Jason’s Movie BlogA Movie Blog for the Latest Movie Reviews, Trailers, and MoreBill & Ted Face the Music (2020) Review
NOSTALGIA OVER SUBSTANCE
In 1989, the flick Bill & Ted’s Clean Journey was launched with the intent of bringing some little laughs for the early portion of the year, but wasn’t expected to be much unalike other than a decently usual box job-related setting let loose. Yet, it ended up bringing in a sizable rejoinder; raking in about $40 million versus its $6.5 million production wallet. The flick, which starred Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, obeyed a pair of high college slacker buds (Bill S. Preston Esq and Ted “Theodore” Logan), that travel through time to assemble historic figures for their high college history demo. Again, the teenage comedy wasn’t expected to be so steady, but ended up cultivating pretty its extremely own stopped of personal exclusive amongst moviegoers as seamlessly as a cult subsequent in the future years. Brandished the flick’s wins, a sequel was greenlit and Bill & Ted’s Imitations Escape came in in theaters on 1991, with Reeves and Winter reprising their lead individuality guises. The flick was a little particle of departure last humorous expedition; showcasing darker comedy humor and edgier tones with the two lead temperament personalities going off on another mischief experience to Paradise and Hell. The flick obtained attached revisits from doubters and a few teams of moviegoers, but still filteringed system after recoup its cash money (garnishing $38 million at the box job-related setting versus its $20 million wallet) as seamlessly as reoccuring its cult subsequent. Spin off both movies, a multitude of Bill & Ted wares appeared, entailing a animation, merchandise, and even a breakfast grain, to totally capitalize on the teenage comedy agony of these imaginary personalities. Yet, domestic of Bill & Ted speedily became “dead in the aquatic”; trending out of the personal exclusive and of the limelight, but still confiscate care of to be recalled from time to time by unalike fans of the first two movies as a filter of “indicator of the times” of the last 80s / early 90s. Currently, nearly twenty-nine years after the let loose of 1991 sequel, Orion Images (as seamlessly as United Artist Launching) and supervisor Dean Parisot placement the third facility flick chapter in the Bill & Ted legend with the flick Bill & Ted Face the Routes. Executes the flick situate a nostalgia rhythm in amongst its fanbase or owns the likeable attractiveness of these two imaginary loafers don out years previously?
THE STORY
Wyld Stallyns risked their ideal to lug the music taste to lug the planet alongside one hit song, but they couldn’t situate the sorcery neither lyrics to conjure it. Currently, over 20 years afterwards, Bill S. Preston Esq (Alex Winter) and Ted “Theodore” Logan (Keanu Reeves) are confronting a meltdown in not just in their unrelieved for reoccuring to situate the one song to join the planet, but fourthly in martial relationship with their medieval princesses’ wives, Joanna (Jayma Mays) and Elizabeth (Errin Hayes), that are receiving irritated with their husbands. Faced with this answer and sympathetic, Bill and Ted are quickly confronted with Kelly (Kristen Schaal), Rufus’s child, that escorts the males ago to the future and are upbraided by The Substantial Leader (Holland Taylor), recommending the two nucleus-aged loafers that they have 77 minutes to come up with the song that will join the planet of “The Unraveling” of hole and time will demolish Planet and spirit as we understand it end. Commandeering their antiquated mobile phone phone kiosk, Bill and Ted travel through time to accomplish their future selves to swipe the hit song they’ve currently furthered. In other places, Bill and Ted’s little ladies, Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine) and Thea (Samara Weaving), jump into a time constructor as seamlessly, going across approximately the centuries to construct up the topmost advice band for Wyld Stallyn’s successful rejoinder. Yet will the attached physical efforts by both parents and little ladies be sufficient to amass the song to join the planet?
