Bill & Ted Face the Music is likely the latest in a long line of high profile follow-ups that have killed off their respective franchises for good. Like Terminator: Dark Fate, Charlie's Angels (2019), A Good Day to Die Hard and Star Trek Beyond before it, this legacy sequel is both the worst of the series and the movie that has seemingly brought a long-running series to a screeching halt.
Keanu Reeves (Theodore "Ted" Logan) and Alex Winters (William S. "Bill" Preston, Esq.) are back after 29 years to continue a story which seemed to have come to a happy ending in the early 1990s. While the latter has spent the last couple of decades making documentaries, Face the Music represents the first misstep in the former's Keanussance, which has so far proven phenomenally successful. In the past six years alone, Reeves has appeared in the billion-dollar generating Toy Story 4 and the wildly popular John Wick trilogy, with a fourth John Wick on the way next year alongside The Matrix 4.
Not only have Reeves and Winters returned, but the phone booth, William Sadler as the Grim Reaper, killer robots, actress Amy Stoch as Missy and George Carlin are back too (the latter in hologram form). All of those ingredients just aren't enough to recapture the magic.
Though all seemed right with the universe by the end of Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, it's revealed early on in Face the Music that the duo's band, Wyld Stallyns, did not in fact unite the world with one of their songs. So after attending Missy's wedding to Ted's little brother, Deacon, and being informed that they have 78 minutes to come up with a tune that does accomplish that task, the pair embark on yet another series of escapades across the space-time continuum. But this time, their teenage daughters (who are just as slack as their airhead parents) set off on their own too, unbeknownst to their dads, in order to help them out. While Bill and Ted encounter themselves at various ages looking for answers, Wilhelmina and Thea gather iconic musicians from various points in history in order to assemble a reality-saving band.
The biggest problem is that none of it is funny, which is a key ingredient in a comedic film. It's also completely unnecessary given that the title characters' saga had been wrapped up quite neatly the last time around. So unfortunately, it looks like Bill and Ted will be going out on a very low note.
Some head-scratching decisions were made by the filmmakers as well. While 79-year-old actor Hal Landon Jr. and 61-year-old Amy Stoch reprise their roles as Ted's father, Captain Jonathan Logan, and Ted's (and Bill's) stepmother Missy, respectively, for some reason Bill and Ted's wives, who should be in their 50s, are portrayed by a couple of actresses in their 40s.
It's not all bad. The movie does take the time to show appreciation for the prodigious musical talents of both Jimi Hendrix and Louis Armstrong. And while it's nice to see that there's a place for adventures led by 55-year-olds outside of the Mission: Impossible franchise and Face the Music does serve as an inspiring testament to enduring friendship, it just isn't worth the price of a VOD rental (much less taking the risk of contracting COVID-19 at a theater).
If you've really got a craving for a great time-travel adventure you're better off checking out The Terminator. Even a Timecop re-watch would be a less heinous waste of your time.
Keanu Reeves (Theodore "Ted" Logan) and Alex Winters (William S. "Bill" Preston, Esq.) are back after 29 years to continue a story which seemed to have come to a happy ending in the early 1990s. While the latter has spent the last couple of decades making documentaries, Face the Music represents the first misstep in the former's Keanussance, which has so far proven phenomenally successful. In the past six years alone, Reeves has appeared in the billion-dollar generating Toy Story 4 and the wildly popular John Wick trilogy, with a fourth John Wick on the way next year alongside The Matrix 4.
Not only have Reeves and Winters returned, but the phone booth, William Sadler as the Grim Reaper, killer robots, actress Amy Stoch as Missy and George Carlin are back too (the latter in hologram form). All of those ingredients just aren't enough to recapture the magic.
Though all seemed right with the universe by the end of Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, it's revealed early on in Face the Music that the duo's band, Wyld Stallyns, did not in fact unite the world with one of their songs. So after attending Missy's wedding to Ted's little brother, Deacon, and being informed that they have 78 minutes to come up with a tune that does accomplish that task, the pair embark on yet another series of escapades across the space-time continuum. But this time, their teenage daughters (who are just as slack as their airhead parents) set off on their own too, unbeknownst to their dads, in order to help them out. While Bill and Ted encounter themselves at various ages looking for answers, Wilhelmina and Thea gather iconic musicians from various points in history in order to assemble a reality-saving band.
The biggest problem is that none of it is funny, which is a key ingredient in a comedic film. It's also completely unnecessary given that the title characters' saga had been wrapped up quite neatly the last time around. So unfortunately, it looks like Bill and Ted will be going out on a very low note.
Some head-scratching decisions were made by the filmmakers as well. While 79-year-old actor Hal Landon Jr. and 61-year-old Amy Stoch reprise their roles as Ted's father, Captain Jonathan Logan, and Ted's (and Bill's) stepmother Missy, respectively, for some reason Bill and Ted's wives, who should be in their 50s, are portrayed by a couple of actresses in their 40s.
It's not all bad. The movie does take the time to show appreciation for the prodigious musical talents of both Jimi Hendrix and Louis Armstrong. And while it's nice to see that there's a place for adventures led by 55-year-olds outside of the Mission: Impossible franchise and Face the Music does serve as an inspiring testament to enduring friendship, it just isn't worth the price of a VOD rental (much less taking the risk of contracting COVID-19 at a theater).
If you've really got a craving for a great time-travel adventure you're better off checking out The Terminator. Even a Timecop re-watch would be a less heinous waste of your time.
Originally Posted 8/28/20
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