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Goonies Vs. Jaws: Which Beloved Flick Reigns Supreme?
By
Garth Johnston
Published Apr 19, 2012
Modified Apr 19, 2012
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Apr 19, 2012
Modified Apr 19, 2012
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On Thursday, April 19, the TriBeCa Film Festival kicks off with a free outdoor screening of the culture-shifting, Steven Spielberg-directed 1975 shark flick, Jaws. They follow that up the next night with the Spielberg-produced, generation-defining 1985 kids adventure The Goonies. The Gothamist offices were very excited when we heard the lineup, but not necessarily for the same reason. Turns out we're pretty split as to which of the two movies is worth fighting for a spot at an outdoor screening. Below, and argument for each, and a spot to place your own vote.
In Favor Of The Goonies
Look, I get that Jaws changed summer movies forever and that lots of folks are still afraid to go in the water because of it. But, honestly, growing up it was just another movie—and the shark always looked kinda lame. The Goonies, on the other hand was one of my touchstones. It was the VHS that was played so many times it wore out. If its effects were cheap, I never noticed. The adventure of it was just too much fun.
Not to mention the cast! Sure, Jaws has Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss, but you know who Goonies has? Sean Astin (Sam!), Josh Brolin (W.!), Jeff Cohen (uhm, Chunk?), Corey Feldman and Martha Plimpton. Not to mention the terrifying Anne Ramsey (scarier than any shark if you ask me), Joe Pantoliano, Lupe Ontiveros (you know who she is) and the innocent wonder that is John Matuszak's Sloth.
But the movie's charms aren't just in the cast. Goonies was every kid's dream of being in an Indiana Jones adventure made real. Pirate ships! Booby traps! Crazy gizmos! Treasure! The Truffle Shuffle! This was a movie worth staying home sick to watch after the Price Is Right ended and the soaps kicked in.
Someday I look forward to showing my kids The Goonies for the first time and watching them respond. But Jaws? Unless we're on a trip to a beach town and I don't want to go to the beach, I'll let them watch that in a film studies class on the history of the summer blockbuster. Then we'll all watch Spring Break Shark Attack and laugh and laugh. (Garth Johnston)
In Favor Of Jaws
Listen, Goonies is a great movie, but your argument seems to be grounded in two things: that Jaws was too successful, and that it generated inside of you a long term personal fear of sharks. First, let's discuss the sharks... I had quite a different reaction, and I explained this all on my old personal blog once, which we'll revisit now for the purpose of this debate:
"I love sharks. I always tried to find them in Montauk when i was little, after seeing Jaws, but i kept getting stung by jellyfish. But i KNEW there were sharks because I'd see them hanging on the docks. We were always pretty far out on the boat, this old boat that always broke down, and we'd have to wait for a tug boat every single time we went out on it, so i'd go shark huntin'. I remember being scared when the boat would break, but not of sharks—I just thought I'd have to live on that boat with like 8 people for the rest of my life. With sharks though, I probably thought I was smarter because I'd seen how poorly the kids that got eaten reacted in the movies."
The lesson: By watching Jaws I was not only entertained, but I learned a lot about facing fears, grew a respect for sharks and other living things, and (eventually, during Jaws The Revenge) learned that one should never, and I mean never ever, ride on one of those banana boats with a bunch of screaming kids. Those sharks can smell fear. On top of that, I learned about human struggle and depth—Quint's character alone! Part Ahab, part Henry Chinaski... he was dark and fascinating, he endeared you to him against all odds, and he gave one of the most memorable speeches in the history of film. In fact, this movie has more memorable scenes than Data had gadgets up his sleeve. (Jen Carlson)
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goonies
jaws
movies
The Goonies
tribeca film festival
Garth Johnston
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