Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

While not nearly the "most excellent" adventure as its predecessor, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey nonetheless packs loads of fun and laughs into the now-iconic vintage phone booth. Franchise creators Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon return with a new story that pits our pair of lovable dimwitted heroes (Keanu Reeves and Alex Winters reprising their roles) in a literal life-and-death game against none other than Death himself (a very memorable William Sadler). Taking unabashed inspiration from Ingmar Bergman's immortal classic The Seventh Seal, some of the movie's more amusing moments are the gullible dolts battling the scythe-wielding Grim Reaper at Battleship and Twister and later, ironically, dressing the Dark Angel as Little Bo-Peep when asking for God's help. Personally, I also enjoyed the cameo appearances of Pam Grier, Faith No More's Jim Martin, Primus, evil Easter Bunny and Michael "Boogaloo Shrimp" Chambers and Bruno "Pop N Taco" Falcon of Breakin' fame.

However, the whole Chuck De Nomolos (a rather bland and squandered Joss Ackland) subplot is as much an ineffectual component to the story as he is contrived. Granted, the 27th-century sit-up champion turned wannabe fascist dictator introduces the plot's true antagonists: evil robot versions of our titular heroes. But outside of that, the character serves little purpose, setting events into motion at the beginning and reappearing only to bookend the story, wrapping up everything a bit too conveniently. In fact, the eye-rolling conclusion falls somewhat flat and feels undeservedly schmaltzy. But perhaps the biggest travesty in an otherwise decently entertaining follow-up is seeing George Carlin dressed in that hellacious and totally horrendous outfit with the oversized foam shoulder pads and the huge platform boots. The one image seared into memory is the nightmarish fashion of humanity's future. (Movie Rating: 3/5)

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
Shout! Factory brings Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey to 4K Ultra HD as a two-disc combo pack. A Region Free, triple-layered UHD100 disc and a Region A locked, BD50 disc comfortably sit on opposing panels inside a black, eco-elite vortex case. At startup, the disc goes to a static screen with the usual selection along the bottom and music playing in the background.

Our dopey, hebetudinous heroes battle Death in the Ultra HD arena with a most excellent upgrade over its Blu-ray competitor, thanks to a brand-new remaster of the original 35mm camera negatives. 

Although largely falling on the softer sides of things with visual effects that have not aged well, the HEVC H.265 encode nonetheless offers a welcomed step up, showing stronger, sharper definition throughout sprinkled with a few misses here and there. Still, we can better make out the background information, some of the smaller details in the costumes and the lifelike, revealing textures in the faces of the cast. The new scan also displays an improved contrast and brightness balance, boasting brighter, more dynamic whites and crisper, striking specular highlights with better resolution in the hottest spots. Inkier midnight blacks provide the 1.85:1 image with appreciable depth, an attractive cinematic appeal and better visibility within the darkest shadows. Most triumphant of all is a fuller, richly rendered color palette, parading about with flamboyant reds, energetic blues, buttery yellows, fiery oranges and a lively array of earth tones. Awash in a more refined thin layer of natural grain, the native 4K transfer is a most excellent upgrade. (Dolby Vision HDR Video Rating: 80/100)

The same pair of DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks have traveled from the past for this 4K release, and my thoughts have not changed much with the 5.1 remix, which is the default, frankly being inferior to the 2.0 stereo mix. Sound effects in the former seem to come in at a higher decibel level than the vocals, occasionally overpowering some of the dialogue. The mid-range isn't particularly extensive or has much of a high-end, unfortunately pushing the louder segments beyond their limits and sounding noticeably bright while the low-end largely feels exaggerated. Needless to say, the stereo offering is the clear winner and closer to the original sound design, exhibiting massively better clarity and distinction in the upper ranges. Overall, imaging feels broader and more engaging with great warmth and acoustical fidelity, and the background activity and music spread across the entire soundstage more efficiently and convincingly. The vocals are precise and very well-prioritized, never drowned out by the heavy rock songs while the bass provides a welcomed weightiness and presence. (Audio Rating: 78/100)

For this UHD edition, Shout! Factory has culled together the same collection of supplements featured in previous home video releases with the majority of them housed in the accompanying Blu-ray disc.

UHD Disc

• Audio Commentaries begins with star Alex Winter and producer Scott Kroopf while the second track features co-writing creators Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon
• Bill & Ted Go To Hell (HD, 52 min) is a recent and surprisingly exhaustive making-of doc littered with tons of BTS footage and cast & crew interviews reminiscing on the production
• Trailer (HD)

Blu-ray Disc

• Audio Commentaries
• Bill & Ted Go To Hell (HD, 52 min) 
• The Most Triumphant Making Of (SD, 31 min)
• Score! (SD, 13 min) with guitarist Steve Vai
• Air Guitar Tutorial (SD, 13 min) with Bjorn Turoque and The Rockness Monster
• Vintage EPK (SD, 7 min)
• The Linguistic Stylings Of Bill & Ted (SD, 4 min)
• Trailer (HD)

Our lovable doofuses save themselves from eternal damnation in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, a direct follow-up to the 1989 sci-fi comedy sleeper hit starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winters. Although not quite the excellent sequel fans would have hoped for, this second installment is nonetheless a righteous continuation in the future history of the Wyld Stallyns. Shout! Factory travels to the present time on 4K Ultra HD with a beautiful, film-like Dolby Vision HDR presentation and the same pair of most excellent DTS-HD MA audio mixes. Featuring the same collection of bonus features as previous home video releases, this UHD edition is a Recommended addition to a most triumphant 4K library.

All disc reviews at High-Def Digest are completed using the best consumer HD home theater products currently on the market. More about the gear used for this review.