You don’t get much more entertaining thanThe Goonies, a movie that is hell-bent on being as fun and entertaining as possible. It’s one of the many classic Amblin projects that havecontinued to live on to this day. It makes you wonder what exactlySteven Spielbergwas eating in the 1980s, because this was an era when this man dugone classic after anotherout of his brain like it was no big deal. Movies likePoltergeist,Gremlins, andE.T. the Extra-Terrestrialall bore this particular Spielberg-ian brand of adventure and fun that was unmatchable. However, unlike those movies,The Goonieswasn’t purely cooked up by the man himself… becauseThe Goonieswere actually real!
Okay, that’s not entirely true.The Gooniesisn’t based on a real group of adventurous kidswho went on a quest to find the treasure of an actual pirate named One-Eyed Willy.While that would certainly be great, that’s where Spielberg comes in. In reality,The Gooniesisloosely based on the true storyof the Santo Cristo de Burgos, a real-life shipthat went missing somewhere off of the Oregon coast in the late 1600s.Archaeologists believe that some pieces of timber found along the shoreline are the remains of the fabled ship, but other than that, the answer is unclear. This means that, aside from the setting, a lost ship, and the prospect of having to dig through caves like Mikey (Sean Astin) and the gang, there were never any adventurous kids involved with the Santo Cristo de Burgos.
The Goonies
A group of young misfits called The Goonies discover an ancient map and set out on an adventure to find a legendary pirate’s long-lost treasure.
‘The Goonies’ Is One of the Most Beloved Kids Movies of the 1980s
Who doesn’t loveThe Goonies?Out of all the 1980s Amblin films,this just might be the quintessential one.It has a fun and adventurous premise, and debatably has the best cast. This movie never overstays its welcome and doesn’t have to juggle various tones likePoltergeistandGremlins. It might not be directed by Spielberg, as that credit goes toRichard Donner, but it’s probably the purest shot of his specific vibe that you could possibly find.E.T.might be more widely celebrated,Poltergeistmight be thegateway drug for many horror fans, andGremlinsjust kicks ass as acharmingly demented Christmas classic, but you could still make the argument forThe Goonies.
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“As you wish.”
This 1985 adventure comedy follows the titular Goonies, a group of kids who try to save their homes from foreclosure by hunting down the treasure of the legendary One-Eyed Willy. Their journey isn’t made easy though, consideringthey have a family of criminals on their tail at every turn who are also seeking the treasure.For an ’80s movie, you may’t really ask for abetter group of child actorsthan the cast ofThe Goonies.It’s an all-star lineup of this generation’s talent!You’ve gotJosh Brolin,Ke Huy Quan,Sean Astin,Corey Feldman, andMartha Plimpton, a.k.a. some of the best that you could find. Watching this movie does make you wish thatJeff CohenandKerri Greenhad bigger careers. You also can’t forget about the actors who played the Fratellis —Robert Davi,Joe Pantoliano, and, of course,Anne Ramseyas Mama Fratelli. Oh yeah, andJohn Mantuszakas Sloth!
The Ship in ‘The Goonies’ Is Based on a 16th-Century Shipwreck
I hate to break it to you, butThe Gooniesand its characters are all a byproduct of the genius of Steven Spielberg, Richard Donner, andChris Columbus(who wrote the screenplay). The real story that it’s based on is actually pretty simple, with the only elements based in reality falling in with One-Eyed Willy’s story and the film’s setting. In 2022,The Washington Post reportedthat an Amblin Productions spokesperson used the story of the Santo Cristo de Burgos as inspiration forThe Goonies' story. TheSanto Cristo de Burgos was a ship that allegedly wrecked off the Oregon coast, sometime after it went missing in 1693. While the ship went missing centuries ago, archaeologists might have recently found a piece of it when some timber was found along the shoreline of the state’s coast. This has led archaeologists to search caves surrounding the site for the lost ship. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been an easy task, as described byScott Williams, the president of the Maritime Archaeological Society. He told The Washington Post, “The caves are incredibly hard to get to. They are located on a beach that is only accessible at high tide, and it’s a tough hike to get to it over landslides and boulder fields.”
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Nobody puts Baby in a corner.
This means that the movie’s plot offinding a legendary lost shipand setting it in Oregon is all that was lifted from reality. In the end, while this movie may not be 100 percent based on a true story, itisbased on historical elements. As for the actual ship,there’s still no word whether the piece of timber is actually from the Santo Cristo de Burgos, nor is there any update on the ship’s whereabouts. Maybe one day, if the ship is ever found, the piece of timber that was recently found on the Oregon coast can officially be linked with the legendary vessel. There’s an obvious reason behind why the ship still has not been found, though. Somewhere out there, there has to be a realgroup of kids as cool as The Goonies. The government needs to find these young chaps and get them on the job! Until then, it seems as though the Santo Cristo de Burgos will forever be lost.
The Gooniesis available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.
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