Long in the making sequels have been having a bit of a moment in Hollywood over the last handful of years. Properties long since thought dormant have come back to life, sometimes to great success. Now, Bill & Ted Face the Music hopes to be the latest IP to do so, with this newest effort nearly 30 years after Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (not to mention over three decades since the initial outing in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure). The franchise always leaned on creativity, but that’s in short supply here. This likely conclusion to the misadventures of the title character best friends is fan service and fan service alone, but everyone seems to know that the joke has more than worn thin. Hitting screens today, it’s a huge disappointment. The movie is the second sequel and third installment in the Bill & Ted series. Once upon a time, William “Bill” S. Preston Esq. and Theodore “Ted” Logan were San Dimas teenagers who ended up in a time-traveling adventure that also resulted in the knowledge that they’d save the universe through music. Now middled-aged and dads, Bill and Ted are still looking for that hit song, much to the consternation of their wives Elizabeth (Erinn Hayes) and Joanna (Jayma Mays). While the spouses are getting frustrated, Bill and Ted’s daughters Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine) and Thea (Samara Weaving) worship them. In fact, when Kelly (Kristen Schaal) arrives from the future for the boys, resulting in them being told they have to make that hit now. As they try and teal the song from future versions of themselves, Billie and Thea head to the past, trying to put together a legendary band to help their dads. It all comes together in an adventure that combines both old friends and new. Dean Parisot directs a screenplay by franchise stalwarts Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon., with cinematography from Shelly Johnson. Mark Isham composes the score. Supporting players include Jillian Bell, Beck Bennett, Hal Landon Jr., William Sadler, and more. Unfortunately, this is a film that I can’t be excellent towards. Bland, unnecessary, and tired, it just has no reason to exist. Keanu Reeves and Alex Winters do seem to be having a good time, but the feeling is far from mutual. While there’s a momentary jolt or at least a smile in seeing Reeves and Winters slip back into these old characters, they’re […]