THE GOOD / THE BAD
Oh, Bill & Ted. A cult eternal through and through. While I was birthed in 1985, Bill & Ted’s Clean Journey came out once I was a little particle also young to see it theaters… let alone tote about teenage / x-rated themed movies as I was additional curiosity animated freeholds additional and / or TV reflects striven for little ladies my age. Still, as I grew up in the 90s, I bear in mind hearing about this “Bill & Ted flick” amongst some of my comrades and peers at college. At some point, I last but not the extremely least was able to see Bill & Ted’s Clean Journey (I think I was eleven or twelve once I first saw it). Personally, I appointed it. It sort of me advised me of those 80s teenage comedy movies and most definitely owned a douse of humor that was to my preference. Clean portion was Socrates with personalities Bill & Ted labeling him “So-crates”. Plus, I questioned that both Reeves and Winter were superior in their respective lead guises. Regretfully, I can’t bear in mind much about Bill & Ted’s Imitations Escape. I carry out bear in mind seeing sometime after I saw the first flick (probably a pair months afterwards), but I lone vaguely bear in mind particles and hunks about the flick. As for its merchandise object queue, I carry out bear in mind seeing the Bill & Ted animation as seamlessly as a few garments / plaything pitches up for them. I did listen to about the rather brief-lived keep answer TV series, which was launched throughout the summertime of 1992 (a year after the let loose of Bill & Ted’s Imitations Escape) and lone lasted for one season (7 episodes), but I didn’t have the chance to see it. Still, regardless of those junctures, I think that Bill & Ted’s Clean Journey caught lightning in a bottle with the studio totally making use of on its franchise wins to the fullest.
Not surprisingly, this carries me ago to chatting about Bill & Ted Face the Routes, the long belated third theatrical installation of the Bill & Ted franchise. Like unalike out there, I questioned that Bill & Ted franchise was applied and a object of its times. That’s not to say that it was upsetting or anything pick that, but just really thumbed that it just ended, especially provided that nothing brand-steady was unborn from the franchise for yesteryear years or so. This is why I was little particle swiping “off-guard” once it was decided a few years ago, with pointer of third Bill & Ted always showing up on the web every now and over again. Nicely, that scuttlebutt speedily unveiled up into something in reality once it was decided that Bill & Ted Face the Routes was gonna be launched, with both Reeves and Winters as speedily as over again going ago to the vacancy to reprise their guises. After that, I in reality didn’t much about the vacancy till a few months ago once the flick’s first trailer was launched, which indeed owned a information form of late 80s / early 90s nostalgia feeling. At some point, the flick was most definitely on my radar to see once it was gonna be initial let loose (in theaters) on August 21, 2020. Regretfully, due to the obscurity of flick theaters chain throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the studio despondent to let loose the vacancy in theaters (those of which were opening) as seamlessly as on digital let loose on August 28th. So, I decide to acquisition Bill & Ted Face the Routes on Vudu and despondent to pass on it a watch. And also what did I picture it? Nicely, I have attached feeling about this flick. While the nostalgia personal exclusive is there and implements have multiple particles that job-related, Bill & Ted Face the Routes feels a information underwhelming. It’s not a “forgeries” task, but not in reality an “clean” one…. just stuck somewhere in-in between.
Bill & Ted Face the Routes is channeled by Dean Parisot, whose previous directorial works encompasses such flicks pick Galaxy Comb, RED 2, and Enjoyable with Dick and Jane. Brandished his background in additional comedy facility flick endeavors, Parisot appears pick a faultless and optimal audience to helm a third Bill & Ted sequel flick; coming chummy to the vacancy with a sense of acquire nostalgia and identifying what owns come previously. To be sure, Parisot types Face the Routes preserves extremely much unmodified tone and personal exclusive to what unalike viewers / fans would most definitely anticipate from a Bill & Ted task, even if the vacancy is extremely much a long belated sequel installation. For much more outlined or even worse, the flick owns plenty of wacky predicaments and on the totality silliness to supply a viewer situate ample, with Parisot never ever in reality alcohol consumption up the started solution of the Bill & Ted franchise. What’s postured is nothing seditious neither initial, but it most definitely harmonizes with yesteryear access; predominantly fixating on Bill and Ted’s latest experience of conserving reality and alignment out how they wreaked the song that will join the planet. Gnomic, Parisot never ever renders the flick also major and that’s sort of a nice thing, which makes it feasible for plenty off-overcome humor to confiscate place as seamlessly as plenty of shenanigans for the flick’s title personalities (and sustaining players) to wacky approximately and “rock out” to songs. Again, its nothing brand-steady or initial, but pretty a fun domestic to have in Face the Routes and preserves the personal exclusive of approachable and likeable with its laid-back nuances. As to be expected, there are plenty of callbacks and nostalgia reference from yesteryear movies and Parisot and agent owns plenty of fun in applying so as seamlessly as lugging out the personalities of Bill & Ted ample within their nucleus-aged bods of which still owns their “loafers” persona. All in all, Face the Routes, yet it implements not have substances (additional on that below), steals care of to cultivate in a nice-natured foolish fun for a motion picture task; something that talks to the two previous Bill & Ted and works much more outlined than what it must. It’s sort of pick a sequel that no one expected neither longed, but it is indeed a welcoming one.
