Bill and Ted's excellent adventures are worth re-watching

Both Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and their Bogus Journey are well worth rewatching. I’m looking forward to the next installment.

On a recent road trip KISS’ God Gave Rock and Roll to You planted a seed in my head that I had to re-watch Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. I had heard the announcement of Bill and Ted 3, and really wanted to see if the Excellent Adventure that I remembered as raucously hilarious truly was. I wasn’t as excited about Bogus Journey.

These movies are masterpieces. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure is far, far better than I remembered. Packed with hilarious lines, the movie perfectly captures the late 80s ethos. The soundtrack is wonderful, the jokes are still just as ridiculous. Alex Winter’s Bill S. Preston ESQ. and Keanu Reeves’ Ted “Theodore” Logan are still just as lovable, and their overwhelming stupidity is punctuated by brief moments of spiritual brilliance at just the right times.

I’d likely be breaking some rule of time travel if I didn’t mention that George Carlin’s Rufus was incredible. If someone ever comes to visit me from the future, I really hope it is Rufus.

Need I mention the Royal Ugly Dudes?

When I was younger my favorite part of the movie was watching Bill and Ted collect the various historical figures via time travel. Now I find watching the hilarious caricatures run roughshod through an 1989 mall to be one of the best things ever. Beethoven rocks out on electric keyboards, Joan of Arc takes over an aerobics class, and Genghis Khan beats the shit out of some mannequins.

San Dimas High School Football does indeed rule.

Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey surprised me. I had stored it away as awful. I was so wrong, this picture is wonderful. William Sadler’s Grim Reaper is the most fun I’ve ever seen death, but the closing of the movie is really my favorite part. That’s when they play God Gave Rock and Roll to You, which for years I thought was by Bill and Ted! Sorry, KISS.

I eagerly await the third film.