Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991) Online

1991 Keanu Reeves Alex Winter William Sadler Peter Hewitt

Original Title :: Bill u0026 Tedu0027s Bogus Journey
Genre :: Movie / Adventure / Comedy / Fantasy / Music / Sci-Fi
Year :: 1991
Directror :: Peter Hewitt
Cast :: Keanu Reeves,Alex Winter,William Sadler
Writer :: Chris Matheson,Ed Solomon
Budget :: $20,000,000
Type :: Movie
Time :: 1h 33min
Rating :: 6.2/10

A tyrant from the future creates evil android doubles of Bill and Ted and sends them back to eliminate the originals.

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991) Online

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.

Cast overview, first billed only:
	Keanu Reeves	-	Ted
	Alex Winter	-	Bill / Granny Preston
	William Sadler	-	Grim Reaper
	Joss Ackland	-	De Nomolos
	Pam Grier	-	Ms. Wardroe
	George Carlin	-	Rufus
	Amy Stoch	-	Missy (as Amy Stock-Poynton)
	Jim Martin	-	Sir James Martin
	Hal Landon Jr.	-	Captain Logan
	Annette Azcuy	-	Elizabeth
	Sarah Trigger	-	Joanna
	Chelcie Ross	-	Colonel Oats
	Taj Mahal	-	Gatekeeper
	Robert Noble	-	Bach
	Hal Landon Sr.	-	Thomas Edison

The evil character from the future is called "De Nomolos", which is Writer and Producer Ed Solomon's name spelled backwards.

The band that plays before the Wyld Stallyns at the Battle of the Bands is Primus from El Sobrante, California. They play "Tommy the Cat".

The guitar solo before KISS' "God Gave Rock And Roll To You", is performed by guitar legend Steve Vai. The footage had already been shot, and the world premiere was a week away, when he was asked to do it. He also contributed various music in the film, including "The Reaper Rap", which features on the end credits.

When Bill and Ted go to Missy's séance, you can see Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon, the creators and writers of Bill and Ted. They're the only men that are attending the séance. (Chris is the guy with the white shirt, and Ed is the guy with the glasses.) They also say "ed and chris rule the world" backwards

The "Riddance of Evil" book that Missy uses to send Bill and Ted to Hell, is actually a re-dressed copy of the Stephen King short-story collection "Four Past Midnight." She opens it to a page in the story "Secret Window, Secret Garden," which can be read clearly in a few frames of the film.

The original title was "Bill and Ted go to Hell" but was changed because of American objections to the use of the word "hell".

Bill and Ted playing a game with Death to win back their lives is a reference to the classic Ingmar Bergman film, Seitsmes pitser (1957), in which a knight plays chess with Death for his life.

William Sadler ("Death"), also plays a bit role as an Englishman when we see various spots around the world when the Battle of the Bands is shown.

The mountain, to which Bill and Ted are brought to be killed by the evil robots, is the same mountain Captain Kirk climbs in Star Trek: Arena (1967), which Bill and Ted watched in their apartment.

In the scene where Bill and Ted are addressing God, there are two statues at the base of the staircase. One is of Michael Powell, and the other is of David Niven, an homage to Powell and Emeric Pressburger's afterlife classic A Matter of Life and Death (1946). The stairway itself is the same as the one in that film, which has the U.S. title "Stairway to Heaven".

The evil robots arrive in the parking lot of the Circle-K convenience store, the same place where Bill and Ted first meet Rufus in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989). That's why there's a second square burn from the phone booth.

During filming, Keanu Reeves collapsed in his trailer, and was hospitalized with an arm infection.

Joss Ackland said in a Radio Times interview, he only did this project, because of a bet between him and a family member.

Marni Joan Bakst and Sadler Colley Bakst play members of an English family with William Sadler as the father. They are Sadler's real-life wife and daughter.

The Tillman Water Reclamation Plant in Van Nuys, California is used to represent Bill & Ted University in 2691. It would later be used to represent another future university, namely Starfleet Academy, in Star Trek: Uus põlvkond: The First Duty (1992) and Star Trek: Voyager: In the Flesh (1998).

