W.A.F. REVIEWS: "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" (1991)

(Another Classic Review! Enjoy!!!)
 
With the success of the original film, producers decided they wanted to partake in a sequel. Tasking the creators of the series, Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson, with coming up with a story, and they quickly went to work.

The story begins in the future, with Rufus now a professor at a local school. The future is quite the place to see. Everything is bright, and the people are very respectful of each other. Soon, however, things go crazy. The evil Chuck DeNomolos has decided that he wants to change the future so that he can mold society in HIS own image. His plan is to send two evil robots that look exactly like Bill & Ted to the past so they may kill off the real Bill & Ted, then take their place and destroy the current future.

In the present day, the REAL Bill & Ted are attempting to get a spot on the local Battle of the Bands, which they somehow achieve. Their girlfriends, the Princess Babes, have joined the band as a drummer and keyboards. The duo decide that they are going to finally pop the question to their respective ladies at a surprise birthday party, to which the girls say yes. Soon, though, the evil robots arrive, going through with their plan to trick Bill & Ted into thinking they’re just future versions of themselves, only to toss them off a cliff and kill them.

In the afterlife, the pair immediately run into the Grim Reaper, who explains that if they wish to live again, they may challenge him to a contest. If they win, they live. If they don’t, they are stuck in the afterlife forever. Oh, and no one has ever defeated Death. Knowing this, the pair decide to ditch him and try to find a way out themselves. Meanwhile, the evil robots have begun the process of destroying everything Bill & Ted have created for themselves. They get the bright idea to not only ruin the Battle of the Bands, but also kill the Princess Babes!

The real Bill & Ted continue to run around the afterlife, eventually winding up in Hell. While there, they are forced to live out their worst fears. For the two of them, that’s being sent to that damn Alaskan Military School! Of course, individually, Bill is afraid of his Grandmother, while Ted is humorously fearful of the Easter Bunny! Realizing the only way out is to take the Reaper up on his challenge, they summon him. And hilariously, they actually beat him at more than one game! The Reaper, now under their control, takes them to Heaven, where they immediately mug three people and take their clothes! After gaining an audience with the Heavenly Father, they are introduced to two little Aliens who go by the name Station.

Once back in the land of the living, the group make plans to defeat the evil robots and save the Princess Babes. The evil robots intercept a phone call from the duo, who take glee in the fact that they get to kill the pair again. Soon, a plan is formed: utilize Station, who is considered the smartest scientist in the entire Universe, to build two good robot versions of Bill & Ted to battle the evil ones. In order to do this, Station must combine to become one big alien. He quickly begins work, and the two good robots are constructed.

Together with the good robots, Bill & Ted are able to gain victory over the evil robots on stage at the Battle of the Bands and save the girls. Thinking the day is saved, they are shocked by the sudden appearance of DeNomolos, who vows to destroy the two for good. After playing a game with time, Bill & Ted are able to stop DeNomolos right in his tracks! Soon, it is revealed that Rufus is the one who allowed the Stallyns into the Battle, disguised as the woman running the show. Realizing they finally need to learn how to play, the Stallyns take a quick jump through time, lean how to play, and return to completely rock the house, to everyone’s amazement! The future is safe.

Normally, its very hard for a sequel to even match what the original did, let alone be better. But this time around, I think they did just that. The story is quite ridiculous, yes, but that’s what’s expected when it deals with two guys who spent their teen years jumping through time in a traveling phone booth. DeNomolos was a fantastic villain, and fun little fact, the name DeNomolos is actually creator Ed Solomon’s name in reverse!

Alex Winter & Keanu Reeves once again put on a wonderful performance. Showcasing that these two characters have somewhat evolved since the first film, it was only natural to think that they would get an apartment together AND propose to their girlfriends together…at the same time. This was actually a pretty busy time for Mr. Reeves. “Bogus Journey” was actually released during the same year as hit other cult classic surfing crime film “Point Break“.

The rest of the cast was a welcome addition. George Carlin was back as Rufus, and with the exception of Reeves & Winter, was basically the only member of the original cast that returned. William Sadler took up the mantle of the Grim Reaper with fantastic gravitas, showcasing a different version of Death Himself. He was a more lighthearted guy in this film, and many say the most memorable character. He even raps on stage, gracing us with what has come to be known as the “Reaper Rap”. Elizabeth and Joanna, The Princess Babes,  are portrayed by two different actresses this time around, Annette Azcuy and Sarah Trigger, who’s known for her role in the 1994 college comedy “P.C.U.”. And veteran actor Joss Ackland fills the role of DeNomolos, and gave quite a convincing performance as the evil villain AND sit-up champion of the future!

The music is another bright spot this time around. The previous film’s soundtrack was awesome, and they chose to once again utilize a rock ‘n’ roll aspect. Bands such as KISS, Slaughter, Winger, Faith No More, Megadeath, Primus, and King’s X are all featured throughout the film and on the soundtrack. And the air guitar solos, plus many other things, are provided fantastically by veteran musician Steve Vai. Honestly, this is one film soundtrack that definitely needs to be in everyone’s collection!

I fully support this film. It’s a wonderful addition to the Bill & Ted Legacy. Everything just seemed to click. Of course, its a film that also has an alternate ending, showcased the good guys constantly being re-killed by the evil robots and forcing the Reaper to keep bringing them back to life until they are victorious. While that would have been fun to see, I am happy with the ending they chose. Nowadays, there’s talk of a third installment. Both Winter and Reeves have stated that they’ve read the script, loved it, and are just waiting for the call. Supposed to deal with the two knowing that they are supposed to write the greatest song ever, but haven’t done so yet, and the pressure is growing on them. Sounds like a decent idea. If it does come to fruition, I know I’ll be one of the first people in line!