The Goonies [Blu-ray] [1985][Region Free]

 

 

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Well, what is there to say that hasnt been said already. This was constantly on my video when i was a nipper, and now its on dvd, its great. I love the idea of the hidden treasure, the bad guy brothers (who play off each other brilliantly), and the gadgets and secret passage ways and. . . . Just watch it, because you will love it, however old you are!!!!

When i saw this film on the shelf in this shop i wipped it straight into my basket. How could i resist? I couldn't! This is the most fun loving film with a meaning behind it and you don't have to be a kid to enjoy it. To describe it in 3 words, they would have to be: Exceptional, Dedicated & Chunk! This packed full of action film is one for everybody. Go on, make it appear on your shelf, you'll thank me for it.

I guess everyone's first question is How does it look? Well, it looks good. Really good. Perfect? No. I'll list the poorer aspects of the transfer first.

To me, a lot of shots with close-ups of actors don't look as vivid as those without. This might simply be because flesh tones have less variance when filling a large portion of the screen, and therefore maybe it's an unfair comparison. But it's definitely not as clear as I've seen on other movies (Blade Runner is an obvious example, and that has the highest definition HD master so far, scanned in at 4K resolution). One scene that looked particularly grainy was where Mouth is telling Rosalita she'll be locked in the cupboard. I think this can only be down to the original negative, because there are other scenes with lower light levels that have absolutely no grain at all. One thing that the HD mastering hasn't done much of is make the visual effects looks worse, as is the case with a lot of FX-heavy movies. One thing I did notice more was when the kids land in the pirate ship cavern and we get the big reveal, the flow of water on the right looks really bad - it's way too fast and looks composited.

On the positive side, it really does look good in wide shots, and there are many in this film. The shots of Astoria look great, I definitely noticed the backgrounds look sharper in some of these shots, like shot of Chunk doing his truffle shuffle - when you get the reverse shot of Chunk standing on the box, look at the houses on the hillside in the background. The attic scene looks surprisingly good, considering it's shot in low lighting. The plasma ball and lightning tube look really vivid here, I liked that. I was happy with how good the whole scene looked because it's got some great rain-diffused lighting and cinematography.

Another shot that jumped out at me is when Mr Perkins and his associate walk away, the tankers at sea behind them are really clear now despite not being in the field of focus. Later, when the kids get off their bikes at the top of the hill and look out to the beach, it's incredibly crisp, and shortly after that when they drag their bikes to the top of the hill, you can see every wave hitting the rocks in the distance. Quite stunning.

I must say, one scene I was really looking forward to seeing was the wishing well/coins scene. I always thought it was beautifully shot, whatever I was viewing it on. Well, it looks crystal clear, as it should with such vivid lighting.

The miserable Astoria weather is more vivid than ever, both visually and the crystal clear audio. And in some shots, the map is clear enough to read yourself.

Oh, and Chunk's Hawaian shirt looks better than ever! Or worse, depending on your taste.

The audio is crisp, although one problem with this movie has always been the noise of too many characters speaking at once. That can't really be fixed, but given those in-built limitations, it sounds great. Dave Grusin's score is always lovely to hear as well.

As for the rest of the Blu-ray, the special features are straight from the DVD. The famous commentary is one of the best ever made for a DVD, so if you didn't get the DVD, you will love it. But at the end of the day, the film is what matters most, and let's face it, this one is a gem.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Undeniably THE classic childhood movie for the 80s generation!
I cannot fault this all round amazing childhood classic film! I am not sure I know anyone who does not like this movie! Read more

Published 26 days ago by Louise Roberts

3.0 out of 5 stars Subtitles issues....quality of the translation
The Portuguese subtitles/quality of the translation work is very poor. Other than this, nothing to report. The kids enjoyed it, so did I when I was their age....

Published 1 month ago by Walking President

4.0 out of 5 stars The Goonies come to life for little Lukie
Seen this dvd on a caravan holiday with my little nephew and he was enthralled by it, his birthday was comming up
so ordered through Amazon, it arrived promptly, neatly... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Dolly

1.0 out of 5 stars Robbed!
Ordered - Then I paid - But this was never sent out to me - But amazingly i get to write a review about something that you think i got even though i tried contacting you several... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Lloyd Hannon

3.0 out of 5 stars I missed the sentiment :(
I am one of those people that managed to miss The Goonies within my childhood, but over the years I have heard nothing but good things about it so I was very much looking forward... Read more

Published 3 months ago by bizmandan

5.0 out of 5 stars Best film ever
This is my all time favourite film. I've had it on DVD for years, but before that I had it on a tape recorded off the TV all through my childhood, I don't know what I would have... Read more

Published 3 months ago by Jax Dakota Cash

5.0 out of 5 stars Great product
This Blu Ray is fantastic quality.
Works well on all the blu ray players including PS3.
Great movie.
Very cheap and great quality. Read more

Published 3 months ago by trafford89

4.0 out of 5 stars Goonies movie
great movie what more can you say, it turned up on time was as I ordered it and the prize was reasonable.

Published 4 months ago by NLyndhurst

4.0 out of 5 stars Ah, kids adventure films, how fondly we remember.
In an effort to ward off property developers and save the Walsh's from having to move away. Mikey Walsh, Brand Walsh and their intrepid friends, set off to look for pirate... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Spike Owen

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 Stars....Wish i could score it higher!
As a 10 year old when this film was first released my Friend, his 2 brothers and I where instantly hit with the idea that we would call our group the Goonies. Read more

Published 4 months ago by J. Pike

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