Bill & Ted University was founded in 2425.

During the séance scene, the chant to send Bill's and Ted's spirits, can be read backwards as "Ed and Chris will rule the world." Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson being the movie's scriptwriters.

Stephen Herek declined to return as director, because he thought it was "almost a parody of a movie that was already a parody".

In a deleted sequence, the Evil Robot Usses use devices to re-create Bill's and Ted's' personal Hells (Granny Preston, the Easter Bunny, and Colonel Oats) and send them after the heroes. Bill and Ted end up having to face their fears to get rid of them. Bill gives Granny her kiss on the cheek, Ted calls his brother and apologizes for stealing his Easter candy, and both boys treat Oats with kindness and friendship rather than terror.

In an early draft of the script, Rufus was the villain.

In 2010, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter said that a script for Bill and Ted 3 was in the works and that they liked the story which takes place 20 years after this film. However, George Carlin passed away in 2008.

At first, the studio executives adamantly said "No Way!" to the idea of Bill and Ted dying, but the creators and actors were firm, realizing that it was too good an idea not to do.

The guitars that Bill and Ted play are a Gibson SG Standard and a Gibson '59 Flying V. Ted plays two different color schemes on the V, while Bill's SG was the same throughout the movie.

The Evil Robot Usses were supposed to kill Bill and Ted at the Battle of the Bands, whereupon the boys would invoke their wins against Death to get resurrected. This part does appear in the comic book adaptation of the movie, which was based on an earlier draft of the script.

When Ted's father is taking de Nomolos away, Death says "Book em, Danno," made famous in Hawaii Five-O (1968). William Sadler would later go on to play the role of Jack McGarrett in Hawaii Five-0 (2010).

The Bill and Ted University students were dressed in colorful Day-Glo costumes constructed with neoprene, a material most commonly found in wetsuits.

The scene at The Circle K wasn't actually filmed at a Circle K. It was filmed at a 7/11 in Canyon Country. The Circle K logo and sky behind it were all computer generated.

The overall design of the film was based on circles, domes and spheres. You can see the circular theme running through the Heaven and Hell sets.

William Sadler played an executioner and the titular character in the very first episode of The Tales From The Crypt television series named "The Man Who Was Death" two years earlier.

The film was shot over twelve weeks.

The ceiling of the future classroom was a left over set piece from the film "Mom and Dad save the universe". Solomon and Matheson also wrote that movie, the set was saved from demolition when bill and ted was the next film shot in that studio.

Orion Pictures, the film's distributor, was on the verge of bankruptcy months before the release of Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991) and was in the process of selling off the rights to several films in an attempt to remain stable. Columbia Pictures looked into acquiring the film, but after careful consideration, Orion kept the film due to the faith they had in it.

The film takes place in 2691 and 1993.

The Ria Paschelle character was partially modeled after The Borg from Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987).

When Ted attempts to get into Heaven by proving himself worthy, he says, "Every rose has its thorn. Every night has a dawn. Every cowboy sings a sad sad song." These are the key lyrics of "Every Rose Has Its Thorn", a song sung by Poison.

In the beginning of the movie, when Wild Stallyns is auditioning for Battle of the Bands, and when Ted is introducing the princesses, he says "...the beautiful princesses from medieval England...", and turns away from the mike at the word "medieval", trying not to expose their time traveling. However, the sentence segment that came just before that was "celebrating their fifth year in the twentieth century". Also, in the birthday party scene, the cake says "Happy 521st Birthday".

Future Bill and Ted appear similar in appearance to Dusty Hill and Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top.

The film came in at No. 2 at the American Box Office, which it was beaten by Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). Incidentally, the film itself mocks The Terminator (1984). In the film The evil robot duplicates of Bill and Ted are sent back through time by De Nomolos to stop the real Bill and Ted from winning The Battle of the Bands and when the evil Bill and Ted robots time travel in the stolen time machine, they wear sunglasses.

Alex Winter (Bill S. Preston, Esq.), Keanu Reeves (Ted "Theodore" Logan), George Carlin (Rufus), Hal Landon Jr. (Captain John Logan), Amy Stoch (Missy) and J. Patrick McNamara (Mr. Preston) are the only actors to reprise their roles from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989).

