The Goonies
Blu-ray | DVD
25th Anniversary Edition
Directed by Richard Donner
Staring Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman
Warner Home Video
Release date: November 2, 2010

I don’t know if it’s possible to have grown up in the 80s and not be a fan of The Goonies. It is one of the quintessential movies of the decade, at least if you’re someone who reads our site. There are few films that are still as much fun as The Goonies, and there are few films that hold such a special place the hearts of its fans. It’s been twenty-five years since the film hit theaters, and there’s no better way to celebrate than with a big old Blu-ray set, and that’s just what we’re getting. So sit back, grab a Baby Ruth, and prepare to do the Truffle Shuffle, because it’s time to go looking for One-eyed Willie’s treasure one more time.

Wait, you mean I need to explain to you the plot of The Goonies? Really? Okay, if I need to explain to you the plot you clearly were born too late, and I won’t hold that against you, but that’s not an excuse to have never seen this movie. The Goonies follows a bunch of kids who are about to lose their houses to a bunch of greedy land developers, so they go in search of pirate treasure, while trying to thwart the villainous Fratellis. The plot only tells half of the story though. This is a film about friendship and what its like to be a kid, full of wonder and the hope that if you set your mind to it, anything is possible. “Goonies never die” is just as true today as it was 25 years ago, and it’s the kind of sentiment that rings true to this day.

The film launched the career of several actors, including Sean Astin as Mikey and Josh Brolin as Mikey’s older brother Brand. It was also one of the first big roles for Corey Feldman, as “˜Mouth’, the friend we all know who just won’t shut up. Of course, the most often quoted character is the comic relief of Chuck (Jeff Cohen) and the monstrous but kindly Sloth (John Matsuzak). I’m pretty sure everyone has yelled “Hey You Guys” at some point, even if you’ve never seen the movie. It’s probably one of the most quoted movie lines ever. Finally, adding all the elements together is director Richard Donner, Executive Producer Steven Spielberg, and screenwriter Chris Columbus, all big names who came together to make a truly special movie. It’s a shame that we don’t see more movies like this, but when you see something like How To Train Your Dragon, you can’t help but be reminded of The Goonies.

Bonus Features

This is Blu-ray 25th anniversary edition is definitely a fan’s set, and if this film holds a special place in your heart, you’re going to want to pick this up. The first thing you get is the Blu-ray with an amazing transfer of the film. The film looks cleaner than I’ve ever seen it, and everything pops on the screen. There are a few places where the cleanliness of the transfer shows off the age of the effects, but that’s to be expected at this point I suppose. Beyond the Blu-ray, you get a couple of retrospective books, one with an old Empire Magazine interview that reunites the main cast as well as the director and Spielberg. The second is a reprint of a behind the scenes book with a lot of pictures and information on the production. Next, you get some small cards with a reproduction of some of the storyboards, which are pretty cool, I guess. Lastly you get a Goonies board game, set up for 2 to 4 players. There’s nothing that a casual fan “has” to have, beyond the actual movie, but big time fans will get a kick out of them, and that’s really who this is marketed towards.

There’s a decent set of extras on the disc, including a decent commentary featuring director Richard Donner and the seven Goonies. The problem with the commentary is that there are two many voices and the conversation gets a little confusing. The rest of the extras on the disc include an old behind the scenes special from 1985, a few deleted scenes, and the Cyndi Lauper music video for “The Goonies R Good Enough.” All in all, it’s a decent set of extras, although it’s pretty much the same collection already available on the DVD.

To be honest, I was a little disappointed by the huge box this set comes in. There is a ton of crap to fit in here, and the box is big enough, but it’s going to take up a lot of space on your shelf. The biggest problem though is that the box doesn’t feature any of the iconic art from the movie posters. That I just don’t understand. The box design is really kind of boring. I mean, in no way is this really an important part of whether you should buy this or not, but it’s something that they could have spent five more seconds on and made the whole package really cool.

It will be up to you to determine if it’s worth the money for all the extras included in this set. If you’re in love with this movie and think you’ll get a kick out of the knick-knacks, it’s an easy choice, and I would recommend it to you. On the other hand, if you just want to have the movie, and don’t want a stupid large box taking up shelf space, you can probably just wait a few months until the Blu-ray is out by itself, and save yourself a little cash. You should own this movie, one way or the other, and if I was just judging this by the movie, I would not tell you to hesitate. The movie gets a 5 out of 5, the collector’s set gets a 4 out of 5, but just make sure whether you want to buy all the extra crap. Now, it’s time for me to do the truffle shuffle. Join in with me!

Note – The Goonies 25th Anniversary Edition is also available for download through iTunes, including the new bonus features from this release.