Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey (Exclusive Series) (HBO Max)

Initial release date: July 19, 1991

Studios: Orion Pictures/ Interscope Communications

Tagline: Once … they made history. Now … they are history.

Plot: Amiable slackers Bill and Ted are once again roped into a fantastical adventure when De Nomolos, a villain from the future, sends evil robot duplicates of the two lads to terminate and replace them. The robot doubles actually succeed in killing Bill and Ted, but the two are determined to escape the afterlife, challenging the Grim Reaper to a series of games in order to return to the land of the living.

Cast

Keanu Reeves - Ted

Alex Winter - Bill/ Granny Preston

William Sadler - Grim Reaper

Joss Ackland - De Nomolos

Pam Grier - Ms. Wardoe

George Carlin - Rufus

Amy Stoch - Missy

Jim Cartin - Sir James Martin

Hal Landon Jr. - Captain Logan

Annette Azcuy - Elizabeth

Sarah Trigger - Joanna

Chelcie Ross - Colonel Oates

Writer(s): Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon (Bill and Ted movies)

Director: Peter Hewitt (Zoom; Garfield)

Rated PG (93 minutes)

‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure’ is one of those movies that can be really, really silly at times, yet will keep you entertained and laughing right to the very end. The first sequel, ‘Bogus Journey,’ however,’ does have some hilarious moments. But, it’s just not as entertaining as the first movie is.

The parts where Bill and Ted are with Death and the whole game sequence is really hilarious and is one of the best parts of the movie. In fact, the character of Death (or the Reaper) steals the show and is one of the best new characters introduced in this sequel.

The rest of the movie is just okay. It could have been better. But the third movie (Face the Music) makes up for this so-so sequel.

*** QUICK SIDE NOTE: ‘Bill and Ted Face the Music’ is one of those belated sequels that is really worth the wait and is extremely funny.

‘Excellent Adventure’ and Bogus Journey’ are available on HBO Max, while ‘Face the Music’ can be streamed on Hulu.

Here are a few interesting tidbits for ‘Bogus Journey’:

• The evil character from the future is called “De Nomolos,” which is writer/producer Ed Solomon’s name spelled backwards.

• Orion Pictures, the movie’s distributor, was on the verge of bankruptcy months before the release of the sequel and was in the process of selling off the rights to several movies in an attempt to remain stable. Columbia looked into acquiring the movie. Orion kept it due to the faith they had in it.

• The mall with the Building Emporium was the same mall Doc Brown shows Marty time travel in ‘Back to the Future.’

• Stephen Herek declined to return as director because he thought it was “almost a parody of a movie that was already a parody.”

https://youtu.be/t5gBhtvmGYU