Film review - The Goonies - Heroes Journey
The Goonies, directed by Richard Donner in 1985 links to Joseph Campbell's Monomyth 'The Heroes Journey'. It follows a group of adventurous kids, battling to save their home from being destroyed and turned into a country club. When they find a Pirate map in their attic, they follow it into an underground cavern looking for treasure and face many dangerous things lurking beneath.
The first stage of the heroes journey, Ordinary world is linked to the beginning of the movie where we are introduced to our protagonists, Mikey Walsh, his older brother Brandon, Mikey's friends Data, Mouth and Chunk. Mikey and Brandon's house is faced with foreclosure and with no money to buy the house back the group decide to spend their last weekend together before Mikey moves.
Their Call to adventure takes place in Mikey's attic where they discover a Treasure map, upon Mouth's deciphering of the map it shows that the hidden treasure belongs to the famous pirate 'One-eyed Willie'. Mikey goes on to explain that 'One-Eyed Willie' stole masses of treasure and was chased down and trapped in a cave by the British Armada, Mikey also suggests that if they found the treasure they wouldn't have to leave the goon docks.
The Refusual to the Call, Brandon believes that if there was such thing as the treasure the map would be locked up somewhere, Mouth also suggests that if Chester Copperpot couldn't find the treasure then how could they, Chunk and Data are also dismissive about it too.
Their Supernatural Aid throughout their adventure is One-Eyed Willie's map as it guides the group through the caverns traps and mysteries to Willie himself and his Hoard of treasure.
The group Crosses the Threshold when they decide to follow the map and in order to do that, they tie Brandon to prevent him from keeping them inside the house. It can also be suggested that when they escape from the Fratelli's later on, the passage way underneath the fire place they go through could be considered crossing the threshold too.
The group encounter the Belly of the Whale when the map leads them into the Fratelli's hideout who threaten the group and corner them and it isn't until that Brandon gets there that they are able to escape, this makes the gang scared for their lives and almost willing to give up and go home, but Mikey argues that this is their last chance to see if their really is treasure.
Meeting the Godess occurs when Brandon's crush, Andy arrives to join them outside the Fratelli hideout, she convinces Brandon to let the group investigate the hideout.
When the gang venture deeper into the cavern they are on the Road of Trials and come across an inactive booby trap that is then activated mistakenly by Mikey, forcing them deeper into the cavern they are then attacked by bats. Conquering each of Willie's traps leads the gang closer to his hoard. It could also be suggested that Willie's map give's them hints to solving his booby traps along the way.
The group later on come across a 'waterfall' filled with coins, which the group sees as 'Willie's hoard', eventually it is revealed to be a wishing well and they are at the bottom of it. This acts as a Temptation to escape the cavern as they have a way to leave (the top of the well) and the money around them in the well to afford to stop the foreclosure. Steph interjects that they cant take the money as they are people's wishes they're taking. Mikey prevents the group from leaving by saying that they've made it further than Chester Copperpot who was a professional and that if they leave they lose their chance to have their time down in the cavern.
Magic Flight takes place when the Goonies come across the skeletal piano and Andy has to play it correctly in order to progress, she barely knows how to play and after playing the wrong notes twice, messing up the last note on the map could cause them to fall to their death. The one in million shot is when she guesses the correct note and they are able to escape just as the Frateli's catch up to them.
The Goonies finally reach Willies ship which associates to the Ultimate Boon, they found One-Eyed Willie's treasure and his ship, made it through his booby traps and even escaped death. They raid the ship, only finding dusty skeletons and no gold, just as they are getting frustrated Andy sets off a trap which actually leads them to a secret room on the ship.
Mikey climbs into the secret passage and finds the gold along with Willie's Skeletal Corpse and confronts him about his journey to Willie and his ship. This is the Atonement with the father as he is tells him that he has beaten Willie and made it in one piece. Also commenting the fact that One-eyed Willie is the first ever Goonie.
Mikey's attitude changes after speaking with Willie's and tells his group not to take Willie's gold as it belongs to him, this is the Apotheosis as Mikey has grown throughout the adventure to respect what Willie owns and is willing to take as little as possible.
The Fratelli's catch up and kidnap the Goonies, taking their gold and start picking them off the ship but as they are Sloth and Chunk appear preventing the Fratelli's from doing so. This instigates Rescue From Without as the the group jump safely off the ship while Sloth deals the Fratelli's.
Having no gold and the Fratelli's raiding the ship, the group have no choice but to leave the cavern. Mikey still wants to stay and get back the gold they lost, this is the Refusal of Return as Mikey doesn't want to return back to the surface with nothing to prevent them moving away.
The group escape through the blocked cavern wall by blowing it up and are able to return back to the surface. At this point they are Crossing the Return Threshold back into their reality and leaving their world.
