35 Years Later, The Goonies Still Fun

Talk to any child of the 80s about what made that era so great, and eventually talk will come around to THE GOONIES, the Steven Spielberg production that brought a motley group of outcast kids together on a treasure hunt that pitted them against criminals and clues in an effort to save their homes from a greedy real estate developer.

In addition to being the first big-screen appearances for actors Sean Astin and Josh Brolin, THE GOONIES featured Corey Feldman, who was already an accomplished actor but who certainly came to prominence due to this film, and Anne Ramsey, perfectly cast as Mama Fratelli, the leader of a family counterfeiting gang that sets up operations in an old restaurant that happens to sit atop the entrance to a series of underground tunnels used hundreds of years ago by pirates -- pirates whose treasure is fabled to still exist somewhere in the catacombs.

Each of the quirky characters is memorable, and the film has quotable lines that stick with you. And nobody is going to forget the loveable yet grotesque appearance of Sloth (John Matuszak). When the childlike deformed giant rips open his shirt to reveal his Superman tee, the John Williams strains slip into the movie score -- doubly inspirational as SUPERMAN director Richard Donner helmed this picture as well

To be sure, in the light of modernity, the blush is off the rose when rewatching THE GOONIES. It still has its moments that will make you smile, but you start to notice how two-dimensional the characters are, particularly the real estate developers and pompous jocks. But if you can quit analyzing it critically and just fill your cheeks with popcorn and drink it in, it's 1985 all over again.