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Bill & Ted Face The Music is the long-awaited third film in the Bill & Ted series. Was it worth the wait? Read on to find out...


Bill & Ted Face The Music (2020) continues the time-traveling exploits of Bill S. Preston Esq. (Alex Winter) and Ted 'Theodore' Logan (Keanu Reeves). Yet to fulfill their rock and roll destiny, the now middle-aged best friends set out on a new adventure when a visitor from the future warns them that only their song can save life as we know it. Along the way, they will be helped by their daughters, Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine) and Thea (Samara Weaving), a new batch of historical figures, and a few music legends, to seek the song that will set their world right and bring harmony in the universe.


After 30 years, Bill and Ted are back to bring some positivity to the bleakness of 2020. Everyone who made the original two films a success are reunited here. Of course, Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves reprise their roles as the respective title characters. Writers Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson return to pen the film, as they did for the original two, and continue their "stupid" and "ugly" cameos as a pair of demons. William Sadler is back as Death/Grim Reaper, as is George Carlin through the use of archive footage and a soundalike (Piotr Michael). Even the lesser characters of Captain Logan and Missy are back, and again they're played by Hal Landon Jr. and Amy Stoch, respectively. The princesses are still around, and in what is now a running gag with the series, are again played by two different actresses: Erinn Hayes as Elizabeth and Jayma Mays as Joanna.


The film introduces several new characters, most notably Bill and Ted's daughters, Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine) and Thea (Samara Weaving), but avoids the problem of Terminator: Dark Fate, which killed off the pre-existing male characters in order to make the new female characters into the new saviors. In fact, although the daughters are significant to the plot, the movie spends most of its time on Bill and Ted trying to "cheat" their way to fulfilling their destiny, just like how they tried to "cheat" on their history test in the original film. I can't believe how perfect Brigette and Samara are in the roles. They truly feel like Bill and Ted's kids.


Other notable new cast members include Kristen Schaal as Kelly, Rufus' daughter, who's named after George Carlin's real-life daughter Kelly, who also appears in the film as a Head Technician; Veteran character actor Holland Taylor as The Great Leader; and Anthony Carrigan (best known as Victor Zsasz in the television series Gotham) as the emotional robot Dennis Caleb McCoy. All of the new characters feel right at home in the Bill & Ted universe, and fit right in with everyone else. Also, be sure to watch all of the user-submitted videos playing during the end credits to spot a cameo from the legendary Weird Al Yankovic playing his accordion.


Bill & Ted Face The Music is a love-letter to fans of the original Bill & Ted films by the people who enjoyed making them. This isn't some cynical cash-in by the studio. It's the kind of feel-good movie we need right now. If anything, I wish it were longer. It leaves you feeling unfulfilled, like there isn't enough meat on the bones.


Bill & Ted Face The Music (2020) is presented in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:31:56. Audio languages include English, English Descriptive, Dutch, and Spanish. The film includes English SDH, Dutch, and Spanish subtitles.


Here's a list of all of the bonus features that can be found on the Blu-ray disc. Sadly, there's nothing new here. Everything was originally released online back in August 2020, aside from the "Social Piece (Excellence)" promotional featurette, which I can't find on the official Orion Pictures YouTube channel. All featurettes are of a promotional nature - complete with movie credits block at the end - and were not created for this home video release. Click on any of the item titles in the list below to watch the official upload of the video.

• The Official Bill & Ted Face The Music Panel at Comic-Con@Home (43:14) - Moderated by Kevin Smith, this tele-conferenced panel from July 25, 2020 features Keanu Reeves (Ted), Alex Winter (Bill), Samara Weaving (Thea), Brigette Lundy-Paine (Billie), William Sadler (Death), Dean Parisot (director), Chris Matheson (writer), and Ed Solomon (writer). This was ripped straight from YouTube, as evident by the 20-second "Like and Subscribe" screen at the end. (also on the official ComicCon YouTube channel)
• Be Excellent to Each Other (1:22) - Various cast members talk about the characters and their experience on the film.
• A Most Triumphant Duo (1:17) - Director Dean Parisot, co-writer Ed Solomon, and others briefly discuss the return of Bill & Ted.
• Social Piece (Excellence) (0:49) - A quick look at the franchise's positivity.
• Death's Crib (1:13) - The Grim Reaper shows off his underworld home.

It's such a shame that all of the bonus features are less than 2 minutes each. They could have included the Weezer music video embedded at the end of this review, some trailers, and even some longer featurettes. This is the first Bill and Ted movie in 30 years! There should have been something a little more substantial, especially since a big movie star came back to do the movie.

A digital copy code voucher is also included in the standard one-disc Blu-ray case. The first print run includes a slipsleeve.


The film doesn't take itself seriously, and neither should you. It's meant to be harmless fun, and as such, it's the perfect movie for the climate of 2020. If you've enjoyed the original two films, you'll enjoy Bill & Ted Face the Music, which is available on Blu-ray and DVD. The original two films, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, are available in a Blu-ray collection. The Bill & Ted Face the Music soundtrack album is only available as MP3 Download, as there is no physical disc release.




All images were taken from the IMDB gallery of the film. Videos were found on the official Orion Pictures YouTube channel. The item was provided by Warner Brothers for review on this site.