Peter Hewitt was chosen to direct, based on his short film The Candy Show (1989).

According to the fourth-draft of the script, one of the guys from the future was going to be played by Tom Petty, to whom Rufus refers to by Sir Thomas Petty.

The mall with the Building Emporium was the same mall Doc Brown shows Marty time travel in Back To The Future.

Chuck De Nomolos was originally going to die at the end, and go to Hell with the Evil Duo, where they annoyed him for all eternity.

Released just two days after Alex Winter's 26th birthday.

In Heaven, the lines on the gates appear to form a serif T and, below it, a W, the initials of Theodore (Ted) and William (Bill).

According to the screenwriters, their original idea for the sequel was more in tone with the first, entailing an English Class assignment, with Bill and Ted entering classic works of literature such as Romeo and Juliet, Crime and Punishment and Tom Sawyer.

William Sadler reprises his portrayal of the Grim Reaper in the Tales from the Crypt episode The Assassin (1994).

When Bill S. Preston Esq. says about the girls, 'They're hanging from the rafters', this is a reference to his vampire character Marko from 'The Lost Boys' (1987) who slept hanging upside down from the rafters.

Peter Hewitt: The smoker in the Builder's Emporium to whom Death says, "I'll see you soon." In the cast credits The Smoker is credited as "Max Magenta".

Early in the film, Rufus states they will have Benjamin Franklin in their next class. In Heaven, Death is later seen speaking to Franklin.

The scene, in which Evil Robot Bill and Ted kidnap the Princess Babes to take them to the Battle of the Bands was notably different for several reasons. First, the robots knock Missy out, not with their breath, but with Evil Bill's fist! In early drafts of the script, Captain Logan also confronted the robots, only to be pushed up into the ceiling by them. The robots then pull an outrageous bluff by unzipping their skins to reveal themselves to be disguised . . . as each other! (This would have tied in with Rufus' revelation of actually being Ms. Wardroe at the end of the movie.) If you look closely while watching the movie, you can see the discarded skins on the floor behind Evil Bill and Ted, as they talk to Bill and Ted on the phone.

In the séance scene, the chant they are saying is, "Ed and Chris will rule the world", in reverse.

User reviews

Vit

This movie is very underrated. It's highly imaginative, creative and clever. It's just plain fun and in my opinion this film tops the first one. But the film was forgotten when it first came out, and became even more overlooked as the years passed. "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" also bombed at the box office, whereas the first one was a pretty good hit and very popular.

I think the problem may be that this film was just released a couple years too late. In 1991, Bill and Ted already seemed "so '80s". Even though the '80s were only a couple years ago back at that time, the landscape of the music and style for kids had changed so radically with gangsta rap, hip hop, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, grunge and the Seattle sound. Bill and Ted with their Ozzy Osbourne, Van Halen and Guns N' Roses music along with their '80s style seemed so out of place and very outdated in '91, and I think that's one BIG reason the film bombed at the box office. Nobody but surfers were still saying stuff like "excellent!" and "bogus!" in 1991. "Gremlins 2" which also came out in the early '90s suffered a similar fate of being a good film that bombed at the box office because it was too associated with the '80s. The transition from the '80s to the '90s was a much faster change then now with the '90s and '00s. 1991 was nothing like 1988 or 1989, whereas right now, 2002 and last year 2001 still looks/looked like 1995 or 1996.

If only "Excellent Adventure" which was made in 1988, was released THAT YEAR instead of 1989, and "Bogus Journey" was made quickly and released in 1989, then it too would have probably been just as wildly received as the first.

Macill

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!!!

Low_Skill_But_Happy_Deagle

I wouldn't dare say this film is better than the original, but it is very good in it's own right. The comedy in this film is just as good as the original though, there are so many scenes that get me laughing just thinking about them.

