Hey there dudes and here I am with a new 2020 review! This time I will be wrapping up a trilogy that I started reviewing right when this one came out. Yes I am talking about the Bill & Ted movies where I watched the first two for the first time last year and reviewed both of them in preparation for this new one. If you want to know my more in depth thoughts on them you can go check those out before reading this one here but in short I enjoyed both of them quite a bit as Excellent Adventure is a briskly paced time travel adventure while Bogus Journey I appreciate for doing something different and going all out with the crazy ideas in the process. So when it comes to Face the Music I was curious to see how it would turn out as while comedy sequels, especially long belated ones, don’t have the best track record I was cautiously optimistic as the trailers were funny and after Bad Boys For Life, a similarly many years late third installment, turned out so good I started to become more hopeful about these types of sequels. Luckily the third time is the charm once again as I found Bill & Ted Face the Music to be a highly entertaining comedy that manages to re capture the charm of it’s predecessors. Now let’s see why is that as we join Bill & Ted on their most important adventure yet to save the universe from total destruction with the help of some rocking jams!
Set nearly 3 decades after the events of Bogus Journey Bill Preston and Ted Logan are still trying to write the much prophesized song that will unite the universe. They haven’t had much luck in accomplishing that but they at the very least they still seem to be their usual hopeful self’s and have two daughters who are following their music making footsteps even if their marriages haven’t gone quite as smoothly. Things begin to escalate however once Kelly, the daughter of the duo’s late time traveling guide, Rufus (there is a nice tribute to George Carlin here who sadly passed away in 2008), takes them to the future to the Future Council where the Great leader (and Kelly’s mother) tells them that the universe is collapsing and that the must have the song ready by 7:17 pm in order to save reality as they know it before it is completely destroyed. Worried that they won’t be able to get the song in time they decide to travel into the future to get the song from one of their future self’s as the clock starts running. Meanwhile their daughters also end up on a little journey of their own where they use Kelly’s time machine to go back in time to fetch some of the greatest musicians in history in order to help their father’s out with the song. With only a few hours to go will they be able finally achieve their destiny before it’s two late?
When it comes to some of these so many years later sequels they often struggle to re capture what made their predecessors work and instead go and re hash what worked well before. Face the Music thankfully doesn’t fall in that category as it does manage to capture the charm of the previous movies nicely while also having enough to differentiate itself from what came before. A lot of the jokes did land for me as it still retains that fun sense of humor that was present before and there are a number of gags, such as Bill & Ted going meeting different versions of their future selves, that were very entertaining to watch and had me anticipating where they would go next. There’s also a number of jokes that also serve as neat call backs to the other movies as we see what certain characters have been up to over time which made for some funny moments yet the movie is smart not to make the call backs the focus and instead as neat little bonuses. Not only is it consistently funny but it also has a surprising amount of heart to it given how we see Bill & Ted going into the future and well not always liking what they see making them wonder about making the best decisions in their lives which gives that plot line some weight and there are a number of moments that are genuinely touching, in particular those with Bill, Ted, and their daughters. It even manages to work very well as a solid bookend to the trilogy, with some really satisfying pay offs (the ending brings things to a nice conclusion with an effective twist on the pay off to their destiny) and the movie is just brimming with optimism throughout which is something I really appreciate as I do like a feel good movie that is filled with a lot of hopefulness. On top of that the story itself is of course centered on time travel yet this one delves into that aspect the most out of the three as it is able to establish the rules in a way that makes sense and do some neat things with the gimmick with it also being the source of much of the comedy. There are a couple of areas that hold it back however as it isn’t quite as tightly paced as the original and it can feel rather overstuffed as other sub plots get introduced like Bill & Ted’s wives going on their own little journey and a killer robot being sent from the future to kill the two. With so much going on, the movie does lose a bit of focus in certain places and it may have benefitted if some it was trimmed down. Still it is still a very entertaining watch that also serves as an appropriate conclusion to the trilogy.
