A sleek package to commemorate the 30th Anniversary for the Wyld Stallyns!
The timing of this release Shout! Factory couldn’t have been better even if they had a time traveling phone box. Just a few days ago, it was confirmed that Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves had put pen to paper on a deal to return as the musical saviors of the future in a third entry to the series, Bill & Ted Face the Music. We’re also celebrating the 30th anniversary of its original release, getting a shiny new Blu-ray housed in a most bodacious steel-book treatment
Synopsis:
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure finds our non-heinous heroes (Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves) in danger of flunking history — a most odious proposition! But when the righteous Rufus (George Carlin) arrives in a time-traveling phone booth, the dense dudes discover their destiny … and call on the past’s biggest names for help!
Bill & Ted are a pair of high school slackers, and together they form the aspiring rock band Wyld Stallyns. Their lack of success as musicians is only surprised by their scholastic endeavors. Both are on the verge of flunking out of high school if they fail to pass history. Doing so will separate the pair, with Ted’s father intending to ship him off to military school if it happens. Unbeknownst to them, the future of mankind depends on the pair creating music and a mantra that leads humanity into a golden age. The future, living in bliss, must step in to intervene and ensure they stay together, and so send an agent named Rufus (the always brilliant George Carlin) back through time to gift the pair with the loan of the very machine that took him to their era, so they can use it to ensure they graduate. Rather than write a dry report, they travel through time collecting historical figures such as Napoleon, Socrates, Abraham Lincoln, Genghis Khan, Sigmund Freud, Billy the Kid, Beethoven, and Joan of Arc, before returning them to 1989 San Dimas, California, and immersing them in the local ‘culture’, hoping that their efforts will eventually be enough to pass history, and save the future.
Bill & Ted have permeated popular culture in a way few might have guessed. Coming at the tail end of the ‘80s and capturing much of the bro vibe that came with it, it’s eminently quotable; you can still hear cries of “69, dude” today. It’s an entertaining romp through history that begins thanks to a mad man in a phone box, a nod that perhaps carried more resonance with this writer and his fellow Brits than most Americans. But there’s more here than a slacker/bro comedy; the richness of characters and culture is woven in thanks to the time travel aspect, allowing insight into the past, as well as a look at our own time, or at least the 1980s. As it stands now, Excellent Adventure is a time capsule, looking back at those Reagan years, of high school life and hanging out at malls. You can see the simple pleasures of Americana being discovered anew with Genghis Khan being offered a Twinkie or Napoleon discovering his affinity for water slides. The low budget, clunky nature of the production comes through often, but there is still so much entertainment value here it’s easy to forgive how dated some aspects of the film are.
While credit for concept, dialogue, and the banterish humor goes to writers Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon, along with director Stephen Herek, much of the cult status of the film is owed to the two leads, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. Stoner/slacker types, they’re imbued with a genuine likability, a harmless sweetness that makes them so endearing. Reeves brings a gangly innocence, while Winter is brimming with joy and affability. Much of the humor in the film plays off their ‘dumbness’ or the fish out of water aspects of their travels, but it’s never mean spirited. The bond between them is also sweetly done. They’re in this together, not just the assignment and travels through time, but in many of their actions and decisions throughout the film. They seem inseparable, like genuine brothers; pairing them with twins in the romantic subplot seems a necessary step to service their own relationship. Reeves and Winter built unlimited goodwill from their work here, a palpable affection between these two teens, then built on in Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, in my opinions a far weirder, bolder, and superior outing. One can only hope they rekindle that spark in Face the Music.
The Package
It’s been a few years since I’ve seen the film on anything other than cable or 35mm, but the image quality here is very nice indeed. Picture quality is good, colors are natural but pop, detail and contrast are on point. There’s no noticeable damage or issues with the transfer; there is grain present that looks a tad amplified by the cleanup, but it’s pretty negligible. The release actually comes with a healthy set of extras:
- Audio Commentary With Star Alex Winter And Producer Scott Kroopf: Winter brings his charm and knowledge as both an actor and filmmaker to this commentary, with extra insight about the production from Kroopf.
- Audio Commentary With Writers Chris Matheson And Ed Solomon: A second commentary I’ve yet to listen to, but considering the pair’s involvement with this film, and upcoming sequel Face the Music, it’s sure to be interesting listening.
- Time Flies When You Are Having Fun! — A Look Back At A Most “Excellent Adventure,” Featuring Interviews With Actors Alex Winter And Keanu Reeves, Producer Scott Kroopf, Composer David Newman, Supporting Cast Members, And More: A brand new doc/retrospective that pulls together all the big people involved in the film. Lots of little tidbits and some amusing insights and banter too.
- Theatrical Trailer
The package itself is very nicely done, featuring illustration by Antonio Stella and package design by Karrie Stouffer. You can see images below. One can only hope a similar effort is made for Bogus Journey.
The Bottom Line
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure remains a thoroughly entertaining watch. Much of this is down to these lovable slackers depicted by Winter and Reeves that have informed a generation and permeated pop culture. Shout! Factory put out a very nice packet here, one that doesn’t skimp on the extras, and does justice to a film with a core message of “be excellent to one another,” which feels even more important even 30 years later.
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure 30th Anniversary Edition is available via Shout! Factory from May 15th, 2018 and is limited to 10,000 copies.