After “Bill And Ted’s Bogus Journey” came out in 1991, a third installment of the Bill And Ted series was in extensive hiatus due to Keanu Reeves & Alex Winter’s busy careers as Keanu became a household name in notable works including “Point Break,” “Speed,” “The Matrix Trilogy,” & the John Wick” series establishing him as an A-List star. Alex on the other hand changed his field to become a director in both film & television. As their careers trend forward, they officially responded to longtime fans of Bill And Ted that an overdue sequel is in the works titled, “Bill And Ted Face The Music.”
Originally, Bill And Ted Face The Music was intended to come out theatrically worldwide, but due to the ongoing coronavirus, plans were changed for the movie to come out in selected theaters and video on demand in order to keep movie goers safe.
Bill And Ted Face The Music is currently out on demand and limited theaters. It received positive reviews from critics and movie goers alike. So far, it’s making money on both digital and theaters. Keanu Reeves’ upcoming films “The Matrix 4″ & John Wick 4” will be out in the future. Don’t forget he has a major role in the highly anticipated video game, “Cyberpunk 2077.”
Today’s review doesn’t contain no crucial SPOILERS whatsoever. Is the third installment of the Bill And Ted series worth nearly three decades? Time to find out.
Excellent & Bogus Qualities
Excellent: Keanu Reeves & Alex Winter reprise their roles as the duo. They both did a great job for their respective performances. Alex also served as a co-producer of the third film.
William Sadler reprises his role as The Grim Reaper. He did a funny as heck job for his performance.
Newcomers including Kristen Schaal, Samara Weaving, (Hugo Weaving’s real-life niece) Brigette Lundy-Paine, Kid Cudi, Jayma Mays, Erinn Hayes, Jillian Bell & Holland Taylor all did a good job for their respective performances.
Kristen’s character Kelly is named after George Carlin’s daughter.
Speaking of the late comedian, the film pays tribute to George’s character, Rufus.
The Duo’s daughters factor in as they play prominent roles. Thank goodness they’re not carbon copies of their dads.
The humor has some laugh out loud moments. I gotta love a robot named, Dennis. I think he stole the show. Every time he shows up, he gets an Extra Point for his presence.
The third installment focuses on the pair attempting to steal a song from themselves in the future in order to save the universe for the third time. It’s so weird to see a middle-aged clean-shaven Keanu. He looks like Severus Snape from “Harry Potter.” I’m used to seeing Kenau with a beard.
Screenwriters Ed Solomon, (Men In Black) & Chris Matheson (A Goofy Movie) return to write the third film. They wrote the first two films. Don’t forget they co-produced together.
Steven Soderbergh served as an executive producer.
Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest, Red 2) did a good job directing the third entry.
Special Effects are an improvement as they are more effective than the previous entries. Practical Effects were also present. A tradition since the last two installments.
A famous rock star makes a cameo appearance. I’ll give you a hint, he’s been around during the Grunge era.
A Post-Credits Scene is shown after the end credits are done.
Bogus: Without giving anything away, after so much buildup, the climactic moment centering around saving the world, felt underwhelming. Could’ve got something that would’ve made a big impact.
The Final Verdict A-
Bill And Ted Face The Music is a rare occurrence that a sequel comedy is actually good and not a poor excuse to redo the same movie again. Bill And Ted Face The Music is one of the best comedy sequels up there with the “Austin Powers sequels,” “Hot Shots Part Deux,” “22 Jump Street” & Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2.” If you’re interested in seeing Bill And Ted Face The Music, make sure to refresh your memory watching the last two movies and then watch the new one.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 