The story in this film is even more bizarre than the original, but that's what makes it so great. Peter Hewitt does a great job directing this film with a great cast. The core cast from the original film returns to their characters in this film and all do a fantastic job with their roles. I don't care what anyone says, I think Keanu Reeves is a great actor! I really enjoyed his portrayal of Ted in both of these films as I did Alex Winter's Bill. I was very happy to see George Carlin returning to the role of Rufus, very cool! Hal London Jr, who plays the part of Ted Logan's father does a really good job. The scene where Ted possesses his fathers body and Hal London Jr begins acting like Ted is a great scene, and he pulls it off impressively well. I can't forget to mention William Sadler as Death, he completely made the movie for me. The rest of the cast is quite good as well.

If you liked the first installment of the Bill and Ted series, then I would hope you would like this film as well. But, don't expect it to be as good as the original. I really hope you enjoy the film, thanks for reading,

-Chris

Mmsa

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.

Ariurin

I can't tell you how many times I saw the first Bill & Ted movie before ever seeing this sequel...because it was a sequel, so I figured it wouldn't be as good. I was wrong. I first saw it on television; my sister watched it with me. I couldn't stop laughing. She kept shaking her head, saying, "it's not funny, it's stupid" - but she kept laughing, too. How can you not laugh at the sight of Death playing Twister? Or, "You ugly, red, source of all evil!!" I loved the first movie, but I think the second, despite being darker, is funnier, more imaginative, and better written. William Sadler as Death was so, so, funny, so dead on (no pun intended), he deserved an Oscar nomination; this film made him one of my favorite character actors. Alex Winter & Keanu Reeves made Bill & Ted into airheads you root for. They're stupid, sure, but man are they good-hearted! So thumbs up from me; a third Bill & Ted movie would probably be too much, but they did go out in fine style. Catch you later, Bill & Ted!

Dainris

It was only on my second viewing, years later, that I realized two things about this movie: 1) I enjoyed it immensely, and 2) that because its execution is decidedly sharper than the premise itself warrants. I had laughed my way through the movie before it occurred to me to renew my initial protests--valleyspeak and loogies and airheadedness (even *good*-natured airheadedness) just aren't inherently funny, especially when drawn out to feature length. But though the movie's momentum does begin to sputter out towards the end, Reeves and Winter and Sadler (and Hal Landon Jr. in an unforgettable scene) display such a remarkable sense of comic timing throughout that even the more clumsily-scripted jokes (e.g. Ted failing to recognize a certain inhabitant of Hell) work as effortlessly as the witter ones (e.g. the challenge). And the teaming of Winter and Reeves clicks so well that the teaming of Bill and Ted (who spend only one scene separated in the entire movie, disaster if they're not well-matched) appears utterly unstrained.

(Side note: I found the first movie to be only sporadically entertaining--sightly different comic sensibilities there, it seems.)

I give it a 7.75. Surprisingly good fun.

Gashakar

I admit it's very silly, but I've practically memorized the damn thing! It holds a lot of good childhood memories for me (my brother and I saw it opening day) and I have respect for any movie with FNM on the soundtrack.

Iaiastta

When I was a kid, I totally loved both Bill & Ted Movies. The other night, Bogus Journey was on and since it was at least 5 years since I last saw it, I decided to tune in. AND I LOVED IT ALL OVER AGAIN! This film is still funny after all those years. 'Excellent Adventure' is better, but this one rocks just the same. Sure, some of the perfomances are a bit cheesy, but hey, this entire film is cheesy in a cool way. Plus it features the coolest personation of Death ever in a movie! Concluding: Totally like non bogus movie dude! Way Excellent! STATION!!!

Pameala

In this following ,the stupid and geeky adolescents journey to Hell and Heaven and confront against a villain(Joss Acland) from the future and a duo of robots are substitute them.While in the first part the inseparable dudes meet get to know some of the history's most famous characters :Sigmund Freud,Gengis Khan ,Socrates,Lincoln,Napolen,Billy the Kid,Joan of Arc,this time appear : Albert Einstein,Johann Sebastian Bach,Benjamin Franklin,Thomas Edison,Confucius, and even Grim Reaper(William Sadler in a double role), among others.The movie like the first part is developed throughout time tunnel and the location named St Dimas little town.They pass along the universe in a time machine ,a telephone booth.Again Rufus(George Carlin),an emissary from the future comes to help them.

