The explosion of DVD releases in the past few years has led to the creation of super-sized, special edition double disc sets that include documentaries, interviews, deleted scenes and countless other extras to satisfy the cinema-geek.
- Paul Wong
- Courtesy of MGM
The release of these mega-discs is almost expected when there is a re-release of an older movie, but with the release of “Bill and Ted”s Excellent Adventure,” they”ve put the screws to us again. While “Bill and Ted” is still a classic comedy, the bare-bones DVD is less than the film and we deserve.
“Bill and Ted”s Excellent Adventure” is the story of two high school kids in San Dimas, California, Bill S. Preston, Esquire (Alex Winter) and Ted “Theodore” Logan (Keanu Reeves), who glide through life, doing little and thinking less. Their one passion is their band “Wils Stallions.” When they are told that they are in danger of failing history “most heinously” if they don”t ace their final oral presentation, they begin to despair. Just when they are at their lowest, a man named Rufus (George Carlin) from the 26th century comes to bail them out.
It turns out that Bill and Ted become musical gods and eventually save the world, but if they fail history and Ted is sent to military school in Alaska, the future will be in danger.
Rufus gives them a telephone booth that is capable of travelling through time so they can collect the data they need or their final project. Bill and Ted decide that the only thing better than talking to historical figures is bringing them back to San Dimas.
Despite the asinine plot, this is one of the great goofball comedies of the “80s, mostly thanks to Keanu Reeves, who gives his second best performance (it can”t compare to Todd in “Parenthood”). Bill and Ted are both clueless, but, but they have that same likable charm that all idiot duos have.
This movie spawned an entire language of catch-phrases, ranging from the relatively simple “bogus” to the intricate and subtle “dick-weed.”
Unfortunately, this DVD contains nothing but the movie and the trailer, and although it is in widescreen format, this is little comfort. One might say that it is not fair to expect a mega-disc from every movie, but it is hardly worth the extra cost to get this on DVD, for it is also not the kind of movie where immaculate picture quality is important. Most people would be better off buying a used VHS copy from Record Exchange for $2.50.