Respond to these rapid questions in our The Goonies quiz and we will tell you which The Goonies character you are. Play it now.
“The Goonies” is a seamless amalgamation of the usual ingredients found in Steven Spielberg action films, made all the more memorable by the high-energy performances given by the children who go on the adventures. When it comes to “Casablanca,” this is a fantastical tale of buried pirate treasure, told with a slice-of-life approach that allows these kids to use words that Bogart didn’t understand in the film. There used to be a distinction between children’s movies and adult films. Now, Spielberg has discovered a middle-of-the-road audience of young teenagers with moderately sophisticated tastes in horror films. He supervises the formula and oversees the production, delegating the direction to stylish action veterans (this time, it’s Richard Donner, director of “Superman” and “Ladyhawke”) who are known for their work in the genre.
Similarly to “Gremlins,” “Goonies” walks a fine line between the jovial and the gruesome, and the very scenes that adults might find objectionable are the ones that children will find the most amusing: Spielberg expresses his admiration for their ability to withstand the rigors of the filming process. Several engaging boys appear in the film’s opening sequence, including a smart kid with braces, a fat kid, an older brother, and an Asian kid whose clothing conceals a variety of ingenious inventions. During their journey, they meet up with a couple of girls, whose sole purpose is to trade spit and get bats stuck in their hair. An old treasure map is discovered by the children, and they end up in the hideout of two brothers who are on the run from the law, led by a Ma Barker type. In addition, there is a third brother, who is a Quasimodo-like freak who is kept chained up in the basement, where he watches television. The tunnels leading to the hidden treasure begin beneath the hideout. They discover the tunnels while running away from the bad guys, and then set out in search of the treasure while keeping an eye out for the crooks. Among the set pieces are booby traps similar to those that Indiana Jones survived in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (falling boulders, sharp spikes), and a toboggan ride down a water chute that will remind you of the runaway train in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” There are also plenty of special effects.
Even if the ingredients are familiar from Steven Spielberg’s high-octane action films, the kids are being inspired by the film “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.” The line in “E.T.” when one kid calls another kid “penis-breath” is probably the single most important line of dialogue in any Spielberg film, and it occurs in “E.T.” The dialogue recognizes and acknowledges the precocious manner in which children incorporate vulgarity into their conversations, particularly amongst themselves; the line in “E.T.” elicited such a shock of recognition that the audience’s laughter swept away any reservations.
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This time, Spielberg’s children use the word “shit” frequently, and it is a testament to Spielberg’s foresight that the word is only given a PG rating; Spielberg no doubt argues that most children speak in this manner half of the time, and he is correct. His method is to take his thirteen- and fourteen-year-old students and allow them to act a little older than their actual age, according to him. Compared to the old Disney technique, which was to take characters of all ages and have them behave as if they were twelve, this technique is more refreshing.
The Goonies Quiz
Another Spielberg trademark, which Donner faithfully replicated, is the rapid-fire pace of the narrative. There are more events in this film than there are in six typical action films. In a minute, there’s not only one thrill, but there’s also one thrill plus a laugh, a shock, and a special effect. The screenplay has all of the kids talking at the same time, all of the time, and there were times, particularly in the first reel, when I couldn’t make out much of what they were saying because they were all talking at the same time. The movie should be played at a high volume with plenty of treble.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this The Goonies quiz.
During the filming of “Goonies,” I was frequently exhilarated by what was taking place. After that, I was a little less enthusiastic. While the film is completely manipulative, which would be fine, the film lacks the lift of a film like E.T., which is disappointing. It has a lot of energy, but it doesn’t have any sweetness to it. It takes advantage of what it knows about children to churn them up, whereas E.T. provided them with things to think about and values to appreciate. “The Goonies,” like “Gremlins,” demonstrates that Spielberg and his directors are absolute masters of how to excite and involve an audience in a film experience. Rather like “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “E.T.” wanted us to not only feel, but also wonder and dream, and it wanted us to do so in a safe environment.
For more personality quizzes check this: All My Life Quiz.
