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Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey More at IMDbPro »

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99 reviews in total

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58 out of 66 people found the following review useful:
Very underrated, and probably released in the wrong year, 17 January 2002

Author: Bats_Breath from Phoenix, AZ

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with their Ozzy Osbourne, Van Halen and Guns N' Roses music along with their '80s style seemed so out of place and very outdated in '91, and I think that's one BIG reason the film bombed at the box office.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.

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30 out of 34 people found the following review useful:
A Film That Puts The "Fun" Back In "Funny", 27 October 2000
Author: girlwonder530 from Boulder, Colorado, USA

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!!!

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29 out of 36 people found the following review useful:
Very underrated, 31 August 2000

Author: Matt Kennedy (XPrufrock) from Michigan

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.

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21 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
Talk About a Hidden Gem of a Movie!, 14 May 1999
Author: jeral from NY, US

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!

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25 out of 33 people found the following review useful:
It's silly., 16 August 2000

Author: Snorkle from California

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.

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17 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
A non-heinous sequel!!!, 8 October 2002

Author: LebowskiT1000 from Escondido, California, USA

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

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10 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
Sharper than warranted., 6 May 1999

Author: rkwong from IL, USA

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.

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12 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
You gotta love this one!, 19 June 2000

Author: Beerdrinking Dog (beerdrinking_dog@zonnet.nl) from The Netherlands

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!!!

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3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
We're There, Dude, 28 February 2004

Author: Angry_Arguer from Shermer, Illinois

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

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

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
A great entertainment, 19 January 1999
Author: Jeff (stone@oxy.edu) from Los Angeles

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

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!

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