Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

An entertaining science-fiction comedy classic arrives on 4K UHD with collectible steelbook packaging.

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure is one of the greatest science-fiction comedy adventures ever made: a gem that never ages. Executive produced by Ted Field (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Jumanji: The Next Level) and Robert W. Cort (Jumanji, Arachnophobia), the fun and charming adventure is a classic which is destined for the history books. Starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter.

Bill S. Preston (Alex Winter) and Ted 'Theodore' Logan (Keanu Reeves) are two bumbling and aloof teenagers with a passion for making rock music. When a man from the future named Rufus (George Carlin) appears to them with a time machine, Bill and Ted set off on a strange adventure throughout time as they recruit a wide cast of famous historical figures for an epic school assignment (one which could help to save the world): Napoleon (Terry Camilleri), Billy the Kid (Dan Shor), Socrates (Tony Steedman), Freud (Rod Loomis), Genghis Khan (Al Leong), Joan of Arc (Jane Wiedlin), Abraham Lincoln (Robert V. Barron), and Beethoven (Clifford David). Bill and Ted also meet the beautiful Princesses Joanna (Diane Franklin) and Elizabeth (Kimberley Kates) along the way and their hearts ignite. Can Bill and Ted save the universe and also get their school assignment done at the same time?

The performances make the movie: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure is a testament to the strengths of both Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter as actors. The lovable duo of Bill and Ted are iconic (as one of the best on-screen pairings in cinema). Reeves and Winter show off their superb comedic acting chops in spades and both performers seem to have a blast with the fun-and-witty material. George Carlin is also iconic in his role as Rufus.

The production design by Roy Forge Smith (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Monty Python and the Holy Grail) has a lot of fun with the historical stages as Bill and Ted traverse through the pages of history. A solid effort by Smith that gives a lot of vibrancy to the production. The art direction by Gordon White (A History of Violence, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) is first-rate throughout and similarly provides the film with a memorable stylistic voice.

"Party on, dudes!"

The music by David Newman (Scooby-Doo, The War of the Roses) provides the filmmaking with a charming backdrop that fits the science-fiction comedy perfectly. Newman imbues the score with plenty of style and charm. Fans of 80s film scores will love the upbeat style of music used in the production.

The cinematography by Tim Suhrstedt (Idiocracy, Mystic Pizza) is another impressive element of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. The visual aesthetic provides the film with the perfect 80s atmosphere needed to tell the story. Suhrstedt imbues the production with great visual cues that mesh together the various time-travel elements together nicely.

The costumes by Jill M. Ohanneson (Arizona Dream, The Pledge) are a perfect fit: the outfits for Bill, Ted, and Rufus are perfect examples of a costume designer getting everything right (setting the tone and style for each character nicely). Ohanneson also provides the historical figures throughout the production with fun and creative costumes that help to highlight these important figures. A great production effort.

The screenplay by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon (who also co-wrote both Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey and Bill & Ted Face the Music) is a pure delight. The script is one of the most fun and entertaining stories in 80s film. The lovable characters are at the heart of the story and there are countless fun one-liners and classic moments to make Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure a classic.

Directed by Stephen Herek (Mr. Holland's Opus, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead), Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure is one of the best 80s films. The film has endless re-watchability and is always a fun and thrilling ride. The concept was brilliant and Herek brings those ideas to life with a vitality that never fails to impress. Working alongside editors Larry Bock (Critters, Rambo: First Blood Part II) and Patrick Rand (Mom, The Unborn), Herek finds the perfect balance of adventure, science-fiction, and comedy.

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on 4K UHD in HEVC 2160p, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure is presented in the theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. The native 4K scan is breathtaking and a vast improvement over previous releases. The high bit-rate encode clocks in at a whopping 79.79 mbps. The encode is a outstanding one: never struggling to preserve fine detail in the cinematography. The picture-quality remains consistently crisp and clear throughout the entire film. Color reproduction looks true to the style of the film. Fine grain can still be seen on the print. As a native scan, the 4K UHD is a massive upgrade that fans will be enormously pleased with – and will treasure returning to time and time again.

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo. The lossless, high-resolution audio track is exceptionally clear throughout. Dialogue sounds crisp and clean and detail is well preserved. There were no issues with egregious hiss, crackle, and other audio-related detriments. A outstanding audio presentation.

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The collectors edition of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure comes in steelbook packaging. The release has a beautiful design with the lovable duo of Bill and Ted presented on the front art-work (alongside the "Wyld Stallyns" band logo) while the back art-work features the memorable phrase: "be excellent to each other" with a vibrant color-scheme highlighting the art. The design satisfies while the print-quality of the steelbook is top-notch (with a high gloss style that has a nice shimmer as well). The steelbook colors "pop" on the release and the steelbook looks stunning in hand.

On disc extras are as follows:

Audio Commentary with star Alex Winter and producer Scott Kroopf

Audio Commentary with writers Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon

Time Flies When You're Having Fun! A Look Back at a Most "Excellent Adventure" (HD, 1:01:11)

Score! An Interview with Guitarist Steve Vai (SD, 12:44)

The Original Bill & Ted (SD, 20:13)

Air Guitar Tutorial with Bjorn Turoque (SD, 13:13)

From Scribble to Script (SD, 1:59)

Linguistic Stylings of Bill & Ted (SD, 3:42)

Hysterical Personages of Bill & Ted (SD, 15:26)

Episode from "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures" animated television series (SD, 23:04)

Radio Spots (SD, 2:40)

Stills and Artwork (1:06)

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure is an 80s classic. The science-fiction comedy gem wears its heart on its sleeve. The filmmaking is fun and fantastic from beginning to end. Stars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter form a dynamic duo that few on-screen buddy comedies have been able to replicate. The film is full of endless creativity. The 4K UHD offers fans a native 2160p encode that pleases from beginning to end. Fans of collectible steelbook packaging will love the creative design on the 4K UHD release. Highly recommended.