This sequel such as the original is a sci-fi comedy with noisy action,humor,tongue in check and is very amusing .A dimwitted Keanu Reeves(Matrix,Speed) and an airhead Alex Winter(Borrowers,Freaked,Lost boys) play a fully sympathetic and surrealist couple.The film contains a breathtaking special effects ,adding a nice cinematography(Oliver Wood)and lively musical score(David Newman). This following also achieved success in the box-office and video rentals,both films are nowadays deemed cult movies with numerous aficionados.The motion picture is well directed by Peter Hewitt, a familiar comedies expert(Tom and Huck,Borrowers,Garfield).The flick will like to teen comedy buffs.It's followed by a cartoon TV and television series .Rating : Acceptable and entertaining in spite of the inspiration,magic and freshness had partially gone.

Vathennece

I got the first Bill and Ted movie for christmas and I had to get the second when I saw it in a store. This one was (I think) just as funny as the first but a much wierder story. It was funny how they had their own personnal hell and how they had to play death. The funny thing was that they played him in stupid little games like clue. The only thing I'd change is Station and Death being in the band but other than that it was great.

Elastic Skunk

On paper, Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey is a sequel that should work. The plot is not a complete retread of the first film and some of the script is actually pretty creative. Unfortunately, the film severely lacks in charm which is one of the main elements that made the first installment enjoyable.

Reeve's and Winters do an excellent job of reprising their roles, but their dimwitted metalhead personalities become an over-reliant source for jokes which become more redundant than funny. On a side note, the addition of William Shatner as The Grim Reaper is a highlight of the film.

Even though the film is attempting to actually be something different than the previous installment, it bites off way more than it can chew. A bunch of sci-fi elements are introduced including robots and part of the plot involves Bill & Ted dying and traveling to the afterlife. While it all should fit the absurd humor of the film, none of it flows together coherently and feels sloppy and scatterbrained. Their are a few funny bits scattered throughout, but a lot of it just dully drags along delivering little laughs.

Bogus Journey had all the elements in place for it to be a good sequel, but it falls apart in it's execution losing it's charm and much of the humor along with it. It's not a terrible sequel, but one that's pretty forgettable and only worth watching if you are a hardcore fan of the first installment.

Mr_KiLLaURa

As I was watching the first Bill&Ted I was thinking that it represents the end of an era, the 80's, where studios would risk on a fun movie that didn't take itself at all seriously. The sequel, unfortunately, is "bogus". They push it all too far, they remove from the fun of the first and they push the movie all over the place: evil despots, robots, Death, The Devil and God. If in the first movie the pleasure was to watch the hapless Bill & Ted, in this film William Sadler steals the spot.

Bottom line: while still a little funny, it was a lot more boring than the first film. Studios didn't do it for fun this time, they just wanted to cash on the success of the Excellent Adventures. In view of 2015 rumors about a third part to be released, I wonder if the... franchise, I guess we must call it, will regain its irreverent fun side or be yet another reboot of a sequel that is a prequel of a previous reboot, as is the custom nowadays.

DART-SKRIMER

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is a sweet, naïve (in a good way), funny and original. It's feelgood comedy. Bogus Journey takes the premise of the unlikely heroes to a whole WHOLE new level. Reeves and Preston are playing both themselves and their evil robot selves. It's more adult, not so family friendly as Excellent Adventure was, and whilst some of the SFX hold up, it hasn't stood the test of time quite as well. Preston and Reeves are funny though and again look like they're having a great deal of fun with the film, and play around a lot with the characters. Again, the princesses aren't particularly convincing, but Ted's father played by Hal Landon Jr and Death (William Sadler) are both great especially Captain Logan's impression of Ted. There's some great one-liners and memorable bits but generally I don't like this one as well and it's not as clever and the repeated lines mean that the script isn't so witty either. It's really a vehicle for Reeves as he's by far the highlight; him and Death! The music is good but on many levels, it's offensive in the guise of easy laughs.

