THE GOONIES (1985) 25TH ANNIVERSARY BLU-RAY REVIEW

1985 was a great year to be a kid. At the movies that summer you had not only BACK TO THE FUTURE, but another Steven Spielberg production, THE GOONIES. I had both movie posters hanging on my walls that year.

THE GOONIES was, and still is, a favorite for many who grew up in the era. It was an old fashioned adventure story. I remember going to the video store after seeing GOONIES, and looking for something like it. There was nothing. There are so few films like this that it is no wonder it caught on.

Without having seen the film in a few years, I was surprised by just how well it holds up. The dialogue (written by Chris Columbus) is still very funny. I was a bit surprised by the language. Not that I was offended now, or even then, but a PG rated film for kids with bad language? That just doesn't happen today.

I'm sure Josh Brolin would like you to forget his shorts and sweat suit wardrobe now that he is an Oscar nominee, but the cast is still quite good. Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Martha Plimpton, Kerri Green, and Jonathan Ke Quan also appear. Jeff Cohen's Chunk is much funnier than I remember him being. Robert Davi, Anne Ramsey (best known as Mama from THROW MAMA FROM THE TRAIN) and Joe Pantaliano play the bad guys. And who could forget Jon Matuszak as Sloth?

Previously released on DVD in a special edition a few years back, the Blu-Ray contains the same extras. These include a video commentary reunion track (which gathers together the entire cast and director to watch the film together), a selection of deleted scenes, a vintage featurette, and the Cyndi Lauper music video, the full 12 minute version (this was during her wrestling phase).

The new Blu-ray is housed in a box set with some fun extras. The box is slightly larger than a standard DVD case, about the size of the SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE box sets. The disc itself is inside the box in a standard Blu-ray case.  Included in the box are

• A board game, based on the movie.

• A small replica of a 1985 promotional magazine (which I believe I bought at the movie theatre back when the film came out).

• A reprint of the recent EMPIRE MAGAZINE reunion profile of the cast.

• There is also a collection of storyboards, with the stills of the finished scenes on the other size.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

A favorite film of many, now on Blu-ray, this is worth buying.


THE GOONIES 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION will be available on Blu-ray November 2, 2010 from Warner Home Video. You can also download it on iTunes