Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

In the future, Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) have become legends creating an Utopian society. Rufus' former teacher De Nomolos takes control to change history. De Nomolos sends evil robot Bill & Ted back in time to kill the real Bill & Ted, and take over their lives before their all-important Battle of the Bands victory. Bill & Ted are still not good as Wyld Stallyns despite princesses Elizabeth & Joanna's excellent musicianship. The guys are killed by the robots and face Death (William Sadler). There is/are also the Martian Station.This sequel is always going to have to face the difficulty of repeating such an unique premise and memorable concepts. The good news is the addition of Death. He is hilarious and the best part of the movie. The guys are slightly older but still the same. The movie seems to be trying for the craziest ideas. Some work but some don't. There is an interesting but rambling detour into hell which could be improved with Death. This sequel works well at times mostly due to Death. It needs more Death and he proves to be a fun part of a new trio. It's a little bumpy but the ride provides some good fun.

This sequel to 'Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure' sees the duo in even more trouble; the evil Chuck De Nomolos hates the way the future turns out so decides to change it by sending Bill and Ted's evil robotic doppelgangers back in time to kill the real Bill and Ted then replace them before they can give their history-changing performance at the 'Battle of the Bands'. These two robots manage to kidnap Bill and Ted and throw them off Vasquez Rocks. Bill and Ted's ghosts are then met by Death; they escape from him but soon find themselves exorcised to Hell! Here they eventually meet death again and except his challenge… if they beat him he will help them return to their lives but if they lose they will be stuck in Hell. Inevitably they win and after a detour to heaven where they enlist the help of an unusual scientist they eventually confront the evil robots and De Nomolos at the 'Battle of the Bands'.The original 'Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure' was a lot of fun so it is no surprise that this sequel was made… and while I don't think it is as good as the first it is still a lot of fun. On the plus side this has an entirely new story and that story was pretty creative. Death was particularly funny; I liked how he kept refusing to admit that he was beaten as Bill and Ted defeated him in a series of games. Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves return as Bill and Ted, as well as their evil doubles, and are as good as ever and Joss Ackland was suitably villainous as De Nomolos, William Sadler is also rather fun as Death. There are plenty of good comic scenes along the way as well as a somewhat creepy version of Hell. Overall I'd recommend this to anybody who liked the original; however if you didn't like the first film I doubt you'd like this one.

As I was watching the first Bill&Ted I was thinking that it represents the end of an era, the 80's, where studios would risk on a fun movie that didn't take itself at all seriously. The sequel, unfortunately, is "bogus". They push it all too far, they remove from the fun of the first and they push the movie all over the place: evil despots, robots, Death, The Devil and God. If in the first movie the pleasure was to watch the hapless Bill & Ted, in this film William Sadler steals the spot.Bottom line: while still a little funny, it was a lot more boring than the first film. Studios didn't do it for fun this time, they just wanted to cash on the success of the Excellent Adventures. In view of 2015 rumors about a third part to be released, I wonder if the... franchise, I guess we must call it, will regain its irreverent fun side or be yet another reboot of a sequel that is a prequel of a previous reboot, as is the custom nowadays.

Bogus Journey opens in the year 2619, where Bill & Ted's music and philosophy has shaped society and everyone wears awful clothes made from sheets of foam. Clearly upset at being forced to dress in such a ridiculous fashion, evil fiend De Nomolos (Joss Ackland) creates robot doubles of the Bill and Ted and sends them back in time to kill the originals, which they do by chucking them off the Vasquez Rocks.Death, however, is only the beginning of the righteous dudes' bogus journey, which sees them travelling to hell and heaven, before returning to life to do battle with their metal doppelgängers and De Nomolos.With the news that there might be a third Bill & Ted movie just around the corner, I thought that now would be a good time to revisit Bogus Journey, which I remember not being very impressed with when it originally came out…Almost a quarter of a century later and my opinion hasn't changed: while not totally heinous, this sequel is is far from the excellent adventure that was the first movie. In an effort to go one better than before, Bogus Journey packs in as much craziness as possible, including robots, aliens, the Grim Reaper, visions of Heaven and Hell, and the Easter Bunny, but in doing so the film it loses what made the first film so great: heart. And Diane Franklin.The best thing about the whole film is Death, played by William Sadler, who provides the film with all of its funniest moments, including a neat homage to Ingmar Bergman's iconic art-house classic The Seventh Seal. But a creepy bald guy in a robe with a scythe playing Battleships and Twister simply ain't enough to carry an entire movie.5 out of 10, which I considered pushing up to 6 for Pam Grier and Kiss's cover of God Gave Rock And Roll To You, but… no Diane Franklin. Bogus!