Watch the credits for the newspaper articles.

Fenius

The first film had little ambition so nothing sticks to the screen. It was a bad version of 'Back to the Future' with zero charm. Once accepted that Bill & Ted are nitwits, the joke can only get hammered at the audience for so long before it breaks.

This is a surprise. This is your only spoiler warning...

By today's standards, this is more fun. This was shunned upon release, sad considering that more talent is involved than the first time. We get the photographer of 'Face/Off', the editor of 'Fugitive', a production designer from Burton's early work, and the sound designer of 'Matrix'.

The writers made up for their shallow first outing with something deep. Since this was shunned by the fanbase and public, the director probably decided the style was too extreme. It's not, it fits the material. Like 'Death Becomes Her' and 'Catch-22', this dares to be smart, but we like our movies "simple" so we don't buy it. Probably since this dared to be different is why it took 12 producers to pull it off. What's so good?

--Nice self-reference towards Keanu; from airhead to Messiah. See also Arnold Schwarzenegger.

--Joss hates his creations as much as he hates their counterparts, he makes his own hatred. The Evil B&T and the "good robot usses" have the same vocabulary as their originals: lesser copies and depreciation of language.

--The "duality" motif. Nowhere else is this evident than in the photography styles, lots of high and low angles. They even use Roy Brocksmith from 'Total Recall' to emphasize the point.

--The "choices" motif. I don't know where this started in the genre (maybe 'Ghostbusters'), but it's used pretty well here. It even boils down to the 7 games against death--Battleship and Club.

--Film self-reference, even present in the game against Death (Clue). This is smarter than Tarantino or Brooks. Notice the Premier magazine cover at the end: "Bill and Ted: The Movie." Ironic also how Death and Nomolos were villains in the 'Die Hard' and 'Lethal Weapon' sequels.

I still have some minor nits, but nothing compared to the original. Music and film are different mediums so it makes no sense why many scripts revolve around the former--particularly in the teen market. Carlin is a great comedian, but in these movies he's wasted. Also, for all the daring this effort shows, even cracking gay jokes, they can't kill a cat?

So, despite looking like a Nickelodeon production, this is incredibly interesting. From this movie we got Beavis and Butt-Head. "We're in Heaven and we just mugged three people."

Final Analysis = = Midrange Material

Juce

This movie is great, it has everything that the first one had but more.... And I love it a lot. I just love the part where they go to Hell then Heaven. It is great, but to me the best part is when the actual "Battle of the Bands" at the end, in which Bill and Ted actual become famous, the song is great as well "God gave rock and Roll to you". The return of Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter is great in their best Film yet,and the presence of their new friend "Death" is a great touch.And I have heard rumors of a 3rd Bill and Ted movie.

But this is great and is probably better than the original.

So I give this an 8 out of 10.

Vudozilkree

Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey (1991): Dir: Peter Hewitt / Cast: Alex Winter, Keanu Reeves, William Sadler, George Carlin, Pam Grier: Bogus certainly describes the film. It begins with a Star Wars parody with George Carlin making a narrow escape to warn our moron guitar playing heroes about a world domination scheme. Bill and Ted are teenagers with the intelligence of a snot rag who are auditioning for a major concert but they are eventually thrown off a cliff by robot look-alikes. Perhaps they tried to stop production of this film. Darn it, they failed. The Grim Reapers challenges their souls in the film's one great laugh where he is whooped at Battleship, Clue and Twister. Then they venture to Heaven in search of the smartest scientist who ever lived so that good robot look-alikes can be manufactured. Anyone who claims to be the world's smartest scientist ought to know better than to be caught on camera during one of the year's stupidest films. Bogus plot directed by Peter Hewitt with dazzling special effects. Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves look foolish and act like jackasses. William Sadler is the one performance of great hilarity as the Grim Reaper completely overtaken by teenage madness. Pam Grier is underused, but then again she should be thankful not to be seen more than needed here. Carlin is unfortunately wasted in a film that might have been interesting had it not been so stupid. Score: 2 ½ / 10

Legionstatic

Bogus Journey opens in the year 2619, where Bill & Ted's music and philosophy has shaped society and everyone wears awful clothes made from sheets of foam. Clearly upset at being forced to dress in such a ridiculous fashion, evil fiend De Nomolos (Joss Ackland) creates robot doubles of the Bill and Ted and sends them back in time to kill the originals, which they do by chucking them off the Vasquez Rocks.

