Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991)

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Overview

They Mature A Lot Beard-wise.

Bill and Ted Mature A Lot of the Course of the Film.

Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey is the hit 1991 sequel to the 1989 hit comedy-science fiction-buddy film Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. The plot revolves around a villain from the future disrupting Bill and Ted's development as rock gods by replacing them with evil robot versions. Bill and Ted find themselves dead, in an audience with God, friends with death and the smartest Martian scientist, and controlling good robot versions of themselves to save the day and their princesses.

The film received a mediocre critical response but was a box office success. Its soundtrack featured popular bands of the day.

Creation

Plot Summary

Most Excellent Phone Booth.

In the future, Chuck De Nomolos ( Joss Ackland) plans to change the past and influence his present day, Wild Stallyns-influenced world. To do so, he plans to break into the big boot, neon foam clothing wearing Big City University and ambush Rufus ( George Carlin) while he teaches a class. Rufus is teaching the physics of acoustical vibration with the help of some historical notables he has invited using his Time Travelling Phone Booth. The "most non-bogus guest speakers" include: Thomas Edison, Johann Sebastian Bach, Sir James Martin of Faith No More, and Miss Ria Paschelle the inventor of the statiophonicoxygeneticamplifiagraphiphonideliverberator.

Totally Heinous Terminators.

As planned, De Nomolos ambushes Rufus, monologues about his evil plan, and sends evil robot duplicates of the 20th Century visionaries Bill S. Preston, Esquire ( Alex Winter) and Ted "Theodore" Logan ( Keanu Reeves) back in time. De Nomolos hopes to shape his current state by replacing Bill and Ted with evil robot Bill and Ted in time for the Fourth Annual San Dimas Battle of the Bands. The Battle of the Bands is apparently the watershed moment that changed the world and rocketed Bill and Ted to global stardom. Rufus hooks a guitar-grappling hook on the roof of the Time Travelling Phone Booth as evil robot Bill and Ted leave to accomplish their mission. Rufus is pulled into the time vortex.

They Totally Don't Know How to Play.

In the late 20th Century, Bill and Ted audition with the Wild Stallyns for a spot in the Battle of the Bands. Their keyboard player and drummer rock hard. They are Elizabeth ( Annette Azcuy) and Joanna ( Sarah Trigger) -- totally bodacious babe-princesses from the 15th Century. However, Bill and Ted are terrible. Event Organizer Ms. Wardrobe ( Pam Grier) allows them the last spot on the bill at Midnight. She suggests they get better.

Like Marry Us and Stuff?

Bill, Ted, Elizabeth, and Joanna celebrate the princesses' 521st birthdays. At the party, the group meet Missy ( Amy Stock-Ponyton), Bill's stepmother, who has divorced Bill's father and married Ted's father ( Hal Landon, Jr.), a police captain. Ted's father suggests the two slackers go with Colonel Oats ( Chelcie Ross) to the Alaskan Military Academy. Bill and Ted shiver at the suggestion. Bill and Ted take the princesses' aside and propose to them on the patio. Even though they have no money or future and give a rambling poem as a proposal, the princesses accept.

Get on wit It, You Metal Buffoons.

Evil robot Bill and Ted arrive in San Dimas of the 20th Century. They attempt to crush a cat while landing in the Time Travel Phone Booth. They contact De Nomolos using Ted's eyes. He tells them to start their mission. The evil robots also check the top of the Phone Booth for Rufus. They report to De Nomolos that he is gone. De Nomolos says that Rufus is lost to time.

We Be Cool.

Bill, Ted, and the princesses head their separate ways after the party. Bill and Ted enter their apartment. They immediately receive a phone call from the princesses even though they just saw they drive away several seconds earlier. The "princesses" say they do not love Bill and Ted anymore and are going out to the middle of the desert. Bill and Ted are devastated. It turns out that the princesses were evil robot Bill and Ted. Their plan is in effect. They send the Time Travelling Time Booth back to De Nomolos and head to Bill and Ted's apartment.

Out of Context, This Act Looks Perverted.

The depressed Bill and Ted watch the Star Trek episode "Arena" (where Kirk fights the reptilian Gorn) and hear the doorbell ring. They answer and find themselves. Assuming that the evil robot Bill and Ted are them from the future, they welcome them into the apartment. Evil robot Bill and Ted says they are there to help and drive them out to the desert. Ted is suspicious all the while as "future" them are jerks. In the desert, the evil robots explain they will mess up their relationships with the princesses, kill them, and give De Nomolos' speech at the Battle of the Bands. At the same canyon where Kirk fought the Gorn, evil robot Bill and Ted kill good human Bill and Ted by throwing them off a cliff. Evil robot Bill and Ted spit on the corpses in the bottom of the canyon.

We're dead, dude. No way! Yes way.

