This summer sees the return of Bill and Ted, with ‘Bill & Ted Face the Music’ slated for release in August 2020. Of course, this is the third part of the ‘Bill & Ted’ franchise, after ‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure’ (1989) and ‘Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey’(1991). Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves will reprise their roles as Bill and Ted, respectively, with William Sadler returning too as the Grim Reaper.
The first two movies were excellent science fiction comedy flicks, and the third installment will look to continue in the same vein. The first movie saw Bill and Ted as slackers in high school, who would rather pursue their musical interests through their band Wyld Stallyns than do their coursework. They need an A+ in their history report if they are to pass the class, but of course, in the future 700 years later, the world has achieved utopia thanks to the Wyld Stallyns’ music. The leaders of that world instruct Rufus, played excellently by the late George Carlin, to go back in time to help the duo pass their class. What follows are some crazy time-travel shenanigans, as the duo travel to Napoleonic-era Austria, Greece in 400 BC, and 15th-century medieval England, among many other destinations, in a bid to complete their history project.
The second film has also gained a cult following. Here, following their successful submission of their history project, Bill and Ted are preparing for the San Dimas Battle of the Bands. In the future, a disgruntled hater of the utopian society, Chuck de Nomolos, sends back two robots modeled on Bill and Ted to stop them from winning the Battle. The robots kill the originals by throwing them over the cliff, after which their souls are met by Death or the Grim Reaper. He challenges them to a game for their souls, but they initially escape by giving him a wedgie. However, after being cast into Hell and being tortured by Satan, they realize that facing him is their only way out. They pick modern games such as Battleship, Clue and Twister that Death is no good at and easily beat him, forcing him to become their servant. They end up going to heaven, meeting God, and constructing ‘good’ robots to beat the evil ones at the Battle of the Bands and also eventually trapping De Nomolos in the present when he travels back in time to defeat them.
As the zany story lines of the preceding movies show, the Bill & Ted franchise is funny, witty and has gained a cult following which led to the production of the third movie, more than 25 years after the second movie. In fact, these movies have been so popular, that they have spawned animated series, video games, comics and even casino slot machines. There is Bill & Ted slot for real money available online which features characters from the two movies, where players can play for free or wager real money on the slots. This shows the popularity of this franchise, and the upcoming third movie also promises to be a crazy ride reminiscent of the first two movies. Having the original cast members back will provide for a lot of nostalgia, while the story is also as madcap. Bill (Alex Vinter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) are middle-aged now, but a visitor from the future warns them that they need to create a song to save the universe. There are sure to be some more time-travel shenanigans and goofiness, and this movie promises to be another superb addition to this franchise.
What are your feelings about the upcoming Bill and Ted movie? Do you think the Nostalgia craze has gone a bit too far or is this just right? Let us know how you feel in the comment section below.