Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Bill & Ted Face the Music 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 5, 2024

In 1989, there was “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” a modest teen comedy that wasn’t expected to do much business, only to become one of the biggest hits of the winter. It offered the ticket-buyers two lovable goons who needed time travel to help finish their history homework and save the world. A sequel arrived in 1991, and “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey” was a risk, dialing back the cuddliness for an edgier take on mortality and robotics, sending the characters on a darkly comedic adventure to Heaven and Hell. It was magnificent fun. There was a cartoon, merchandise, and even a cereal, but the Bill & Ted experience was pronounced dead in 1992 (after an unwatchable live-action series rightfully tanked), leaving fans to dream about another lap around the circuits of time. 28 years later, the boys are back with “Bill & Ted Face the Music,” and while they’re older and not necessarily wiser, the chemistry shared between stars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter remains delightful, and screenwriters Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon actually find a way to shake up this universe for one last round of musical unity.

The Wyld Stallyns tried their best to bring the world together with one hit song, but they couldn’t find the magic, and now, over 20 years later, Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) are facing a marital crisis with princesses Joanna (Jayma Mays) and Elizabeth (Erinn Hayes), who are considering leaving the best friends. Panicking, Ted admits he’s ready to give up music after years of frustration, but such drastic action is cut short by the arrival of Kelly (Kristen Schaal), Rufus’s daughter. Escorting the guys back to the future, Bill and Ted are chastised by The Great Leader (Holland Taylor), who reminds the musicians they have 77 minutes to produce the song that will unite the world, or “The Unraveling” will destroy Earth. Stealing their old phone booth, Bill and Ted try to meet their future selves to swipe the hit song they’ve already written. Back home, Bill and Ted’s kids, Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine) and Thea (Samara Weaving), hop into a time machine as well, speeding around the centuries to collect the ultimate backing band for the Wyld Stallyns.

While a most triumphant ending was created for “Bogus Journey,” it seems such glory was only temporary, finding Bill and Ted still struggling with their music career after a brief ride of fame in the 1990s. In fact, they’re introduced as wedding singers in “Face the Music,” tasked with performing for Ted’s little brother, Deacon (Beck Bennett), who’s getting hitched to…well, let’s just say Solomon and Matheson are attentive to a few running gags of the series, which also welcomes the return of Ted’s dad, Jonathan, with actor Hal Landon slipping right back into character as the overly critical parent. The years have not been kind to the band and Bill and Ted’s marriages, with the opening 20 minutes of “Face the Music” establishing the guys and their codependency issues, often looking past the princesses to deal with the wreckage of Wyld Stallyns. The future looks bleak for Bill and Ted, until the future actually comes calling, as Kelly is tasked with bringing the failures to meet The Great Leader, receiving their final chance to rock humanity.

The Unraveling is a great disruption of time, scrambling the years and locations as the end draws near. The screenplay uses the event as a ticking clock, giving Bill and Ted 77 minutes before everything is lost, but “Face the Music” breaks into two subplots, with the titular guitarists zipping to the future (in the old phone booth, which is now a museum artifact with a special hologram host) to find their “usses,” intending to steal a tune they can’t write. The other side of the film tracks Billie and Thea as they take Kelly’s time machine, putting together a supergroup that includes Jimi Hendrix (DazMann Still), Louis Armstrong (Jeremiah Craft), and cavewoman drummer Grom (Patty Anne Miller). It’s here where the old “Excellent Adventure” vibes are found, watching the teens excitedly collect overwhelmed but willing musicians.

As for Bill and Ted, going into the future has its difficulties, encountering unhelpful versions of themselves, including 2025 rockers with English accents living in a mansion, while 2030 Bill and Ted are jacked prison inmates. Confrontations with the “usses” are highly amusing, also giving Reeves and Winter a chance to wear extensive makeup and play around with vanity and age, connecting “Face the Music” to the delightful extremity of “Bogus Journey.” And if all that wasn’t enough, Solomon and Matheson introduce Dennis (an appealingly silly Anthony Carrigan), a neurotic robot assassin sent by The Great Leader to kill Bill and Ted, believing their deaths might stop The Unraveling. And if that wasn’t enough, Death (Willian Sadler) returns to duty, arriving with a sticky legal history involving his time with Wyld Stallyns and a deep desire to play bass again.

