The phenomenon that is nostalgia is a double-edged sword and for some films it also happens to be their saving grace. The Goonies is one such film. If one were to look at The Goonies with a critical eye, one would find many issues such as shaky camera work, cheap-looking sets, crazed, hard-to-understand dialogue, and a plot that seems to jump every which way. There was one scene in particular that caused me to cringe inwardly and that is when our main heroes stumble upon the seemingly abandoned house that stands over the caverns leading to One-Eyed Willy's treasure. They make there way inside and are met by Mama and Jake Fratelli and this entire sequence is simply chaos on screen with too many close up shots, nonsensical dialogue, and a truly strange feel to it. Despite this and other cringe-worthy moments, The Goonies truly pays homage to the decade of Spielberg, otherwise known as the 1980's. Sporting the insane fashion sense, over-the-top child acting, and a cast that would go on to be extremely successful actors, this film is the true definition of a nostalgia trip and anybody who's anybody should see this movie, I'm just sorry that it took me so long to enjoy the wild, wacky, cheesy, but lovable film that is The Goonies.

It took me a while to get around to this film. I know it's synonymous with the '80s and for some reason I kept putting it off. I really liked it despite all the hype. However it can be a bit corny and cheesy at times, but what '80s kids movie isn't? It's a great story of growing up and friendship. A fun filled adventure that will satisfy you throughout.

The Goonies is a movie that's inevitably going to show up on most all lists dealing with films of the 80s. While it does include its fair share of references to a good bit of 80s culture, the biggest draw I found with the movie is in the story. By no means is this a claim to boast it as being the most original story, but the smaller decisions to use a younger cast, focus on a classic pirate storyline, and root it with such relatable dialogue and characters is where the magic happens. The Goonies thrives from the kids. The careful casting, writing, and direction that went into making each kid their own special character is what has propelled the movie for decades. The stoic nature of Mikey plays perfectly off the perfectly named Mouth. The inclusion of the gadget based Data gives the movie a nice geeky side, and the cherry on top is in the form of the scene stealing Chunk. Then while the movie makes the smart decision to maintain its focus on the kids, the short fray into the teenagers subplots provides an enjoyable draw for the adolescent age group as well. Parents of today can then turn around and reminisce on the adventurous joys that came with being a kid in the 80s.Unfortunately a common argument that plagues a certain amount of films of every decade, but can stick out at times here is the technical aging of The Goonies. The dialogue dubbing, outdated special effects, and cheesy one liners can be distracting at times. In addition, the teenage subplot while minimal feels very artificial and last minute. However, at the end of the day, The Goonies lighthearted, feel-good story, dialogue, and characters cement it in the Pantheon of 80's Classics!

I had the displeasure of watching this on TV. People were talking about how it was a classic, so it immediately got me excited for the film, because I usually love classics before the 90's.Anyway, I'm still a bit confused why this is considered a classic. Apparently, if you have a film with unlikable characters that always scream, you are considered to be a quality film.People calling this a classic is like comparing it to Indiana Jones, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, Escape From New York, ET, hell, even Star Wars...believe me, this film deserves no place in that category at all.I'm going to expand on this review later, but if you go to see this, just bear in mind what I said about unlikable, screaming characters...