I cannot tell you the last time I saw The Goonies before giving this new Blu-ray a spin. I was only eight when it first hit theaters and I know back then I watched it more times than I care to remember. I loved it and I remember being out on the playground with my friends, running around yelling, “Sloth love Chunk,” mimicking the film’s lovable giant. Watching it again all these years later the film has lost none of its luster as a band of young kids set out to find lost pirate treasure to save their house.
As far as Warner’s Blu-ray presentation is concerned, I’d call it a satisfactory release, but it also seems as if this is simply a film that would never pop off the screen no matter the restoration. However, I have never owned a DVD copy of the film so I have nothing to compare it to, although when the group is attacked by a hoard of bats I was wondering if it was as easy to see the strings on the DVD edition as it was here on Blu-ray. Perhaps that’s the kind of clarity high definition has to offer this release.
The features are a bit hit and miss. The miss is primarily the fact there isn’t much here and the complete group of features is recycled from the 2001 DVD edition, including an archival six minute making of featurette that is almost insulting when you come to think of this as a 25th Anniversary release. The only “new” feature is the fact the audio commentary with Richard Donner and the cast has a secondary viewing option that includes intermittent video of the group as they give their commentary. Hardly worthy of even being called new.
The biggest benefit is going to be to hardcore fans that love to have as much paraphernalia as they can get their hands on. On top of the film, this giant box set includes a Goonies board game, a reprint of an Empire magazine reunion article from 2009, a reproduction of the 1985 souvenir magazine and ten glossy storyboard cards. Essentially, this is all stuff you can do without if you can bring yourself to wait until the single disc Blu-ray is released sometime in the next few months.
The special features are a major disappointment, a new documentary on the film is mandatory for this kind of release and its omission is glaring. The picture itself is quite nice, but I still don’t think this is a film that will ever look great in high definition. Overall, this is a question of whether you own it already and just how much do you love this film?
If you don’t own it, I’d say this is a film worth picking up. I forgot how much fun it is and I laughed a lot watching it again as the jokes are just as good now as they were back then. However, if you already own the DVD you’re pretty much good to go unless upgrading is something you feel is necessary. If that’s the case you won’t be blown away, but I don’t think you’ll be upset. This is a perfectly fine release and your enjoyment of it depends on your needs and expectations, but I guess the same can be said for most anything.
