Bill & Ted Face the Music (dvd)

 

Sometimes life surprises you.

Like with Bill & Ted Face the Music, the third and final installment of the Bill & Ted saga. Released more than 30 years after the first film, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Face the Music ties up the loose ends from the previous films and brings things full circle.

The film opens with the famous duo facing a crisis: They have yet to write the song that will unite humanity through space and time and, thus, save the world. Their once famous band, Wyld Stallyns, split after several albums failed to produce hits. And now the two are resigned to playing wedding gigs. For family. (the only ones who will have them)

But a visitor from the future arrives and tells them they have but hours to write that song. Otherwise, all of time will collapse and the universe will implode. Pretty much worst case scenario on all counts. So they do what anyone with access to a time machine would do: Travel into the future and steal the song from themselves. Meanwhile, their daughters, Billie and Thea, are on an (excellent), time-traveling adventure of their own to help their dads. Oh... and a murderous robot is stalking them. 

In the end, Bill and Ted DO get the magical song and Wyld Stallyns music DOES save life, the universe, and everything...but not how you'd expect. And everything is... Well, everything is excellent!

When I first heard this movie was really happening (and no longer just rumor), I definitely had my reservations about it. I'd witnessed too many long after the fact sequels ruin a good thing, and I really didn't want that to happen with Bill & Ted, a film I've loved since I first saw it in the theater. Plus, the plot synopsis (two washed-up, middle-aged rockers going on a quest to write the greatest song in the world) sounded a little tooo much like Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny. Been there, seen it. But when the chance to watch the movie at the Drive In arose, I couldn't say no. So I put aside any expectations, good or bad, and just went with it.  

I love it when I'm wrong about stuff like this!

Face The Music was probably one of the best new-release films I've seen in a while. It brought back all the fun and feel-good and familiarity of Excellent Adventure, wasn't overly lengthy, didn't expect too much from the audience, and was loaded with Easter Eggs from the first two films. Bottom line: It made me happy. Definitely one of the positive things to come out of the Year of Weirdness that is 2020.

Face the Music was released on DVD yesterday (Nov 10) and is available for checkout through OPL. And if you haven't seen the first two films, you can check those out too. In fact, I recommend you at least see Excellent Adventure. Otherwise this one won't be as meaningful.

Definitely recommended for a Most Excellent viewing experience!

--AJB