#petehewitt

When given the opportunity to follow up a successful film with a sequel, I’m sure many creators have found themselves at the same crossroads : double-down on what afforded us this opportunity, or venture into brave new territory?  After the wildly successful Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, nobody anticipated a sequel, and the announcement of one could have been an easy opportunity for a cash grab.  Luckily, Pete Hewitt seized the opportunity as a chance to expand the world of Bill & Ted, and audiences were blessed with one of the more entertaining sequels out there, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. 

After successfully passing history and creating Wyld Stallyns, Bill S. Preston (Alex Winter) and Ted ‘Theodore’ Logan (Keanu Reeves) have fulfilled their destiny of making the future a utopia via their music.  Not everyone is happy about this utopian society, however.  Chief among them is warlord Chuck De Nomolos (Joss Ackland), who has devised a plan to change destiny : send two evil androids disguised as Bill & Ted back to the San Dimas of the past to replace the real Bill & Ted, win the Battle of the Bands, and then subvert history by giving a different victory speech, thus sending Wyld Stallyns down a new path and crushing any hopes for the utopian society that eventually develops.  The evil Bill & Ted find their way back to the past, eliminate Bill & Ted, and attempt to put their plan in action.  All hope seems lost, but Bill & Ted are determined to do anything, even face Death (William Sadler), to make sure that the future stays on the course it was destined for.

As lighthearted and fun as Excellent Adventure was, Bogus Journey is edgy and fun.  All of the whimsy created from the romp through history is replaced with true stakes and insurmountable obstacles, forcing our easy-going protagonists to face some truly dire situations.  In true Bill & Ted fashion, however, they approach all adventures with a blissfully ignorant optimism, managing to best Death a number of times and eventually befriend him (although he technically is enslaved to them).  Some of the language that flew in the 1990′s would probably be problematic nowadays, but it all fit well into the aesthetic of the times, meaning that the franchise was growing right along with its key demographic.  With the added elements of a journey to the afterlife and a future threat with intentions of killing Bill & Ted, the film managed to be slightly ahead of the changing social climate, as the excess of the 1980′s was beginning to make way for the despondence and bleakness of the 1990′s.  

In terms of looks, the film greatly benefits from a broadened scope.  The Bill & Ted characters get to show range with good and evil versions of themselves on the screen, and they get a chance to be philosophical in the face of interactions within Hell and Heaven.  The special effects for the evil versions employ plenty of old school camera and editing tricks that play fresher due to having Bill & Ted as the medium they are presented in.  Some of the force perspective used within the various sections of Hell rival the work of contemporary Tim Burton.  A great job was also done on the wardrobe and cinematography to create different hues that appear to take over depending on whether our heroes are alive, dead, in Hell or in Heaven.  The puppetry done for the good robot Bill & Ted, as well as Station, manage to find a balance between cartoonish and realistic in the best ways.

Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter’s chemistry, which was already great in the first film, does nothing but improve in this film.  Reeves was already a star on the rise, and his mere presence elicited fandom, but Winter really steps forward to give the Bill character more than a handful of memorable acting and comedic beats.  William Sadler is the MVP of the film, with his portrayal of Death being extremely humorous, but not at the sake of being ominous.  Joss Ackland is wonderfully unhinged, yet calculated, as the antagonist, although his screen time is mostly limited to monologues and facing the camera directly.  Pam Grier makes a fun appearance in the film as George Carlin’s Rufus character in disguise.  Ed Gale and Arturo Gil are completely engaging with purely physical comedy and acting as original Station, with Tom Allard playing the gentle giant that is big Station with a wonderful grace.  Annette Azcuy and Sarah Trigger are given slightly more to do as the princesses, taking advantage of their minimal opportunities to establish personality before returning to the roles of damsels in distress.  Frank Welker even drops in for a couple of guest voices.