Bill and Ted wake up dead and desaturated. They get their bearings and discover Death ( William Sadler) looking at them. They decide they need to become alive again so they can save the princesses from the evil robot them. They ask death how they can become not dead anymore. He says they need to defeat him in a competition. Bill and Ted instead tell him that his shoes are untied (he wears sandals) and give him a wedgie (which they call a "melvin"). Bill and Ted run back to San Dimas -- a distance of 50 miles.

Bill and Ted arrive at their apartment in time to see evil robot Bill and Ted attempt to sleep with the princesses. The princesses say no, and the evil robots insult them. The princesses give back their engagement rings and leave. The evil robots decide to trash the apartment. Dead Bill and Ted try to think of a plan to stop the robots.

Whoa! We're Totally Cops!

They head to the police department and posses Ted's father. Ted tries to explain the situation to the police during a briefing, poorly. The police are confused by Ted's mannerisms. Bill possesses a police sergeant but is equally unable to convince the apathetic police to do anything. They leave to find assistance elsewhere. The de-possessed police officers are confused, but they act like nothing happened.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Bill and Ted go to Missy's house where they find her holding a séance circle. The circle attempts to contact spirits. Bill and Ted appear in the circle and try to warn them about the evil robot Bill and Ted. Missy is frightened and uses a book called Riddance of Evil to send spirits back to Hell. Bill and Ted are pulled into a portal leading to Hell. They fall for a really long time. Giving up screaming, they start playing twenty questions. Bill asks, "Are you a mineral?" Ted answers yes. Bill guesses correctly that Ted is a tank. They resume screaming.

I Am Glad You Have Come to See It My Way.

In Hell, the pair find themselves on a floating rock in front of Satan. They are very disappointed that Metal Album Covers lied to them. They get Satan's attention who in turn retracts their floating rock. Bill and Ted climb deeper into Hell. They find a series of doors. Entering the doors, they find their own personal Hells. First, they encounter Colonel Oats who berates them and forces them to do infinity push-ups. Bill and Ted run. They enter other Hells where they are eleven years old. Bill must kiss the unkempt Grandma Preston (Alex Winter). Ted confronts a scary Easter Bunny. They escape their versions of Hell, but Satan forces them to "choose their eternity." Their personal demons assault them. Bill and Ted finally agree to play the Reaper in a game.

Right Foot Green.

Death arrives and takes them to a Void. He allows them to choose their game. They play board games. After winning the first board game of Battleship, Death is a sore loser. He demands continual rematches. Further board games include Clue, Electric Football, and Twister. Eventually, Death concedes defeat. He will help them. He takes them to Heaven.

What's up, God?

In Heaven, Bill and Ted are amazed. They realize they cannot get into Heaven as themselves. They need disguises. They mug three souls entering Heaven and steal their clothes. Death ends up dressed as a woman. They meet the gatekeeper ( Taj Mahal) who asks the meaning of life. They quote the Poison song "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." They are allowed an audience with God. They ask God for help in building good robot them to defeat the bad robot them, and God agrees. God instructs them to find the best scientists in the Universe. The scientist is named Station. As they leave, Death apologizes to his boss for Bill and Ted. He tells God that they wedgied/Melvined him.

Back on Earth, evil robot Bill and Ted have fun destroying things. De Nomolos calls and tells them to get on with the plan. The robots comply and put their heads back on their heads before leaving.

Station!

Bill and Ted find Station playing charades with famous dead people. Albert Einstein correctly guesses the movie: Smoky and the Bandit III. Station are two small Martians. Station agrees to help Bill and Ted, and Death takes them to Earth.

You Can Build Androids from Parts at Your Local Hardware Store.

Bill and Ted wake up in the desert and pull the worms from their ears. Station are also there. Death falls from a great height. They hop in a conveniently placed Wild Stallyns van and drive to San Dimas to build good robot them. They head for a hardware store to acquire needed materials. Death pushes Station in a shopping cart up and down the aisles as they grab items. Death tells a smoking man that he will see him again soon.

The Evil Robot Bill and Ted are Real Dicks.

Evil robot Bill and Ted crash their car and fly through the window of Missy's house. They knock out Missy and kidnap the princesses. They plan to kill them at the end of the Battle of the Bands. Good human Bill and Ted call from the hardware store because they suspect that the princesses have gone to talk to Missy. Evil robot them answer and inform the good human them of their murderous plan. The evil robots are also happy that they get to kill the good human them again. They contact De Nomolos and inform him that they are about to engage the final stage of the plan.

Air Guitar.

Bill, Ted, Station, and Death complete their shopping spree and load their goods into the Wild Stallyns van. The two Station combine into one big Station to more effectively build the good robot Bill and Ted. They hop in the van and speed towards the Battle of the Bands. Station builds the good robot Bill and Ted out of the hardware store bought goods. The robots come to life and stiltedly do air guitar.

At the Battle of the Bands, evil robot Bill and Ted prepare to take the stage after Primus finishes. The princesses dangle from the auditorium ceiling. Evil robot Bill and Ted make threatening gestures at them.

Oh, No!

