Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Goonies 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 30, 2020

NOTE: This review's screenshots are sourced from the included Blu-ray, which does not feature a new transfer.

Warner Bros. has once again burrowed into their deep back catalog for another welcome 4K release, this time for Richard Donner's raucous adventure film The Goonies. A reliably entertaining staple for 80s kids, the film has amassed a substantial fan base during the last 35 years and has been released onto home video several times. The last notable version was 2010's 25th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition, an oversized deluxe set that even included a board game packed inside. While even this year's separately available 4K Giftset (review forthcoming) doesn't go to those packaging lengths, it at least shares one thing in common with this standard 4K edition: a solid 2160 transfer that, if nothing else, tightens up the loose visual edges of this murky (and mostly underground) adventure.

For an overview and analysis of The Goonies, please see our review of the 2010 25th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition. While I am somewhat more softened by the film's rowdy and youthful charms, I still consider it to be a little overrated -- even back in the late 1980s when yours truly saw it for the first time and was forever freaked out by Sloth, "the stiff", and One-Eyed Willie (which sound extremely questionable when grouped together). That said, The Goonies remains a fun "Saturday afternoon" flick that almost requires at least a few kids in the audience to appreciate.

The Goonies 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner Bros.' new 2160p transfer scores an easy win over previous Blu-ray editions, all of which made use of a master that's now well over a decade old. To be sure, The Goonies is not always a visually eye-popping film: skies are often overcast, the ramshackle interiors have a very lived-in appearance, and...well, more than half of it takes place in dank subterranean caverns and the Fratellis' hideout, which only features a few slivers and patches of incandescent light here and there. Simply put, long stretches The Goonies are heavy on shadows and dark by design, which just doesn't leave a lot of room for demo-worthy visuals. Still, overall image detail is clearly more well-resolved here, and it's never more apparent than during the handful of scenes shot outdoors in natural light: building exteriors, Astoria's picturesque seaside landscapes, and object close-ups all reveal levels of texture that looked much less defined on the Blu-ray. It's encoded very well with absolutely no signs of banding or compression artifacts and everything runs at an extremely high bit rate, although the lack of heavier film grain might suggest the presence of mild noise reduction. (Again, it's harder to judge than usual because, like Gremlins, this film was never supposed to look extremely polished.)

Color-wise, The Goonies is likewise not especially vivid but the 4K disc's HDR10 color enhancement also adds a few satisfying touches along the way. Troy's bright-red sports car, specific costume details (Chunk's red jacket and the bold yellow of Data's backpack), the warm orange glow of the Goonies' lantern, green-blue waters and, of course, One-Eyed Willy's golden treasure -- these pop nicely even in some of the darkest scenes, while most skin tones are also much improved over the Blu-ray's muddier palette. The film's final stretch also makes great use of contrasting color -- specifically, blue and orange -- to punch up visual impact and the increased color depth and resolution add a nice level of visual interest. Overall, this 4K disc may not stand up against the format's most fully impressive efforts, but almost all of its perceived shortcomings can be traced back to the original source elements and intended appearance.

The Goonies 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This 4K disc trades in the serviceable Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix from the 25th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition for a basically identical DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track. While the addition of several new foreign dubs and subtitles will be of interest to international fans, sadly the previous English 2.0 mix has not been carried over.

The Goonies 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release arrives in a dual-hubbed keepcase with attractive cover artwork, a few inserts (including a Digital Copy redemption code), and a handsome matching slipcover with a matte finish and subtle embossing. Its on-disc bonus features are identical to those from the 25th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition and are housed on the Blu-ray disc only. (Even the excellent audio commentary, which is a pretty glaring oversight.) These include:

• Cast Audio Commentary

• Hidden Treasures Pop-Up Track

• "The Making of The Goonies" Vintage Featurette

• Deleted Scenes

• Cyndi Lauper Music Video - "The Goonies R Good Enough"

• Theatrical Trailer

The Goonies 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Richard Donner's The Goonies is a staple for most movie-going 1980s kids and, even if you're like me and find it a little overrated, it still hits a sweet spot and has the capacity to thrill (and possibly scar) younger audiences even today. Warner Bros.' 4K edition features a decent 2160p transfer that beats the earlier Blu-ray in several key areas, even if the film's murky and often dark appearance doesn't always yield pristine visual results. Other areas, however, make this feel like a rush job, like the dropped 5.1 mix and little details like the commentary only being included on the recycled Blu-ray. It's definitely not WB's strongest 4K disc in recent memory, but still worth an upgrade for fans.