The Goonies

The Goonies was a hit movie in 1985 produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Richard Donner. It was an escapist film for teenagers about a band of misfit kids from a section of Astoria, Oregon called the "Goon Docks."

A popular soundtrack was released for the film featuring music by Cyndi Lauper, REO Speedwagon and others (see The Goonies: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).

Plot summary

When local developers want to buy the entire Goon Docks to demolish and convert into a golf course, a group of kids who call themselves "Goonies" decide to have one last adventure together. They follow an old treasure map that leads them into a series of underground caverns built in the 1600s by a legendary pirate named "One-Eyed" Willie. They eventually find Willie's ship and the lost booty, but along the way they are followed and hunted down by a group of criminals called the Fratellis. While the Goonies try to escape them, the Fratellis accidentally set off a booby trap that demolishes the cave and lets Willie's ship sail free. Luckily, Mikey's marble bag held a handful of large precious stones, saving the Goon Docks from its golf course future.

The film featured performances by child actors Corey Feldman (Mouth), Sean Astin (Mikey), Josh Brolin (Brand), Martha Plimpton (Stef), Kerri Green (Andy), Ke Huy Quan (Data), Steve Antin and Jeff Cohen (Chunk). It also featured Academy award winner Anne Ramsey, Joe Pantoliano, Robert Davi and American football player John Matuszak (Sloth).

Game

There is a MSX game based on Goonies. There are also a Famicom game, "The Goonies", and an NES game, "The Goonies II". Only "Goonies II" was released in North America. This game had little to do with the movie, but achieved a following for its inventive gameplay. In it the Fratellis have managed to kidnap all of the Goonies (except Mikey, whom the player guides) and hide them in hidden cages across a terrain of caverns, mazes and abandoned buildings. As Mikey the player must rescue them all (not entirely unrelated to the film) and to ultimately free a mermaid named Annie (completely unrelated to the film.)

Allegedly a film sequel is in the works as of 2004, something long desired by fans of the first. Originally rumored to have cameos of the original teens (playing parents of a new troop of Goonies,) it has now been declared that none of them elected to participate.

External links

• TheGoonies.com (http://www.thegoonies.com/)
• IMDb: The Goonies (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0089218)