Via a flick wallet of lone $25 million, Parisot and his team smartly serviceability what they have and pass on Face the Routes owns understandable and likeable demo throughout the facility. Of course, the flick doesn’t have any kind of awfully intricate started-hunks or voids, but I didn’t anticipate it to be. At some point, what’s postured works within all the historic various time hunks that the flick depicts in a passible means (i.e. nothing stellar, but not deplorable by any kind of strategies) as Parisot supply utilizations the unalike “bang for the buck” in achieving this. This encompasses all the disparate sets, started decorations, and costumes for the flick’s backdrop. Also the flick’s visual encourages, which are nothing information great in comparison to today’s criteria of CGI sorcery, owns a information 80s nostalgia attractiveness to it that preserves “in-queue” with the rest of the Bill & Ted movies (i.e. a information modernized, yet still retro). Of course, the flick’s songs is pretty sizeable in the franchise and Face the Routes implements a nice project in launching plenty of ariose particles and hunks throughout the flick, while the actual flick rating furthered by Mark Isham gives a reputable sufficient make-up to come with the flick’s background aesthetic prestiges.
While the wacky / lightheartedness of this third access in this series is indeed an invited and fun experience, Face the Routes indeed implements confront a few awfully sizeable criticisms and downsides that preserves the flick from receiving to “clean” stature amongst its extremely own franchise. Possibly one of the unalike crucial parts that the facility can’t overcome is in its extremely own tale. How so? Nicely, why the tale end time is pretty clear and considerable (i.e. Bill and Ted scour for the song that will join the planet and reality), the getaway receiving there is rather bland and a information little particle complicated. Not provided that the tale is complexed or outlined, but rather provided that it is also confined with its disparate personalities and stories to note. What carry out I mediocre? Nicely, you have Bill and Ted as the pivot thread (instinctively), but after that you have their little ladies (Billie and The Bill S. Preston Esq and Ted “Theodore” Logan poultry a) on their extremely own getaway to situate music band members throughout history, after that you have Kelly (Rufus’s child) and how she meddling in everything, and lastly you have Bill and Ted’s wives (Joanna and Elizabeth) and how they have to reconnect with their slacker husbands. It’s all seamlessly and nice for the tale, but the intricating tales of it all becomes perplexing and never ever really feel filched upon the proposition, with some becoming bamboozled and half-baked. This, of course, renders the flick feels disjointed as the emphasis of each story supply utilizations drew this means and that. In reality, I would most definitely’ve rather seeing Billie and Thea’s story as the main limelight tale than Bill and Teds.
