The Goonies: Why It’s Still an 80s Classic

HEY YOUUU GUYS!!!

If you haven’t seen The Goonies by now, where have you been?

Release Date: 7 June 1985
Box Office: $61,389,680

Few films capture that sense of childhood adventure quite like The Goonies.

Directed by Richard Donner and carrying that unmistakable Spielberg influence, it’s a proper feel-good classic about a group of kids who set out to find the treasure of the legendary pirate One-Eyed Willie in the hope of saving their homes from demolition.

Mikey and Brand Walsh, played by Sean Astin and Josh Brolin, lead the charge, joined by Mouth, Chunk, Data, Andy and Stef. Together, they make up the Goonies — and from the moment they head off on their treasure hunt, it’s chaos in the best possible way.

They’re not alone, either, with the wonderfully dodgy Fratelli family never too far behind.

What makes The Goonies so good is that it throws in everything a kid could possibly want from an adventure film.

There are hidden maps, underground tunnels, pirate ships, booby traps and enough close calls to keep things moving all the way through. Then there’s Data, whose gadgets never quite work as planned, Chunk and the Truffle Shuffle, and of course, Sloth — one of the most memorable characters in any 80s film.

It’s silly, exciting, funny and completely unapologetic about being a proper kids’ adventure.

Even now, there are still occasional rumours about a sequel, which says a lot about just how loved this film still is.

Personally, though, it should be left alone.

The Goonies works because it belongs to its time, and because it got the mix exactly right first time round. No reboot needed.

Grab it on DVD or Blu-ray, stick it on, and do the Truffle Shuffle.