Les folles aventures de Bill et Ted

One of the most underrated movies I've seen in a long time, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey is the second hilarious adventure of Bill S. Preston Esq. and Ted Theodore Logan, aka Wyld Stallyns. There are two ways to look at this film: First, you see dumb dialogue, far fetched plot, juvenile idea. OR.. You see brilliantly downplayed idiots who yet again find themselves in a situation too big for their brains. Throw a Bruce Willis or a Arnold Schwarzeneggar into this plot and it becomes a big blockbuster movie. Bill and Ted go into the story with the same level of sincerity, only it's Bill and Ted. This is a tricky fence to balance on, but when you watch the movie not as a throwaway screwball comedy, but as an adventure featuring two guys who have no business being in an adventure, it becomes so much more.

"Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" may be a rare example of a sequel that's superior to its predecessor.

It was impossible not to like "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure", but the film was far from perfect, with some tedious passages as the duo visited historical locales that were presented believably, but not interestingly.

"Bogus Journey" does away with that problem by simply featuring worlds of fantasy, and creatures of fantasy too. Its special effects are also better, and for the most part, hold up well.

I did, still, find my mind wandering, though, and the plot was kind of hard to follow, but I don't think that's really the point. You're supposed to have a good time, and I did.

Who says sequels can't be as good as originals? This movie proves that that is not always true. It was well-written, more mature, and just out-and-out funnier than its predecessor. Alex Winter once again showed great comic timing as Bill, although the film was absolutely stolen by William Sadler as Death ("Don't overlook MY butt. I work out every day, and reaping burns a lot of calories"). Some may call it stupid humor, but that's not really the case; the funniest scenes in the movie - such as the Twister scene or "20 Questions" - are original, well-played, and just plain clever. We all know Keanu Reeves has never been known so much for his acting, but he's above his average here, and Winter, Sadler, and George Carlin are all great fun.

Certainly this film can't appeal to everyone. If the idea of, say, Death playing Battleship, Clue, and Twister doesn't seem funny to you, you probably won't like it (although you may want to lighten up a little). If it does, well then you'll probably agree with me on this: Bill & Ted rock!!!

Bill and Ted face a threat to their future.

For me, it is not as good as the original but has some standout moments.

To enjoy Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey you have to accept the silliness of the plot for what it is and appreciate some of the humorous concepts that work well. The writers have gone for bigger and more outrageous concepts. The black humour of death and the afterlife has some very funny moments, but also some I personally find a bit tiresome. However, comedy as always, is in the eye of the beholder so I appreciate others may find it consistently funny.

I think William Sadler's tribute to 'The Seventh Seal' with a hilarious Grim Reaper character is the highlight of the movie as he steals every scene.

Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves just about pull off their stoner double-act with their characters written as adults, but for me their goofy charm is not the quite at the same level as when they were depicted as high school seniors. I do though love the secondary double-act as the "Bad Robot Us's". Having evil versions of the same characters, with the same mannerisms and catchphrases was a great idea.

Joss Ackland has a strong cameo as the main baddie, but he is only seen briefly.

Visually, I remember being impressed with the special effects back in 1991, but looking back it appears slightly dated now in certain scenes. That being said, the art design is still very strong, especially in the scenes involving the afterlife, heaven, and hell.

Oh, come on, learn to have a little fun. When I was a kid, oh, this movie was Oscar-worthy to me. I thought it was absolutely hysterical. One of the best movies I had seen.

Now, it's a little stupid, but come on. If you enjoyed "Excellent Adventure", you should most likely have fun with "Bogus Journey". This was the movie before "Dude, where's my car?". Only this one is actually funny. Like I said, it's just a good time. It shouldn't be taken seriously and if you enjoyed the first one, you should like "Bogus Journey". It's just a funny movie with some memorable characters. For your enjoyment only, watch it, let go, and remember that it's a silly comedy. That's all.

7/10