Even though it’s coming out long after the original it still shares a similar low budget charm that I find amusing. Yes naturally the CGI and production value is improved but still manages to look and feel like the same universe even if not all of it looks great (some noticeable green screen here and there) but the designs of some of the places like the future and Hell are creative even if not all of it stands out in the same way Bogus Journey’s sets did. I will give huge props the makeup artists and costume designers here though as they did an incredible job here bringing so many of these characters to life. In particular the future versions of Bill & Ted are impressive as they do a great job in capturing the moment of life they are living at the moment (my favorites being the prison scene and spoilers, when they are elderly) as are the many historical musicians we meet such as Jimi Hendrix, Mozart, Louis Armstrong, and ling lun among others and each actor does a nice job playing each respective figure. Really impressive attention to detail and it was honestly some of the best makeup work I’ve seen in any movie last year. Also really fun is actually the music (appropriate given the title) as there are some really rocking jams throughout the movie (the song that plays during the credits, “Beginning of the End”, played by Weezer especially rocks) and the titular “Song to unite the universe” is indeed a lot of fun when it happens and it just fits the vibe of these films so much making the finale an all around rousing one on the whole.
One of the most endearing things of these movies is of course is the natural chemistry between Keanu Reeves and Alex Winters as the titular pair and thankfully that is still very much in tact with this latest installment. They really are such a fun duo to be around with their goofy charm and they never come across as mean spirited but rather two kind individuals who may not be the brightest there is but are still good hearted and support each other the most they can (a little too much the movie amusingly shows). The fact that movie also acknowledges the time that has past since Bogus Journey also gives way to some nice development for them as they learn to make sure to make the right choices in life. Plus the two lead performances have not skipped one beat what so ever. Then there are their daughters Theadora “Thea” Preston and Wilhelmina “Billie” Logan played with lots of enthusiasm from Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine respectively. I found them to be wonderful additions as they do share the same kind of goofiness as their fathers, they also are a little more brighter and their love of music is a highlight as we see them express their knowledge and opinions on a number of occasions. They are a lot of fun and I highly enjoyed watching their side of the story and where it went. The wives, Elizabeth (Erinn Hayes), and Joanna (Jayma Mays) on the other hand don’t get as much to do (we only see bits of their subplot) but I did like the joke involving how Bill & Ted are so close that it causes a wrinkle in their relationship and they did get a sweet moment near the end. There are also plenty of familiar faces from the previous movies and seeing them did put a smile on my face as it was funny seeing where some of them have ended up after all these years with the funniest of course being the stand out of Bogus Journey, William Sadler’s Death (who is hilarious once again), who has since parted ways from the Wild Stallyns due to creative differences. Some of the other new faces were also fun to watch as the always Kristen Schaal fills in George Carlin’s shoes nicely as Kelly who is more than a little frustrated of situation she is in and disagrees with her mother’s (the leader of the Council played by Holland Taylor) plans, Jillian Bells gets some amusing scenes as Bill & Ted’s family therapist, Dr. Taylor Wood, and I enjoyed Anthony Carrigan’s performance the killer robot sent from the future to kill Bill & Ted as he constantly questions his actions and yearns to discover who he is in life (also more great make up here). In all their all fun company to be around and everyone seems to be having a good time giving it their all and just having fun in the roles.
To my pleasant surprise, Bill & Ted Face the Music turned out to be a highly enjoyable trilogy capper that manages to serve as a satisfying endpoint for the series. While it can be a bit unfocused with all of the many plot threads it juggles, and it’s pacing can be uneven at times it still has a lot of heart and hope to it, it manages to stand a part from the other two, it is consistently funny throughout, it’s got the same low budget charm as the original, the makeup is very impressive, I like what was done with Bill & Ted and their daughters, and the cast is brimming with energy and charm to spare. It’s actually a bit of tough choice on whether I like this or Excellent Adventure more and while I may give the slight edge to the latter, mainly because it succeeds very well at what it’s trying to do, I still think this is a worthy continuation that should please most fans. It’s another better than expected long awaited sequel and it along with Bad Boys For Life make me optimistic about these types of follow ups being able to justify themselves and be solid continuations. Anyway that’s it for this time and remember to be excellent to each other and party on bros!
Rating: B+
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