing service for the lack of a property that was claimed so hard that it was in development and negotiation purgatory for a time beyond the patience of the great marketeers of the Spielberg stable. The TV mini-series of IT would not get to screens until five years after The Goonies but the book was burning a hole in the yearning of its fans. Concentrating on the kids adventure theme allowed the team to avoid too close comparisons and any copyright headaches while churning out yet another rollercoaster ride on film.
As rides go, it's a good one. Donner, clearly appreciating the bigger budget, pulls out some dazzling set direction and complicated camera moves along with a host of practical effects which work without needing an apology. However, for me, this is like Christmas, wondrous as a child but meaningless without kids of my own. I didn't bother with it as a new cinema release at the time as Spielberg and co. had long worn out their welcome for me. I saw it on TV in the '90s and then for this on streaming. It did kick better on the recent revisit. It's a film for an appetite; if yours doesn't crave it, you'll never pick it up but if it does, you'll be eating warmth.
Viewing notes: The Goonies is available on DVD and 4K through retailers but currently streamed through SBS on Demand.