Bill & Ted Face the Music 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Screencaps are taken from the Blu-ray

Shout Factory brings "Bill & Ted Face the Music" to UHD, with the released listed as a "New 4K remaster of the digital intermediate, presented in Dolby Vision." It's meant to be an upgrade from a 2021 U.K. 4K release, and it generally looks to be an improvement. It's certainly a richer viewing experience, with colors showing more authority and nuance, working well with the time traveling/afterlife action, which explores a wide range of hues, including the cooler blues of the future and the orangey fires of Hell. Primaries are sharp, doing well with costuming and decorative additions. Skin tones are natural. Greenery is distinct, along with the crisp whites on Dennis. Blacks are deep, preserving moodier lighting. Highlights are tasteful. Detail is satisfactory, with a clear look at facial surfaces on many of the characters, and makeup additions are open for inspection. Costuming remains fibrous. Interiors preserve dimension, and exteriors retain depth.

Bill & Ted Face the Music 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix offers an immersive listening experience. Dialogue exchanges are sharp, with a fresh sense of dramatic engagement and comedic abilities. Music obviously plays a major part in the picture, scoring is defined throughout, with crisp instrumentation, including rock guitar additions. Soundtrack selections are equally distinct. Surrounds also do well with musical moods, offering a full sense of performance and changes in venues. Atmospherics are alive, including persistent crackling of fire in Hell. Group activity is also lively. Sound effects are commanding, with panning events periodic. Low-end does well with the slamming of time machines and percussion activity.

Bill & Ted Face the Music 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "The Official 'Bill & Ted Face the Music' Panel at Comic-Con@Home" (4314, HD) returns viewers to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, with host Kevin Smith helping to bring order to a video conference gathering of the "Face the Music" team. Interviewees include director Dean Parisot, co-writers Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson, and actors Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, William Sadler, Brigette Lundy-Paine, and Samara Weaving. The gang covers the genesis of the characters and the initial casting of Reeves and Winter. "Face the Music" stories are shared, with Lundy-Paine and Weaving both unfamiliar with the series before auditioning for their parts. It's a celebratory conversation made to sell the feature to the geek audience, but anecdotes are fun and the energy of the gathering is felt, despite obvious technical limitations.

• "Be Excellent to Each Other" (1:22, HD) is a brief look at the making of "Bill & Ted Face the Music," featuring interviews with actors Alex Winter, Keanu Reeves, Kristen Schaal, Erinn Hayes, Jayma Mays, Anthony Carrigan, William Sadler, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Samara Weaving, and Kid Cudi.

• "A Most Triumphant Duo" (1:17, HD) provides a quick overview of star power in the picture, featuring interviews with producer Scott Kroof and actors Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Samara Weaving, and Brigette Lundy-Paine.

• "Social Piece (Excellence)" (:49, HD) offers a brief overview of "Bill & Ted" spirit, featuring interviews with director Dean Parisot and actors Alex Winter, Keanu Reeves, Erinn Hayes, William Sadler, Samara Weaving, and Kid Cudi.

• "Death's Crib" (1:13, HD) is a parody of "MTV Cribs," with the Grim Reaper showing off his living space.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included on this release.

Bill & Ted Face the Music 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The new film isn't quite the runaway train of insanity it initially promises to be, with director Dean Parisot ("Galaxy Quest") not a guy skilled at creating relentless mischief, and he doesn't bring a cinematic quality to the effort, failing to match the look of the previous chapters. Some snap is missing, but the core experience of this saga belongs with Reeves and Winter, who look like they're having a blast reuniting with their old characters, enjoying Solomon and Matheson's impressive imagination for the series, with "Face the Music" organically reviving the time-travel premise, manufacturing a compelling third adventure for the San Dimas pals as they attempt to create utopia. The sequel has been a long time coming, and it faces impossible expectations for some, but with family breakthroughs, history hopping, and a few air guitar licks, "Bill & Ted Face the Music" delivers the goods with enthusiasm. Well, as much enthusiasm as two 55-year-old dudes can muster.