Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991) Review

 "You have sunk my battleship."
-Death




Stop right here.  If you haven't seen Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, fix that mistake right now before reading any further.  You've been warned.


An evil terrorist from the future, De Nomolos (Joss Ackland), sends a pair of evil robots back and time to kill Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves), which they accomplish quickly.  Now Bill and Ted have to find a way to cheat Death, stop the robots, save the princesses, and win the Battle of the Bands.


What Works:

Watching Bogus Journey for the first time is one of my absolute favorite cinematic experiences.  I didn't really know anything about this movie going in and I'm glad that was the case.  It keeps escalating in weirdness to extraordinary levels.  Just when you think it can't get any more bizarre, it does.  My jaw was dropped for nearly the entire film.  It's a joy to watch and a ton of fun.

Bill and Ted are such likable characters that I could watch them go on any adventure and I'd be along for the ride.  Winter and Reeves do a great job and they also get to play evil versions of Bill and Ted.  They bring the same great energy, but make it eviler, which is still a blast.

The best new addition is William Sadler as Death.  Sadler plays the role perfectly.  He starts out as a haunting and menacing figure, but quickly devolves into a hilarious cartoon.  He shines every time he is on screen and has some of the best moments in the movie.

There are a few fun callbacks to the first film, but this sequel is entirely it's own movie.  It's not trying to be Excellent Adventure and I give the filmmakers a lot of props for being so original.

Finally, the scenes in hell are my favorites in the movie.  I love how weird hell looks and it gets pretty nightmarish without losing it's goofy tone.  We get some really creepy shots as Bill and Ted are chased by their worst nightmares and those images will never leave my mind fully.


What Sucks:

It does take a while for the movie to get going.  After the opening sequence in the future, we return to Bill and Ted in the present.  It isn't super interesting until Bill and Ted meet their evil counterparts, but from there on out it's nonstop fun.

Finally, there are a few jokes that don't land, unlike the first film where every joke is funny.  There are a few here that just don't work.  Also George Carlin isn't in nearly enough of the movie.  I think he only has two scenes.


Verdict:

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey isn't as good as the first film due to it's slow start and some comedic misfires, but it's an absolute blast nonetheless.  Winter, Reeves, and Sadler are all fantastic, there are some really amazing sequences, and it's one of the most insane movies I have ever seen.  It has absolutely got it going on.

 8/10: Really Good 
   

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