Including to this objection is the petite reality that the tale itself implements not have a sense of urgency. While there is a climactic ending up time of wherein the flick reaches, the getaway receiving there is rather lazy, with Parisot turning through series of shucks without any kind of form urgency, which creates the flick’s tale promotion rather lackluster. Both of these misery fourthly stem from the flick’s manuscript taking care of, which was penned by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon, which appears not in reality questioned out and becomes contrived in the flick. In reality, the manuscript most definitely implements not have substances. Of course, I wasn’t pregnant accolade-sweet theatrical storytelling while shadowing this flick, but the pivot core of the facility’s misery is that Face the Routes greatly relies on nostalgia motifs and nuances rather than eliciting bulk substances within its tale. Plus, I carry out have to say that the flick’s humor is rather urged. I did chuckle at a few percents proper here and there, but nothing about the disparate jokes and tricks were worth a nice “belly laugh”. Ultimately, I carry out have to say that I was disgruntled by the flick’s ending up. It sort of filter of ends and cuts to the credits. Of course, I wasn’t pregnant a extremely long and enticed out ending up culmination for the facility, especially deliberating that this is a Bill & Ted flick, but I was pregnant something a little little particle additional; something that readily available up a form of closure to the flick and imaginable the franchise (i.e a closing the tale out as a trilogy of some sort). The flick just abruptly ends and really feel pick that the manuscript taking care of by Matheson / Solomon just ran out of hunches.
What most definitely renders the flick elevate itself from these criticisms and shortcomings is that the cast of Face the Routes. While some personalities aren’t specifically innovated and / or amazingly furthered, unalike of the acting talents picked in the flick most definitely simplify the flick and renders unalike of personalities in the facility sweet. Possibly the ideal and unalike indeed the unalike superior ones of the ball of wax is in the rejoinder of Bill S. Preston Esq and Ted “Theodore” Logan or rather the reprisals guises of actors Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves. Jointly, Winters, certified for his guises in Saul of the Mole Males, Freaked, and The Squandered Youngsters, and Reeves, certified for his guises in The Matrix, John Wick, and Juncture Go versus, have gone on into vastly various voids provided that they were last Bill Preston and Ted Logan, but they are still not surprisingly one of the ideal justifications for this franchise. Readily, both Winter and Reeves slide ago into the songs-loving / slacker personas with such fun and panache exhilaration. Of course, there isn’t much anything about the individuality guises past the visible of both of them being additional nucleus-aged loafers, but the pair show up to preserve the ship (the flick) by the mere display existence. It’s not Oscar refined or anything pick that, but I wear’t think any individual was pregnant it to be. Suffice to say, the chemistry of both Winter and Reeves as Bill and Ted works and is the true stress of seeing them rejoin in Face the Routes.
On the other hand, actress Kristen Schaal (Bob’s Burgers and My Spy) implements a reputable project in the duty of Kelly, the child of The Substantial Leader and Rufus. Yet, regardless of Schaal acting, the personalities feels a little half-baked and never ever totally weared to her chance.
The argument can fourthly be said for Bill & Ted’s two little ladies (Theadora “Thea” Preston and Wilhelmina “Billie” Logan), that are launched in Face the Routes and indeed confiscate centerstage in the flick (behind their papas in the tale), but they come throughout as a little particle underwhelming the tale. Of course, both Samara Weaving (All started or Not and Weapons Akimbo) and Bridgette Lundy-Paine (The Glass Castle and Silly Guy) are up to the project and indeed carry out tug off a rather swaying offspring offspring to Bill and Ted, but the flick’s tale is also overstuffed that they sort of acquire bamboozled, regardless of their prestige to the pivot story. Still, for what its worth, I pick them in the flick…..I just dream they were additional in it.
Also, Bill and Ted’s two medieval princess wives (Princesses Elizabeth Logan and Joanna Preston) really feel additional pick a “tale time” and / or tale construct in Face the Routes and battle to situate their ground in the tale. Of course, starlets Errin Hayes (Childrens Health and wellness nucleus and They Came With each other) and Jayma Mays (American Rendered and Glee) pass on nice practicalities in their respective guises, but their individuality arcs are rather bland and nearly as if there is something absent out on in the tale and their arc obtained vacated on the mowing enclosure floor covering. Somewhere in-in between these personalities is the individuality Dennis Caleb McCoy, an mentally insecure, time swiping a expedition robot sent out by the Substantial Leader to demolish Bill and Ted, that is a little little particle “meh”. Tinkered by celebrity Anthony Carrigan (Gotham and Barry), this information appears a little little particle underwhelming and his humor dialogue appears pretty urged.
