Diving back into the days of your childhood can be a touchy matter. What you loved as a kid will often make you cringe as an adult. What you found funny is now annoying. What you found dramatic is invariably trite trash. What you found adventurous turns out to be by-the-numbers action.

None of these things crossed my mind when I saw The Goonies gracing the rack at my local Mega DVD And Electronics Outlet. All I saw were pirate ships, deformed but lovable strongmen and a cast of memorable children.

Nostalgia can do that to you. Thankfully, in the case of The Goonies, nostalgia holds up.

One of the 1980s' most enjoyable romps, this fun adventure brings together a group of kids on a wild quest for lost pirate treasure, a group of bumbling gangsters intent on shutting the kids up, and a whole mess of light-hearted action. The result is a movie filled with spills, chills, chases, action, awesome set pieces and obstacles, and plenty of humor. All very predictable. And all very fun. Think The Little Rascals in the world of Indiana Jones and you have the right idea.

The story is just goofy enough to work. Mikey Walsh (played by Samwise Gamgee, who is played by Sean Astin) and family are about to be forced out of their home because a Big, Bad Developer is going to be buying up much of the neighborhood for redevelopment. Cue “these are our last days together!” melodramatics. So Mikey and friends, who include Data (played by Short Round), Mouth (played by the kid from Stand By Me who is neither Wesley Crusher, the Quantun Leap Guy nor dead), and his big brother mess around in the attic, where they find a treasure map. “A treasure map,” I said.

Yes, that’s what kind of movie this is.

Naturally, the kids decide the best thing they can do in their final days together is to go hunt for pirate treasure. What better way to come together in a time of loss than by looking to get some booty? It’s a lesson Camaro drivers from northern New Jersey learned a long time ago. There is solace in the booty.

But – gasp! – there is a problem. See, a family of gangsters stands between them and the treasure. And what a family it is. They swat at each other, get in fights, and generally bumble their way through the movie from start to finish. Anne Ramsey is brilliant as the mom, Robert Davi is the fantastic older brother, and Joe Pantoliano shines in this early role. They’re entirely slapstick the whole way… not at all dangerous, or scary; and that’s half the fun.

So after hooking up with two cute girls, the kids race forward with the bad guys close on their tail. A scary, deformed man becomes a movie legend and "Hey You Guys!!" becomes one of the greatest catchphrases in the entire world. The kids go from danger to danger to danger, a climax ensues, everybody is happy, the credits roll, hip hip hooray.

Corny? Yes. But I love it. It’s great fun from start to finish; just as likely to entertain adults as it is to crack kids up.

Take note before buying this for kids, though; some of the humor here is probably more risqué than you’d expect. This would probably get a PG-13 were it released today, because the kids joke about sexuality and drugs in a way that would be surprising by today’s “kid’s movie” standards. Parents with small children, proceed with caution. That said, the movie remains kid-friendly enough that it should be fine for most children over 10.

Besides, if you let a few penis jokes stand in the way of such a great romp and stomp adventure, you don’t deserve romp and stomp adventure. So there.

Dude, I know The Plot. How Does It Look? 
The Goonies DVD release isn’t going to set the world on fire with the glory of its hi-def image. It looks good enough – certainly better than the VHS tapes that have kicked around for years – but this is certainly nothing spectacular. Its ‘80s roots are readily apparent, blacks aren’t always, and from time to time you wish the colors would jump more than they do. Still, quite acceptable.

Gimme More, More, More
Of course, no DVD worth its salt comes with just the film, and thankfully The Goonies stands tall in that regard. The extras really stand out here. We have a “Making Of” documentary that covers all the bases, with plenty of on-set clips and interviews. The behind-the-scenes footage is great, the interviews with the kids from the era are fantastic, and the topics covered range widely… informative and well done. An array of deleted scenes here was surprisingly good - some of this footage is excellent and would go great in a 25th Anniversary extended edition release – even if some of the special effects in those scenes were never completed. Finally, the DVD commentary brings the cast back together for a very funny gathering as they swap stories from way back when. A nice feature during the commentary is an inset screen that will pop up, allowing you to see the cast as they comment on the film. Good viewing for longtime fans ... and for the record, Kerri Green, who played Andy, still looks great.

The Final Word
Okay, there is one bad thing to report. The only downer on this DVD is that it comes in one of those awful Warner's snapcases. Ugh! Why won’t they die?

But that’s a minor nitpick. The Goonies is great fun by any measure and is a must have for any child of the ‘80s.