Honest look 20 years later at what was a most excellent movie.

Rating: 6/10 (26 January 2013)

Two Californian wannabe rock star teens, one played by Keanu Reeves of Matrix fame, are going to flunk their history class. Thankfully, a time traveller from the future, where those 2 same guys are revered as icons, comes back and gives them a time machine in the shape of a phone booth. Our heroes proceed to kidnap famous historical figures for their final expose. This is one of the quintessential 80s movies that was better in my memory than it is now, but still manages to be rather amusing. The main attraction for me this time around was their "most excellent" way of talking, full of slacker-surf lingo of the 80s. Our heroes seem dumb, but they have their hearts in the right place and are somewhat more clever than initially appears. This shows in the complicated words they sometimes use and in how they use the time machine to their advantage in the final part.
The "kidnapping" sequences of the famous historical figures weren't particularly good, nor were those famous people particularly well characterized, at least in the beginning. Most of the sequences with Napoleon were weak and overstayed their welcome. I would have done without him (especially the long waterslide sequence) and also with some lame sequences that really don't work. Not only that but the Napoleon actor obviously didn't really speak French. However, when the famous historical figures start interacting in the present, with the exception of Napoleon, the movie gets way more entertaining. It struck me how the second half was much more fun and inventive than the first, with the exception of Bill and Ted meeting themselves in the first part, that was a great idea. This reminds me that because it tells us outright from the start, you know that things are going to end well. I would have preferred less information so there would be at least some suspense (despite the fact it's a comedy). The special effects aged surprisingly well, even the time travelling parts. In the first half, I thought the movie was somewhat poor with a few snippets of enjoyment, and that perhaps time had altered my perception of it. Thankfully, the better second half, when the famous people get to the present, redeems it and makes it worth watching and not just for nostalgia's sake, although nostalgia does help.
Rating: 6 out of 10 (good)