Director: Dean Parisot
92 minutes (12) 2020
Warner Bros. 4K Ultra HD
[Released 25th January]
Rating: 8/10
Review by Christopher Geary
When it began in 1963, Doctor Who was intended to have a partly educational aspect but it wasn’t until much later, following the chronological expeditions of Terry Gilliam’s dream-fantasy Time Bandits (1981), that the American cult-comedy Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989), fully explored amusingly barmy, functional sci-fi trick of collecting legendary famous figures from history, for a school’s lesson plans, and theatrical presentation at students’ exams. Being a better comedy movie, of its type, than contemporary rivals, like Wayne’s World (1992), eventually established B&TEA as a pop phenomena that's transcended generations. Despite its troubled release - stymied by pandemic restrictions, this belated sequel is, very probably, the final epic about doomed hopefuls Ted Logan (Keanu Reeves) and Bill Preston (Alex Winter), and it’s a delightfully witty triumph of youthful enthusiasms over wholly middle-aged aspirations.
To unite the world and save reality, from temporal glitches and chronological collapse, Bill and Ted learn they must create a wondrous song to fix the wobbly cosmic turn-table. Their main problem is a strict deadline, minutes away, but at least they have use of a time machine... Meanwhile, Bill and Ted’s kids helpfully pull together an extraordinary super-group, including Jimi Hendrix, young Louis Armstrong, and Mozart. On bass guitar, Death - the Grim Reaper (William Sadler) returns from Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991). In a flurry of sketches, Reeves and Winter revel in portraying vastly different versions of Ted and Bill - so often tragic losers, like prison hulks or death-bed seniors - discovered on the time-line of infinite diversity for this franchise’s multi-verse. After Bogus Journey’s parody of The Seventh Seal (1957), this movie spoofs Terminator, with a clumsy robot assassin called Dennis. Inevitably a parody of dysfunctional-family dynamics, this movie directed by Dean Parisot forms a bridge over millennial concerns, and so it works better than any similar Hollywood project that might have been motivated simply by financial gain or a career-salvaging comeback.
Brigette Lundy-Paine is marvellous fun as Ted’s daughter Billie, doing a cool impression of her dad’s jittery mannerisms and goofy expressions. This is quite uncannily effective as wry comedy, and a charming performance that is funnier than Keanu’s aged letdown Ted. Bill & Ted Face The Music rises above its ridiculous sci-fi ideas, and typical genre sitcom satire, when it reaches for a certain something of cultural significance, much like Rush’s concept-album of profoundly philosophical allegory Hemispheres (1978), and the historical event Live Aid (1985), to unite all humanity with music. B&TFTM is remarkably silly, of course, but it still dares to ask the naive but ultimately heartfelt question, about co-operation instead of pointless antagonism: why can’t we all just play along together?
Extras on Blu-ray disc:
Bill & Ted comic-con panel (42 minutes)
Be Excellent To Each Other - casting choices
A Most Triumphant Duo - characters
Death’s Crib - 'Hell' set-visit