Bill, Ted, Death, Station, and the good robot them arrive at the Battle of the Bands. Bill and Ted compliment Station on his accomplishment. Death is upset that they are not sharing the accolades with him. He says he made the wigs. Bill and Ted also compliment Station on his huge buttocks. Death claims that he works out a lot as well. Plus, reaping burns calories. Station hands Bill and Ted the robots' remote controls and separates back into two. The team rushes into the auditorium to save the day.

They Knocked Their Blocks Off.

The evil Wild Stallyns take the stage to perform but are interrupted by good Wild Stallyns. Good human Bill and Ted maneuver good robot Bill and Ted into position and punch the heads off of the evil robot Bill and Ted. Evil robot Bill and Ted compliment good human Bill and Ted on a job well done. They then explode. The two Station lower the princesses, and Bill and Ted reunite with them.

Completely, Factually Accurate.

Their reunion is cut short as De Nomolos arrives in the Time Travelling Phone Booth. He shoots the television cameras with a device and begins broadcasting to the entire world. He plans to reshape the minds of the world in his image. Bill and Ted concoct a plan. Somehow, they will defeat De Nomolos, travel back in time, and set up the items that they needed to defeat De Nomolos in the first place. They set up a sand bag that drops from the ceiling. A cage drops and traps De Nomolos. De Nomolos explains that the can also play the time travel game. He uses a key he says he has placed on himself from the future to open the cage. He then materializes a gun. When he pulls the trigger, a flag pops out reading "Wild Stallyns Rules." Bill and Ted state that only the winners can go back in time to set up the essential traps. Death gives De Nomolos a wedgie/Melvin. Ted's father arrests De Nomolos.

It Was George Carlin All Along.

The strange group celebrate their victory. Ms. Wardrobe arrives and removes her disguise. She is Rufus who apparently fell off the Time Travelling Phone Booth at just the right time to infiltrate the Battle of the Bands.

Be Excellent to Each Other.

The cameras turn to the good Wild Stallyns. The world still watches and waits for anything to happen. Bill and Ted notice they still do not know how to play. They travel back in time to learn how to rock. They bring the princesses. They reappear seconds later and say they spent the last sixteen months learning to play. They also have young baby boys named after their best friend. They introduce the Wild Stallyns. The princesses on keyboard and drums. Station on bongos and conga drums. The good robot Bill and Ted as backup dancers. Death on the bass. Death introduces himself with a brief rap. They play Kiss' "God Gave Rock and Roll to You II." The world rejoices.

A montage starts explaining how Wild Stallyns changed the world. As they gain popularity, the band increases crop growth, boosts the global economy, solves eternal conflict, solve global warming, defuse nuclear tension, and become spiritual leaders to the world. Eventually, they play Station's home planet Mars. They are masters not only of Earth but of the Cosmos.

Production

Soundtrack

Les Claypool of Primus

The soundtrack to the feature film featured a number of musical tracks from popular bands from the time period. Most notable Primus has a cameo in the film performing their song "Tommy the Cat."

The musical score, including guitar riffs, the Reaper Rap, and Bill and Ted's constant air guitar, comes from musician Steven Vai and composer David Newman

Interscope Records released both the Music from the Motion Picture and the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack in 1991.

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey: Music from the Motion Picture Track Listing

The Bogus Album.

1. "Shout It Out" - Slaughter
2. "Battle Stations" - Winger
3. "God Gave Rock and Roll to You II" - Kiss
4. "Drinking Again" - Neverland
5. "Dream of a New Day" - Richie Kotzen
6. "The Reaper" - Steven Vai
7. "The Perfect Crime" - Faith No More
8. "Go to Hell" - Megadeth
9. "Tommy the Cat" - Primus
10. "Junior's Gone Wild" - King's X
11. "Showdown" - Love on Ice
12. "The Reaper Rap" - Steven Vai

Marketing

Other Media Adaptations

The Boguus Comic.

The Bogus Novel.

The film had two adaptations that had several differences from the feature film version: a novelization and a one-shot Marvel Comic Book. The differences are based on the original screenplay rather than the film production and editing.

The comic and the novel have several scenes deleted from the movie. De Nomolos dies instead of being arrested and ends up in Hell with evil robot Bill and Ted. Bill and Ted confront representations of their demons in the desert and overcome them.

With the sucesses of the film and comic adaptations, Marvel produced a twelve comic series called Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures that followed the continuing journeys of the Wild Stallyns.

Reception

Critical reaction

Most critics in 1991 found the comedy of the film infantile and a poor example to America's youth. Other critics recognized it as satire. Audiences agreed with the latter critics as the film did well at the box office and has since become a cult classic. It is often used as a time capsule of the time period along with other slacker-stoner-rock comedies of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Hatred Towards Cats

A Cat Narrowly Escapes Death.

On two non-consecutive occasions, Evil Robots Bill and Ted attempt to kill cats for no particular reason. These acts of felinicide demonstrate how evil the evil robots are.