BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC (2020)
Label: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Region Code: A
Rating: PG-13
Duration: 92 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.39:1)
Director: Dean Parisot
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Kristen Schaal, Samara Weaving, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Anthony Carrigan, Erinn Hayes, Jayma Mays, Holland Taylor, Kid Cudi, William Sadler, Jillian Bell, Hal Landon Jr., Amy Storch
The time-travelling slackers Bill S. Preston, Esq. (Alex Winter, The Lost Boys) and Ted "Theodore" Logan (Keanu Reeves, River's Edge) return in Bill and Ted Face the Music (2020), which was directed by Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest) and written by original franchise writers Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon. This totally non-bogus journey catches up with The Wyld Stallyns dudes thirty-years after Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991), the guys are now married to their bodacious medieval babes Joanna (Jayma Mays, Paul Blart: Mall Cop) and Elizabeth (Erinn Hayes, The Watch) and they have a pair of teen daughters, the music loving Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine, TV's Atypical) and Thea (Samara Weaving, Netflix's The Babysitter), teens who prove that the progeny do not fall far from the time-travelling phone booth.
Thirty years on their guys band The Wyld Stallyns have failed to write the pre-ordained song that would miraculously set the world right and bring harmony to the universe, and it has begin to weigh heavily upon them, especially Ted. Even worse they are visited by the daughter of the late Rufus (the late George Carlin, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure), Kelly (Kristen Schaal, TV's Last Man on Earth), who informs them that not only does failure to perform said song within the next few hours not bring harmony to the word, but the very fabric of time and space will be undone!
What are the dudes to do? Well, of course they hop into the time-traveling phone booth and knock about time attempting to steal the prophesied song from their future selves who they hope have already written it. Meanwhile their daughters embark on a time-travelling adventure of their own in an effort to recruit the most excellent musicians from throughout time to help their rocker fathers perform the song when they triumphantly return. It's all very silly and fun stuff totally in-line with what came before, and it certainly doesn't hurt having so many of the original cast back for this time-travelling nostalgia trip, as well as the original writing duo who keep everything within the comedy margins of the original films with a lot more heart, which makes sense as the guys are now dads, it's a Hell of a nice capper to the new trilogy.
It was great to see William Sadler (Demon Knight) back as Death, as it was Hal Landon Jr. (Eraserhead) as Ted's father, and Amy Storch (Summer School) as Ted's sister-in-law, and former mother-in-law! Plus we get funny lady Kristen Schaal as Rufus's daughter, and we even get a brief hologram appearance from Rufus. Another new additiona is Holland Taylor (To Die For) as Rufus widow The Great Leader, plus a typically strange turn from Saturday Night Live's Beck Bennett (Greener Grass) as Ted's younger brother who is now married to his step-mom!
I had a ton of fun with this third entry in the time-travelling comedy franchise, it's got the the right sense humor and quirk to it, and it's got a bit more heart too since both Bill & Ted are married middle-aged dudes with teen kids. Director Dean Parisot was the right choice to helm this flick, he nails the vibe I was looking for. Winter and Reeves brought the way-back-machine magic with this one, I like to imagine them hanging out for weeks before production started in character the whole time while perfecting their timing and schtick, at least I hope that's how it transpired.
I also loved Brigette Lundy-Paine and Samara Weaving as the totally awesome teen daughters, and I would absolutely get on board for a sequel with them starring, make it happen. As a thirty-years-in-the-making sequel I thought they knocked it out of the park, I loved the middle-aged slacker humor, and as I have grown thirty years older since I saw the first two films the father-daughter bonding stuff hit me just right.
Audio/Video: Bill & Ted Face The Music (2020) arrives on 1080p HD Blu-ray framed on This is a solid image with vibrant primary colors and plenty of pleasing color-pop and highlights, and it looks great. Black levels are also strong, and the image has plenty of depth and detail. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with optional English subtitles. A potent surround mix that spreads atmospherics and score to the surrounds, though it is mostly a dialogue driven film. The soundtrack is pretty decent with selections from
Weezer, Mastodon and Lamb of God among others, plus a solid score from Mark Isham (The Hitchhiker).
Extras include a 43-minute virtual panel hosted by fanboy Kevin Smith with the cast and crew including the director, writers, plus the principle cast of the film. It's an entertaining watch that gets into the original films, the long gestation of this third film and the experiences making the film. Additionally there are four very brief featurettes that run about a minute each. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a one-sided sleeve of artwork, plus a slipcover featuring the same artwork. Inside there is a digital redemption code for an HD digital copy of the film, which includes all the extras available on the Blu-ray.
Special Features:
- The Official Bill & Ted Face The Music Panel at Comic-Con@Home (43 min) HD
- Be Excellent to Each Other (1 min) HD
- A Most Triumphant Duo (1 min) HD
- Death’s Crib (1 min) HD
- Social Piece (Excellence) (1 min) HD
- The Official Bill & Ted Face The Music Panel at Comic-Con@Home (43 min) HD
- Be Excellent to Each Other (1 min) HD
- A Most Triumphant Duo (1 min) HD
- Death’s Crib (1 min) HD
- Social Piece (Excellence) (1 min) HD