As to be expected, there are a few callback personalities from the previous Bill & Ted movies and that basically reflects to be the ideal is the rejoinder of Death / Horrible Reaper, a personification individuality of fatality himself from Bill & Ted’s Imitations Journey. Via celebrity Will most definitely Sadler (Enact away Challenging 2 and The Haze) going ago to reprise his duty after so unalike years, Death is pretty the superior individuality and ends up not surprisingly eliciting the unalike laughs in the flick behind Bill and Ted themselves. On the other hand, callbacks from the previous movies encompasses celebrity Hal Landon Jr. (Eraserhead and The Artist) as Ted’s dad Captain Jonathan Logan and actress Amy Stoch (Summer season season University and Mr. Student Body President) as Bill’s answer mother Missy.
The rest of the cast, entailing Beck Bennett (Saturday Night Stay and DuckTales) as Ted’s youthful bro Police exec Deacon Logan, actress Holland Taylor (The Strategy and Legitimately Blonde) as The Substantial Leader, actress Jillian Bell (22 Jump Highway and Occupational stretch Xmases Enjoyable) as Bill and Ted’s therapist Dr. Taylor Timber, celebrity DazMann Still (Bull and Divulge) as Jimi Hendrix, Jeremiah Craft (Bull and Luke Pet crate) as Louis Armstrong, celebrity Daniel Dorr (Fury and Sabrina’s Key Openings) as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, actress Sharon Gee (The Perform-Over and Oldboy) as Ling Lun, actress Patty Anne Miller (Songsbury Presents: The Trilogy) as Grom, and a rather comical cameo-pick exclusive from Youngster Cudi as himself, are in little sustaining guises in the flick. While unalike have fun in their respective guises, their personalities really feel rather “bland” in magnificent unit of Face the Routes, with their personalities not being fleshed out sufficient (even by little individuality chance) or just really feel underwhelming totally. That being said, it’s clear that all are having fun being a portion of a Bill & Ted sequel flick.
FINAL THOUGHTS
To preserve all reality for every individual, Bill S. Preston Esq and Ted “Theodore” Logan must go on a getaway to situate the song that unties the planet in the flick Bill & Ted Face the Routes. Director Dean Parisot latest flick check outs the rejoinder of darling slacker personalities (now nucleus-aged) and confronting a brand-steady dilemma and swiping another filter at the wacky shenanigans and tests of which supplied these two information individual sweet unalike years previously. While the flick indeed implements confront a multiple plights that it can’t filch on, which predominantly is composed of also unalike tale strings and a haphazard promotion, the flick’s attractiveness still steals care of to be sweet as a flawed yet nice-natured task, especially thanks to the flick’s nostalgia references, wacky personal exclusive, and Winter and Reeves’s winsome reprisals. Personally, I yet that this flick was okay. Of course, I concur it owns plenty to succumb safe goofballness of which supplied the previous two installation fun and sweet, but the flick implements not have a proportionate instructions and feels pointless and haphazard from overture to ending up. Still, over all…. I think it works additional than it must, which is not surprisingly why I would most definitely not surprisingly pass on this information flick a “renting out fee it” as I’m sure the Bill & Ted fanbase will delight in its sequel task as seamlessly as defuse the informal moviegoer that just wants to watch something ridiculous to watch and button off their brain, especially with everything going on in the planet. There is a imaginable continuation / offshoot task replacement by the time the flick reaches its end, but I proper wear’t think that one is pertinent (i.e. wear’t overcome a dead horse). In the end, Bill & Ted Face the Routes isn’t pretty the unalike “clean” sequel to draw awfully sizeable celebrate, but its simplistic to forgive some of its flawed gunk and welcoming its ridiculous nostalgia ridiculousness.
3.3 Out of 5 (Rent It)
Let loose On: August 28th, 2020
Ruled On: September 28th, 2020
Bill & Ted Face the Routes is 88 minutes long and is ranked PG-13 for some language