Death, however, is only the beginning of the righteous dudes' bogus journey, which sees them travelling to hell and heaven, before returning to life to do battle with their metal doppelgängers and De Nomolos.

With the news that there might be a third Bill & Ted movie just around the corner, I thought that now would be a good time to revisit Bogus Journey, which I remember not being very impressed with when it originally came out

Almost a quarter of a century later and my opinion hasn't changed: while not totally heinous, this sequel is is far from the excellent adventure that was the first movie. In an effort to go one better than before, Bogus Journey packs in as much craziness as possible, including robots, aliens, the Grim Reaper, visions of Heaven and Hell, and the Easter Bunny, but in doing so the film it loses what made the first film so great: heart. And Diane Franklin.

The best thing about the whole film is Death, played by William Sadler, who provides the film with all of its funniest moments, including a neat homage to Ingmar Bergman's iconic art-house classic The Seventh Seal. But a creepy bald guy in a robe with a scythe playing Battleships and Twister simply ain't enough to carry an entire movie.

5 out of 10, which I considered pushing up to 6 for Pam Grier and Kiss's cover of God Gave Rock And Roll To You, but no Diane Franklin. Bogus!

mym Ђудęm ęгσ НuK

This bogus journey never comes close to matching the wit and craziness of the excellent adventure these guys took in their first movie. This installment tries to veer away from its prequel to capture some new blood out of the joke, but it takes a wrong turn and journeys nowhere interesting or funny.

There's almost a half-hour wasted on showing the guys doing a rock concert (and lots of people watching on "free TV"--since when does that happen?) Surely the script writer could have done something more creative; look at how all the random elements of the first movie were neatly tied up together by a converging them at the science presentation. Not in this film, which pretty much ended the Bill & Ted franchise. The joke was over.

The Grim Reaper is tossed into the mix, for whatever reason. This infusion, like the whole plot, is done poorly and lacks sparks for comedy or audience involvement. There's a ZZ Top impression, hammered in for no reason. There's lights, smoke, mirrors, noise. But nothing really creative or funny.

Skip this bogus thing.

Kupidon

Lord, how I love this film. I've seen it many, many times since I first saw it in the theaters, and I can only say that it never fails to make me laugh out loud. Alex Winters and Keanu Reeves are both hilarious as Bill and Ted (and their evil robotic counterparts), and William Sadler finds just the right note of profound embarrassment for his performance as the Grim Reaper. What continues to strike me about this film is its spectacular originality. No one in their right mind would have guessed that Bill and Ted would die, then journey through heaven and hell with the Grim Reaper and two furry aliens to avenge their deaths. Yet that's exactly what happens. Man, this movie just makes me all happy inside. Station!

Beazekelv

Anyone who doesn't think Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey is one of the greatest movies of all time needs their head checked. It somehow manages to be both completely inane and no-brainer, but also terrifying knowing and clever at the same time. One of those rare films that actually improves upon it predecessor, Bogus Journey can be enjoyed again and again. Notable highlights include the duel with Death and the ending, which is highly "emotional". Keanu wants to forget all that Matrix rubbish and get down to doing what he does best, Ted Theodore Logan in Bill and Ted: The Return.

Capella

I give props to some of the other top-ranked "helpful" reviews here as I build on some of the points they made for the film being underrated. Looking at the film through a restricted view of pop culture, particularly '80s fashion and West California style (and how the '90s departed from that), is one example. Comparing the preceding "Excellent Adventure" to "Back to the Future" (first movie) is therefore also apt, IMHO, for that very reason. I seem to remember some critics of the latter film pronounced it an '80s nostalgia trip and panned the later two sequels as crappy-add ons to an already complete movie. Professional critique about "Bogus Journey" seems to echo the same, but unfairly, I think. (Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel *did* like "Bogus" somewhat, however, and Ebert admittedly did not see "Excellent".)

