Bill and Ted Face The Music or Bill and Ted 3 is the third installment in the Bill and Ted franchise and comes almost 30 years after we last saw them. Now i’ve always had a soft spot for the Bill and Ted movies they were fun little Stoner-esq movies that didn’t take themselves too seriously and were extremely goofy and silly and that’s what i was expecting from the Threequel a fun and likeable movie that obviously isn’t going to win any awards but is exactly what fans of the franchise wanted.
So is Bill and Ted 3 good? Well the short answer is yes, actually it’s better than i thought it would be. It probably is more competently made compared to the first 2 movies but i think that’s because filmmaking has come along way in the last 30 years, however it doesn’t hold a candle to the original feature, Excellent adventure but is better than Bogus Journey (By the way i do not hate bogus journey like some people).
So to break it down let’s start with the plot so of course it picks up 30 years or so after Bogus Journey and Preston-Logan Aka the Wyld Stallions have been constantly trying to fulfil the prophecy of uniting the world with their music, but to no prevail. Then when they are called by the ancient ones to be told they must fulfil the prophecy in the next 70 or so minutes or Reality itself will implode. So the duo set out on another Bodacious adventure.
The plot is extremely stupid but it works charms with the crazy Bill and Ted Formula. The movie looks and feels like a High definition 4K film from the 90s and for this it works, yes it feels a little dated but i think it needed to be in this style, as the characters of Bill and Ted despite now being in their 50s they have not change their personalities, they are still the same old Bill and Ted. and if the movie had a sudden tone shift it would not have been as entertaining as i would have liked.
Speaking of Bill and Ted, These guys are awesome. It was so great and wholesome to see Keanu Reeve and Alex Winter together as these two characters again, they still got the charm and wit from the 89 and 91 movies that preceded it, and they were obviously really passionate about this movie and it can be seen from the performances and the effort these two went to to get this movie made. We have some other people reprising their roles from the previous movies William Sadler as Death for instance which was also a welcome sight, and even the original actors for Ted’s father and Bill’s stepmom; Missy make a return.
Though we have returning faces the new additions are also a delight to watch with a few exceptions. First of all the daughters of the duo aptly named Thea and Billie played by Samara Weaving and Bridgette Lundy-Paine respectively, despite doing an impression of their respective dads were also and stand out in the movie and maybe the best part about the whole film by a hair width behind their fathers. Kristen Schaal was okay, I didn’t really find her that funny or interesting, it maybe had something to do with the Rufus shaped whole in the movie due to the death of George Carlin in 2008, but I didn’t think she was a great addition and was just implemented to progress the plot and nothing else, unlike Rufus who served as a mentor of sorts to the duo. The worst part of the movie was Anthony Carrigan as the Evil robot, Dennis Caleb McCoy, he was the most annoying and unfunny character in the whole movie his running joke is constantly introducing himself and repeating his name over and over and over and i don’t know why. He was like the Jar Jar Binks to this movie and it fell flat big time.
The CGI can also be seen as pretty standard or pretty terrible at times, but for me that isn’t a negative take away it gives the movie a similar look to the original which you can then watch these movies and tell they are a continuation of this franchise without feeling too distant and different after 30 years of hiatus.
Overall I had a good time with Bill and Ted. Is it a masterpiece? No? Does it ruin and tarnish the legacy of the originals? Absolutely not, it’s just a fun and silly sequel that keeps fun of the originals but with a few bumps and missteps along the way.
Final Score.
Title: Good
“Despite having a few odd choices and uninteresting new characters, Bill and Ted Face The Music was pretty much what it needed to be. Something that didn’t take itself too seriously and was a joy to watch Keanu and Alex together on screen again. The Threequel in the Franchise sits somewhere between excellent and bogus and that’s good enough for me.”
Head Over Reels 