It’s official! Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are back and reprising their roles as The Wyld Stalynz, Bill S. Preston Esq. and Ted "Theodore" Logan a.k.a. Bill and Ted, respectfully. This made my day! As a huge fan of the original film, and also a fan of the second AND the animated series, I’m fully onboard for this sequel!
It’s been a long time coming and I’m so glad that not only are the original cast members excited but, that Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon, the original writers, are also back in the phone booth again. They’ve been working a long time to develop the perfect script for the return of everyone’s favorite “Bodacious” time travelers and it seems the powers that be agree and have green lit this third sequel FINALLY! Dean Parisot, the director of the amazing film “Galaxy Quest,” will direct the third installment of the series.
Unfortunately, George Carlin has passed before this EXCELLENT news but, I’m sure they will find a decent replacement (and I hate using that word because HOW can you replace the God Carlin?). An INSPIRED choice in casting, the filmmakers originally talked about hiring someone like Sean Connery but, when Carlin’s name came up, it was too obvious of a road not to tread down. He said yes almost immediately and are we lucky he did. His performance in both the original and its sequel is fantastic. I wish we could have seen more of Carlin as Rufus but, alas, he passed away in 2008. At least we have the first two films and his incredible voice over work in the animated series.
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It was a little film that could. Shot in 1987, the movie was shelved when the original production company filed for bankruptcy. In 1988, the assets for the production company were bought out. The film almost went either straight to cable or home video but, at the last second, the movie found theatrical distribution and became a hit. It was a little movie with a lot of heart and inspiration. It had a message that was universal and spoken through the “every man” archetype of character (or at least a couple of good hearted dorks who just had a dream to play awesome music and make people happy), That message was simple… be good to one another. Even in some of the dialogue from Rufus in the opening of the film has a great message of hope for the world.
Rufus: You see, eventually your music will help put an end to war and poverty. It will align the planets and bring them into universal harmony, allowing meaningful contact with all forms of life, from extraterrestrial beings to common household pets. And... it's excellent for dancing.
The movie is fun, plain and simple. It doesn’t have a mean bone in its body. It’s silly. It’s exciting. It’s original. I still get all fired up at the end of their history presentation, it’s a moving experience. It still holds up as a terrific movie to this day. We need more movies with this hopeful tone. I hope this third installment delivers.
Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey was also a lot of fun… Not as fun as the original, it went to a dark place for a movie where the original was so upbeat and has such heart. Hard to catch lightning in a bottle twice but, it’s still very enjoyable and still holds on to that message of hope. I just don’t find it as powerful as it was in the original. Keanu and Alex do an excellent job playing their significant characters and their evil robot twins and the FX work is flawless. There’s a lot of greatness there.
And you GOT to love a movie that does a spoof on Bergman’s “The Seventh Seal,” a beautiful and haunting film itself, the writers, production team and cast ALL got this perfectly. I must tip my proverbial hat to them… it was quality, smart and edgy comedy. Plus we get to learn that Death plays the bass VERY well.
AND THIS JUST IN… Actor, William Sadler WILL REPRISE HIS ROLE AS DEATH in the third film. I am SO in!
It’s so amazing when a film as good hearted, uplifting and fun that almost didn’t see the light of day can not only be a huge success and spawn sequels and TV series but, also can stand the test of time. Ironically, the time travelers have stood the test of time so well, we get blessed with one more movie for both fans, old and new. I can’t wait to see what these guys have in store. It has the makings of a good throwback/fresh take on the original material, much like the Karate Kid show Cobra Kai airing on Youtube Red now (but I’ll be talking about THAT next article).
So, in conclusion, I just want to say, in anticipation for the new film… “Be excellent to each other and PARTY ON, DUDES!”
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