The Goonies Analysis

The Goonies

The Opening

The opening of the 1985 movie The Goonies takes place in a jail. The colour scheme of the jail is very heavy on yellows, this contrasts greatly with the jail guard's blue uniform, blue being a symbol of sadness or opression. The prisoners are all wearing grey which shows that they are lifeless and uninteresting. The prison guard then enters a cell in which a prisoner has hanged himself, at first this reveal is quite shocking and sets a dark tone especially because there is no music. The "dead" prisoner is different from the other prisoners as he is wearing different clothes which seem to evoke a wider range of colours and shades. The guard then reads the note that the prisoner left, this is shot as if it was a conversation with shot reverse shot which implies that maybe the prisoner isn't dead. Once it is revealed that the prisoner isn't dead via dialogue the tone shifts drastically as the camera pans quickly to show the prisoner's comedic smirk. Once the prisoner kicks the guard the film score is enacted thus setting the tone of a dark comedy action film.

The pace of the film and the music quickens as the prisoner is about to escape. In this scene the audience are introduced to the prisoner's collaborators, the man who is pouring fuel on the ground outside of the jail and the woman who is sitting in the car keeping a lookout. We see that these characters have reversed gender roles as the woman is very demanding and dominant and the man is more frantic and frail. We see the escaping prisoner leave the building in a very casual and calm way, this shows how his character deals with tough situations. The prisoner is wearing more layers of clothing which could show his layered character traits and personality.

Once the prisoner gets in the car, the man shoots the fuel stream to set it ablaze to prevent the police from following. The fire represents their antagonistic ways and the close up shot of the man laughing with the reflection of the fire on the window could reflect his mental instability or his hellish way of living. They get away car leaves quickly and the movie's score seems to glorify this illegal activity, giving it a sense of victory and triumph. This chase scene doesn't seem to annoy the getaway drivers as this could be the norm for them.

The shot of bullets being shot by a policeman directly and sharply cuts to a shot of an american football being thrown at high speed which is a contrast of harmful and harmless projectiles, this could be to appeal to two types of audiences, children (sports) and adults (guns). At this point we are introduced to a cheerleader practicing with her peers. This cuts sharply back to the car chase which keeps up the pace of the film.

The car chase then cuts to a black and white film car chase being projected on another character's television. Once the two characters are shown, a boy and his father, we can see what types of characters they are. The boy loves being loud and is fascinated by T.V. and action (just like the target audience) and his father is a hard worker who is focused unlike his son. once the boy turns off the T.V. the sound of police cars is still playing creating a humorous moment but it also connects the chase scene to this scene as now the audience knows that the two scenes take place simultaneously in the same town. This could connote a connection between the prisoner and the boy, maybe they will meet later on.

We see the chase continue in the town and as this goes on more characters are introduced, the chase scene is a bridge that connects all of the characters together as the car appears in each scene that the characters are in, from the cheerleader to the boy with the milkshake at the end. This could signify that these characters know each other or that they are destined to meet. The chase ultimately concludes when the prisoner's car enters a beach race with a lot of other similar vehicles.

This opening scene is very good as it shows every main character, antagonists and the pace and tone of the film. The score complements the frantic opening perfectly.