Product Description

Disc 1: BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE Disc 2: BILL & TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY Disc 3: BONUS DISC

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20787 in DVD
• Brand: REEVES,KEANU
• Released on: 2005-07-12
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English, French, German, Italian, Russian
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dimensions: .85 pounds
• Running time: 184 minutes

Amazon.com
Like, radical, dude--but not nearly as funny as it should be, even though it was a box-office hit. Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are a pair of dim Valley boys, whose life is made heinous by a school history project. Enter George Carlin as a futuristic dude with a time-traveling phone booth. So Bill and Ted go back in time to round up a gang of historical figures (Socrates, Joan of Arc) to bring back for their presentation. Abe Lincoln at the mall? That's about as witty as it gets, rendering this the kind of comedy that gives teenaged audiences a bad name. --Marshall Fine

It is the future. Society has at last solved all its major problems, thanks to amiable lunkheads Bill and Ted and the inspiring music of their band, Wyld Stallyns. Only one man is dissatisfied with the way things have turned out, the evil De Nomolos. In an effort to change the future, De Nomolos sends evil Bill and Ted robots back in time to prevent the real Bill and Ted from winning a pivotal Battle of the Bands. What follows is a spirited journey through the afterlife as Bill and Ted try to rescue their girlfriends, save the future, and, oh, yeah, learn how to play the guitar. Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey swings easily between childish and clever humor, and is good at both: a Bergman reference is quickly followed by an equally funny bit about Death's stinky feet. Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter seem happy to be reprising their roles and even manage to add funny spins on Evil Robot Bill and Ted. William Sadler very nearly steals the movie as Death, playing both his wounded dignity and budding desire to be funky to a T. As if that weren't enough, George Carlin returns as Rufus and Pam Grier does a cameo just for the hell of it. Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey is ample proof that not all sequels suck. Sometimes they're even better than the original. --Ali Davis

DVD Features
Some cineastes may be appalled that the cheerfully lowbrow Bill & Ted movies have been given an entire dvd of extra features, while award-winning movies are released every day without such extravagance--but dude, this bonus disc is most entertaining. The making-of documentary is standard stuff, but how many movies are accompanied by 10 Steps to Air Guitar, a tutorial from air guitar champions Bjorn Turoque and the Rockness Monster? Then there's a jovial and unpretentious interview with superstar guitarist Steve Vai (who provided Bill & Ted's chops in Bogus Journey) and the premiere episode of the cartoon version of Bill & Ted (which is--miraculously--funny). You can skip the patronizing "Hysterical Personages" and "Linguistic Stylings" features, and the "From Scribble to Script" gallery and radio spots are purely for hardcore fans.

The real delight here is a conversation between Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon, the screenwriters who created the dim duo and wrote both movies. Their offhand, playful banter describes the the characters' origins and reveals ideas that fell by the wayside (for example, there was originally a third dude named Bob) as the first screenplay followed its circuitous path to production. Matheson and Solomon have a clear affection for their creations and make it clear that Bill & Ted's sweet, open hearts are the key to the characters' success. --Bret Fetzer