After meeting up with their families on the beach, they come to the realisation that the parents have to sign foreclosure papers, Rosalita finds a jacket with some of the treasure inside and exclaims in Spanish 'no pen, no sign!'. Initiating the Master of Two Worlds and Freedom to live stage as they now have the money to afford to buy back the Goon docks, they've also conquered and survived Willy's traps and found his ship along with his hoard, setting him free with it into the ocean.
Illustration:
Figure 1 - The Goonies 1985 - Richard Donner - [Movie Still]
Figure 2 - The Goonies 1985 - Richard Donner - [Movie Still]
Figure 3 - The Goonies 1985 - Richard Donner - [Movie Still]
Figure 4 - The Goonies 1985 - Richard Donner - [Movie Still]
Figure 5 - The Goonies 1985 - Richard Donner - [Movie Still]
Figure 6 - The Goonies 1985 - Richard Donner - [Movie Still]
Figure 7 - The Goonies 1985 - Richard Donner - [Movie Still]
Figure 8 - The Goonies 1985 - Richard Donner - [Movie Still]
The first stage of the heroes journey, Ordinary world is linked to the beginning of the movie where we are introduced to our protagonists, Mikey Walsh, his older brother Brandon, Mikey's friends Data, Mouth and Chunk. Mikey and Brandon's house is faced with foreclosure and with no money to buy the house back the group decide to spend their last weekend together before Mikey moves.
 |
| Figure 1 - Mikey discovers the Pirate Map |
The Refusual to the Call, Brandon believes that if there was such thing as the treasure the map would be locked up somewhere, Mouth also suggests that if Chester Copperpot couldn't find the treasure then how could they, Chunk and Data are also dismissive about it too.
 |
| Figure 2 - Chunk, Mikey, Mouth and Data taking a second look at the map. |
The group Crosses the Threshold when they decide to follow the map and in order to do that, they tie Brandon to prevent him from keeping them inside the house. It can also be suggested that when they escape from the Fratelli's later on, the passage way underneath the fire place they go through could be considered crossing the threshold too.
 |
| Figure 3. - The group after escaping the Frateli's |
Meeting the Godess occurs when Brandon's crush, Andy arrives to join them outside the Fratelli hideout, she convinces Brandon to let the group investigate the hideout.
When the gang venture deeper into the cavern they are on the Road of Trials and come across an inactive booby trap that is then activated mistakenly by Mikey, forcing them deeper into the cavern they are then attacked by bats. Conquering each of Willie's traps leads the gang closer to his hoard. It could also be suggested that Willie's map give's them hints to solving his booby traps along the way.
 |
| Figure 4 - Mikey preventing the group from leaving |
The group later on come across a 'waterfall' filled with coins, which the group sees as 'Willie's hoard', eventually it is revealed to be a wishing well and they are at the bottom of it. This acts as a Temptation to escape the cavern as they have a way to leave (the top of the well) and the money around them in the well to afford to stop the foreclosure. Steph interjects that they cant take the money as they are people's wishes they're taking. Mikey prevents the group from leaving by saying that they've made it further than Chester Copperpot who was a professional and that if they leave they lose their chance to have their time down in the cavern.
Magic Flight takes place when the Goonies come across the skeletal piano and Andy has to play it correctly in order to progress, she barely knows how to play and after playing the wrong notes twice, messing up the last note on the map could cause them to fall to their death. The one in million shot is when she guesses the correct note and they are able to escape just as the Frateli's catch up to them.
 |
| Figure 5 - Willie's Ship |
 |
| Figure 6 - Willie's Corpse |
Mikey's attitude changes after speaking with Willie's and tells his group not to take Willie's gold as it belongs to him, this is the Apotheosis as Mikey has grown throughout the adventure to respect what Willie owns and is willing to take as little as possible.
 |
| Figure 7 - Fratelli's capturing the Goonies |
Having no gold and the Fratelli's raiding the ship, the group have no choice but to leave the cavern. Mikey still wants to stay and get back the gold they lost, this is the Refusal of Return as Mikey doesn't want to return back to the surface with nothing to prevent them moving away.
The group escape through the blocked cavern wall by blowing it up and are able to return back to the surface. At this point they are Crossing the Return Threshold back into their reality and leaving their world.
 |
| Figure 8 - The Goonies discovering they have some of the treasure left |
Illustration:
Figure 1 - The Goonies 1985 - Richard Donner - [Movie Still]
Figure 2 - The Goonies 1985 - Richard Donner - [Movie Still]
Figure 3 - The Goonies 1985 - Richard Donner - [Movie Still]
Figure 4 - The Goonies 1985 - Richard Donner - [Movie Still]
Figure 5 - The Goonies 1985 - Richard Donner - [Movie Still]
Figure 6 - The Goonies 1985 - Richard Donner - [Movie Still]
Figure 7 - The Goonies 1985 - Richard Donner - [Movie Still]
Figure 8 - The Goonies 1985 - Richard Donner - [Movie Still]
The Goonies... classic!!!
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