Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991)

It is the future. Society has at last solved all its major problems, thanks to amiable lunkheads Bill and Ted and the inspiring music of their band, Wyld Stallyns. Only one man is dissatisfied with the way things have turned out, the evil De Nomolos. In an effort to change the future, De Nomolos sends evil Bill and Ted robots back in time to prevent the real Bill and Ted from winning a pivotal Battle of the Bands. What follows is a spirited journey through the afterlife as Bill and Ted try to rescue their girlfriends, save the future, and, oh, yeah, learn how to play the guitar. Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey swings easily between childish and clever humor, and is good at both: a Bergman reference is quickly followed by an equally funny bit about Death's stinky feet. Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter seem happy to be reprising their roles and even manage to add funny spins on Evil Robot Bill and Ted. William Sadler very nearly steals the movie as Death, playing both his wounded dignity and budding desire to be funky to a T. As if that weren't enough, George Carlin returns as Rufus and Pam Grier does a cameo just for the hell of it. Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey is ample proof that not all sequels suck. Sometimes they're even better than the original. --Ali Davis Amazon.com

Funny, but not the same magic as before.

Time travel's most unlikely heroes are at it again. This time the romp isn't as fun as their first movie. You would think with the same writing team from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure some of the old magic would still be there. Alas it wasn't. It's not that Bogus Journey wasn't funny or enjoyable enough to watch, but at the same time it's not in the same league as its predecessor on many levels.

First off the future setting was off from before. The futuristic costumes in this movie took a massive turn for the worse compared to the last one (can you say day-glow foam suits?). Sets weren't as bad, but you can notice a change. The villain also seemed out of place in this film, but I guess he keeps the plot moving. Granted the evil Bill and Ted robots and their blatant badness were amusing... to a point. Then it gets tired and repetitive. The chemistry between Bill and Ted themselves didn't seem as strong as the first movie either. Maybe it's just the script that's making it seem strained

Instead of traveling through time they are going through Heaven, Hell, Purgatory (sorta) and plain old San Dimas. A few cameos from those historical characters in the last movie, Socrates or Abe Lincoln, would have fit perfectly in the story. But that never happens. That interaction with a couple of teens from the valley and historical icons is what made the first movie so great. You don't get the same kind of interaction this time around. The only exception, and a good one I might add, is their relationship with the Grim Reaper. William Sadler literally steals the show with a fantastically funny performance through and through.

I might as well hit my biggest gripe, which happens at the end of the movie. Essentially all that talk from the last movie about, "no matter what you do your current clock is always ticking" was pretty much thrown out the window in place of a quick fix. Also they wasted some good talent with George Carlin, who does pretty much nothing in the movie but fulfill an immensely stupid plot twist... thus again the writers take an easy way out of the plot.

I know I have been slamming this movie hard, but I will admit it's still fun to watch once you get past the crap. The scenes with the Grim Reaper are alone worth seeing the movie. I guess all this stuff I said is to just warn you not to expect too much from Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey. It's good for a few laughs, but don't expect greatness... or very goodness at that.
February 27, 2008

Best of 7? DAMN RIGHT!

A sequel to a film as unique as BILL & TED bred skepticism at the time, I'm sure, but little did the world know what was going to be in store for our two dim-bulbs this time. Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter return as Ted "Theodore" Logan and Bill S. Preston, Esq., respectively, now 5 years older but not a second wiser. They're about to perform at the Battle of the Bands, their bodacious babes from medieval England (Iowa) have agreed to marry them, and their legacies are still in order. Life would seem perfect for our rock heroes, that is if it weren't for the maniacal De Nomolos (Joss Ackland), who has created two evil robot versions of Bill and Ted to go back in time and kill their human selves (and subsequently ruin their lineage). This leads our guys to the afterlife, Hell, Heaven, and back to Earth, having faced their own personal Hells, recited EVERY ROSE HAS ITS THORN to the Man Upstairs, and gaining the Grim Reaper (William Sadler, in a scene-stealing role) as a slave by beating him in a contest. Now they have to build good robot versions of themselves (with the help of an alien called Station... yeah), save the babes, and ensure their place in rock and future history.
Not as good as the original, to be sure, but it is most definitely non-non-non-non-NON heinous. February 3, 2008

A Rare Superior Sequel

This time around bad guys from the future want Bill & Ted dead so there's no peace in the future. They create robot Bill & Ted's to kill them and take their place to make them look bad. They succeed in killing them and Bill & Ted then meet Death (William Sadler from Die Hard 2) who brings them to hell. There they have to relive some of their worse memories in a scene that's more haunting and cool than it is funny.

The laughs come when they have to compete with Death in a bunch of different board games. It's supposed to be that if they beat him in one they can leave but since he's a sore loser he makes them verse him in a few different games before he gives in. The scene works since the under-rated Sadler is in good form as Death and the best reason to see this movie. The scene where Bill and Ted possess police officers gets some laughs as well though. I loved the first one as a kid but trying to get into it now can be hard since it's a bit more corny. The corniest thing about this one is the ending but otherwise it's a good looking film that's also pretty fun.

July 1, 2007

If there was ever a good a reason to pluck your eyes out on the spot this is it

I loved Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. It's one of my favorite "teen" flicks. This however, I did not like as much. While the first one was brilliantly stupid, this one was just stupid. Believe me there's a huge difference between the two films. If you watch this, I promise you, you are guaranteed to have your IQ drop. The characters they meet, Station for example, are so stupid looking they remind me of kind of monsters you would find in a little kid's Saturday morning cartoon show. Only in this case, the creature is not animated so it looks million times more ridiculous. I still don't understand why it needed to morph into two little creatures. And the evil Bill and Ted were equally stupid. I mean what was up with them trashing the place for no reason? And why on earth were they detaching their heads? Was this scene really necessary for the general flow of the film? This entire film was ruined by stupid stuff like that. However, if I had found this movie in my cereal box, like some people apparently have, I probably wouldn't be complaining as much. The movie did have some funny parts. At least Bill and Ted's dialogue didn't become redundant......... or at least not in an unfunny way. Their comments were still almost as funny as the first film's, if not funnier in some cases. And the showdown between Death and Bill and Ted was also hilarious, but considering I rented the film and didn't get it in my cereal box, neither of these things makes up for the unwanted appearance of the Easter bunny. What on earth was the director thinking? this film reminds me of a blend of funny jokes with stupid situations. So in conclusion, this movie could have probably been good, if they had changed a few things. Unfortunately, however, they didn't. In result this movie for the most part is unbearable.


P.S. If you haven't seen Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, don't let your opinion of this film get in the way. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure was hilarious beyond belief. April 10, 2007

Great Movie

If you need a quick and easy way to get some laughs, then this movie is for you. Bill and Ted play lots of games with Death and meet Station a weird but somewhat gross character that helps them with their adventures. Makes one think about life again... November 17, 2006

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