Quintessentially Eighties

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When is an 80s movie not an 80s movie?  When it is Super 8!

After rewatching Super 8 recently, it struck me that this was not only a great movie, but was firmly rooted in what is probably my favourite decade for movies.  I guess this owes a lot to it's director, who was really perfecting his craft during the eighties, and has figured out the secret to recreating the magic.

There are many films that happen to be set during the eighties, but not many necessarily feel as though that is when they were made.  Initially, this just felt like an indefinable quality.  But after pondering the film for a while, I started to think of specific aspects which really seem to define a film that belongs to the eighties.

After some further thought, I came up with a list of 10 key ingredients most commonly found in movies made in the 80s.

This got me to pondering whether one movie encapsulated the decade more than any other.  I believe that there is one movie that does so more than any other: The Goonies.

Allow me to quickly run through the 'Ten Ingredients for an 80s Movie' then and see how many The Goonies can tick off the list.  There are spoilers along the way.  If you've somehow never seen it yet, go watch it now, then come back.

1. High Concept

In simple terms, the idea of a "high concept" movie is one that can be explained in a single sentence.

The Goonies can be summed up as "Four friends find a pirate treasure map and set off in search of adventure".  So, that's the first box ticked.

2. Fantasy

I don't mean this strictly in terms of the Fantasy genre.  Sure, there were plenty of these around: Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, Willow, The Princess Bride, Conan The Barbarian, The Last Unicorn, just to name a random few.

In the eighties, it seems movies of almost any genre, even those that are ostensibly set in the 'real world' still contained some element of fantasy.  Whether it was a comedy about two nerds who manage to create a woman using their computer, or a romance involving a mannequin that comes to life, or a musical starring an immortal Greek muse.

With it's swashbuckling pirate-themed adventures, there's definitely more than a touch of the fantasy element here.

3. Family-friendly and Heartwarming

The Goonies has bucket-loads of heartwarming, family friendly entertainment.

I mean they find the pirate ship, bring back enough treasure to save everybody's family homes, and even poor old Sloth finds a new home.  Everybody lives happily ever after.

4. Childhood Innocence

Another commonly recurring theme in so many great eighties movies.  Just think of E.T, Stand By Me, Big, The Neverending Story, Flight of the Navigator.  The list goes on, but The Goonies has to be right up there near the top when it comes to eighties-style childhood innocence.

5. Steven Spielberg

OK, some might pick John Hughes as being a better representation.  My take is that a typical John Hughes movie merely manages to place a movie as belonging to the 80s.  Spielberg took things a step further and somehow both defines the decade as well as transcending it.

So many of the best movies saw him involved in one way or the other, as director, producer, or writer: E.T, Gremlins, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones.  And of course, The Goonies.

6. Stereotypes

In the eighties, there was something of a trend for using crude, slightly offensive stereotypes in place of genuine character development.

The Goonies has, amongst others, a fat kid, a brainy/geeky asian, a jock, a damsel in distress.  Chalk up another tick in the box.

7. Inexplicably Bad Fashion

Does this need any more explanation?  Skintight jeans, leg warmers, shoulder pads, parachute pants, pastel suits, popped collars, acid wash jeans.  What on earth were we all thinking?

Somehow though, The Goonies seems to emerge relatively unscathed on this point.  I mean, it was still the eighties, so a things do look dated, but on the whole I can't recall any horrendous fashion faux pas.

8. Quotable One-Liners

This was something that action movie stars were guilty of more than anyone else.

But in order to demonstrate The Goonies credentials, I need just three words.  Hey You Guys!

9. Someone Named Corey

Seriously, it seems as though this was the decade that was officially supported by 'The Two Coreys'.  Their closest rival in helping to define the period was Molly Ringwald.

Mr Feldman shows up here in fine form, and increments the count yet again.

10. Coming Of Age

Distinct from the 'childhood innocence' aspect listed above, this final point refers to the journey that the lead characters must take.  A kid (or group of kids) might start off a film as innocent, but by the time the credits roll, they will have undergone some kind of adventure and emerged on the other side as a bit wiser and older.

The Goonies has this in spades.

A quick rundown of the ten points listed above, and The Goonies manages to really only escape on a single point.  But as Meatloaf once never said 'Nine out of ten ain't bad'.