Okay, I'll admit it--I am a goof-ball and I occasionally love a really silly comedy. While I have seen more films by Kurosawa, Bergman and Truffaut than practically anyone on the planet, I still have a soft spot for a dopey comedy that doesn't try to be sophisticated but is simply funny. A few such films that immediately come to mind are MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL, UHF, START THE REVOLUTION WITHOUT ME, STRANGE BREW and the Bill and Ted movies. They all lack snob appeal but only a zombie or professional film critic could dislike them.
While BILL & TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY isn't as wonderful as the original Bill and Ted film, it still is great fun. Also, unlike the original, it actually seems to improve with repeated viewing. I remember not loving the film the first time I saw it--possibly because the other movie set such a high standard for laughs and because the Hell sequence was unnecessary and unfunny. But, every time I see it again I am amazed at all the great moments--particularly those involving the Grim Reaper. And, by the way, this reaper is about as different from Bergman's in THE SEVENTH SEAL as you can get!! In addition to a lot of laughs, this film features some excellent music--one way that it's actually better than the first film. The Kiss anthem at the end is great but so are the rest of the hard rock tunes--provided you aren't an old killjoy like De Nomolos. Great viewing for kids and adults alike.
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
1991
Action / Adventure / Comedy / Fantasy / Music / Sci-Fi
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
1991
Action / Adventure / Comedy / Fantasy / Music / Sci-Fi
Plot summary
The world of our distant future is a veritable utopia, thanks to the lyrics of two simple-minded 20th Century rock and rollers, Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Ted "Theodore" Logan. However, a would-be conquerer threatens to throw history off-track by sending "most non-non-heinous" evil robot Bill and Teds back to kill their good counterparts. Finding themselves dead, the boys must outwit the Grim Reaper and traverse Heaven and Hell to return to the land of the living, rescue their "babes" and have a "most triumphant" concert at the all-important Battle of the Bands.
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While not quite as funny as the original, it still is jam-packed with laughs
Every bit as good as Excellent Adventure, and some
I love Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, so I was looking forward to seeing Bogus Journey, despite memories of not liking it that much when I was about 8. How wrong I was. Bogus Journey is every bit as good as Excellent Adventure. Like Excellent Adventure, Bogus Journey is very silly, but also like Excellent Adventure it is non-stop hilarity from start to finish. The story is still engaging this time around, the script and gags have a lot of laughs, the film looks good especially with the set pieces which by the way are spectacular and the pacing and direction are efficient, while both Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves are very engaging and likable and I loved the references to the Seventh Seal as the duo battle the Grim Reaper. Overall, a truly fun sequel. I can't choose which film I prefer, both are incredibly entertaining and require several re-watches. 10/10 Bethany Cox
A sequel bursting with energy, effects, and impressive set design
I'm not really a fan of slacker movies and I absolutely despise the two WAYNE'S WORLD movies that came later, but something about the two BILL & TED movies is inherently likable. It may be the dumb characters, so relentlessly dumb but chirpy with it that they're impossible to dislike. Or it may be the fact that the humour, although dumb, is never mean-spirited or unpleasant; there's something delightfully old-fashioned about it which harks back to the slapstick comedy of years gone by.
BOGUS JOURNEY is a slightly inferior film when compared to EXCELLENT ADVENTURE, which was fresher and more funny with all of the historical figures. The central joke about the dumbness of the characters is beginning to wear a bit thin, although Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves certainly do their best and bring plenty of energy to the material. At some points BOGUS JOURNEY feels like a near plot less adventure, taking the characters through various points in the afterlife. The varied special effects are dated but fun, and the set design is excellent. I love wacky stuff so a lot of this film appealed.
The best thing in the film is William Sadler, playing the Grim Reaper in a delightful homage to THE SEVENTH SEAL. Sadler, one of cinema's most underrated stars, is excellent when given the chance to do something other than play the stock villain in an action movie - although he's very good at doing that too, as anyone who has seen DIE HARD 2 will be sure to admit. I loved him to bits here and his deadpan, naive humour is great stuff. The challenge scene is a highlight, inevitably, but Sadler remains strong throughout. The music-infused climax is well-handled too, and those homemade robot clones are brilliantly designed.