‘We have a destiny to fulfil…’
The runaway success of Stranger Things has seen a resurgence in interest of IPs from the 80s and 90s. The Karate Kid, The Mighty Ducks, Child’s Play, Beverley Hills Cop, Ghostbusters, Candyman and many others have either been rebooted or are in the process of being rebooted (with varying degrees of success it must be said). We are in danger of reaching saturation point. As a child of the ’80s, however, I don’t really care. Reboot all of it. Bring me some of that sweet, sweet nostalgia…
Despite what Rufus told them back in 1989, Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) still haven’t written the song that unites the world. Instead, we find them at the wedding of both Bill and Ted’s former stepmom Missy (Amy Stoch) and Ted’s younger brother Deacon (Beck Bennett) playing what can only be described as terrible music. The rest of the film follows their attempts to write that song, save their marriage to the princesses (now played by Erinn Hayes and Jayma Mays) and consolidate their relationship with their daughters Thea (Samara Weaving) and Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine). Elsewhere, Kristen Schaal plays it relatively straight as Rufus’ daughter Kelly and we see a welcome return to the franchise for William Sadler as Death.
If that feels like a long plot description for a 90 minute family film that’s because there is a lot going in here. This movie is a lot of things, but to be fair, it’s never boring. Both Preston and Reeves have a blast returning to these characters and Weaving and Lundy-Paine are a good fit as the next generation, but overall, this is a movie that doesn’t know who or what it is for. Kid Cudi’s cameo suggests that director Dean Parisot was aiming for a new generation of fans, but honestly, I can’t imagine anyone who isn’t a big fan of the original two movies finding much to enjoy here. The central pair simply don’t have the youthful exuberance to bring these characters to life anymore, and crucially, they aren’t given much a script to work with in terms of humour.
I enjoyed the experience of watching this movie, and the fact that they have persuaded so many of the original cast to return is joyous, but it never really justifies it’s existence. Honestly? Just watch the first two again. Let’s leave Bill & Ted in the past (or in the distant future) where they belong.