5 Star

Time not to Fail

The iconic farewell to the 1980’s comes to Blu-ray and 4K UHD with Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Stephen Herek started his directorship with the comedy/horror/sci-fi hit Critters, then he followed it up with Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and he made a name for himself during the 1990’s with The Mighty Ducks, The Three Musketeers, Mr. Holand’s Opus and 101 Dalmatians. From the start of the film you are straight into the heavy bass of the pumping opening track of Breakaway by Big Pig so now, sit back and enjoy a slice of historical fun.

San Dimas 2688 is a most excellent place to live with peace and happiness all over the Galaxy and it is all because of the ‘Wyld Stallyns’ bands founding members Bill S. Preston Esquire (Alex Winter, Death Wish 3, Rosalie Goes Shopping, Freaked) and Ted Theodore Logan (Keanu Reeves, Knock Knock, Henry’s Crime, Point Break, Much Ado About Nothing, The Matrix, Siberia, 47 Ronin, John Wick 2), their music and philosophy have shaped the utopian society of the future. But that future is in jeopardy as the band could split up for ever.

It seems to me the only thing you’ve learned is that Caesar is a “salad dressing dude.”

Bill and Ted are flunking Mr. Ryan’s (Bernie Casey, Never Say Never Again, Another 48 Hrs.) history class and if they don’t ace their oral history test tomorrow they will flunk high-school and if Ted does that, his father police Captain Logan (Hal Landon Jr., Eraserhead, The Little Death) is going to send Ted to military school in Alaska.

“Be excellent to each other… Party on Dude.”

With the threat of military school looming Bill and Ted set about revising in their own inimitable way outside the Circle K.

Excuse me. When did the Mongols rule China? I don’t know. I just work here.

But out of the night sky… Something parts the clouds and boom a phone booth lands outside the Circle K and out steps Rufus who tries to explain that he is there to help out with their report. He struggles until another phone booth appears next to his and out steps Bill and Ted who convince them that they are in for the ride of their lives and endorse Rufus. “Excellent”.

Rufus offers to show the duo what his phone booth can do. He takes them to Austria 1805 where Napoleon (Terry Camilleri, Superman III) is wageing war and takes a dislike to our time travelling chums and orders their deaths, but he is caught up in a blast just as the phone booth heads back to 1988, and he is dragged along for the ride through time. Which after Rufus departs gives Bill an idea how to pass their test. Along the way they will encounter some of the greatest, most notorious, conquering and martyred men and women, like Billy the Kid (Dan Shor, TRON),  Socrates (Tony Steedman, Citizen Smith (TV Series)), Joan of Arc (Jane Wiedlin, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) and many more.

We are in serious trouble. My dad already signed me up, my plane leaves tomorrow night.

Only if we fail, dude.

No way!

A brilliant fun film and now on Blu-ray and 4K this is a great way to start your collection of Bill and Ted as the third instalment is expected last quarter of 2020. With more quotes than you can shake a thesaurus at. You’ll have an ‘Excellent’ time.

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure is available on Blu-ray and 4K UHD