I liked "Excellent Adventure", but I thought "Bogus Journey" had a better developed storyline. A full 20+ years later after the movie hit our theaters, I still think so. To use a more modern catchphrase, it's "epic". I figure the storyline was a very tongue-in-cheek take on epic folktales; more so with parody references and the more intricate content of deleted scenes. (I will laugh smugly if the proposed second sequel has Bill or Ted saying that-- "Epic!")

Mikale

My Take: A goofy, yet imaginative mess.

Keanu Reeves (Yes! That Keanu Reeves) and Alex Winter return as the two punk-rock idiots in this sequel to the time-trotting adventure comedy BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE, now a cult classic. In this sequel, Bill and Ted are given much more to do than travel through time. They might as well travel Heaven and Hell too! During the beginning of this sequel, Bill and Ted are preparing for a "Battle of the Bands" competition which may make them more famous than ever. Meanwhile, many years in a futuristic civilization, the time-wizard from the first film (the always watchable George Carlin) is running a university praising Bill and Ted's names. There, an evil tyrant (Joss Ackland, from THE HUNT FOR RED October) plots to get rid of the two idiot rock-stars once and for all. So he sends two identical android replicas (In the words of Bill and Ted: Robot Us's) to do the dirty job.

There after, Bill and Ted experience death and must find their way through Hell, with inhabitants that happens to include the duo's worst memories, and then through Heaven in an attempt to get back to earth to save their girlfriends... and their show. Along this whacked-out voyage, they play board games with none other than Death (William Sadler, from DIE HARD 2), reminiscent to a similar moment in the 1957 foreign film classic THE SEVENTH SEAL, aid help from a couple of intelligent alien beings and more.

BOGUS JOURNEY's array of exuberant special effects gimmicks aren't up to to-date standards, and even some of the humor and the for-the-time look and feel are somewhat dated (to be honest, the film also feels like it was released on the wrong year, even for the 90's). But with it's no little lack of imagination and a lively turn by both the performances and direction, BILL AND TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY is fun, imaginative, and yes, bogus.

Rating: ***1/2 out of 5.

Ynap

In the sequel to the brilliant Bill and Ted's excellent adventure, Bill and Ted are under threat from the future, as the evil Chuck De Nomolos sends two evil robots, disguised as Bill and Ted to earth to kill human Bill and Ted, in order to change the future.

In a great comedy pairing, Winter and Reeves excel to deliver delicious humour to the audience in this entertaining sequel. Though lacking the sharpness of the first, Bogus Journey still has the great catchphrases and dialogue from the leading pair, not to mention an hilarious performance by William Sadler, who brings a humorous side to the figure of depth, the grim reaper. Watch for the games sequences, the best moment in the entire film, but one of many great techniques used to justify the genre.

Though still packed with humour, this film has a more dramatic film towards it, with stakes being more serious and situations more risky.

This gives the film great dimension and another lovable feature. The creators also stretch the boundaries of the fantasy genre and the use of realism, with hell and heaven being heavily symbolic and present in the plot. The fantasy genre is again spot on with the use of that amazing time travelling machine, though again somewhat confusing at points with the use of timing, and objects and situations being placed before it happens in the present, as is evident in the final couple of scenes.

The first watch I hated this sequel, but the second time was a real joy as I appreciated the jokes and story more, and though the jokes and plot aren't as strong as its predecessor, Bogus Journey has enough feel good motives, jokes and a fairly steady plot to make it a good natured family film.

Quamar

Bill and Ted are back, only this time an evil dude from the future has sent back an evil Bill and Ted to destroy them, thus destroying 'Wyld Stallions' and the basis for human society in the future. This time Bill and Ted have to travel through the afterlife 'Totally Bogus' and save humanity 'Excellent'

With much of the same zany humour and some wonderful new characters like the grim reaper, station and robot Bill and Ted (stations creation) Bogus Journey once again entertains, and is worth watching for its soundtrack alone.

7/10

A most triumphant sequel

Party on Dudes! Hehe

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