Spoiler Warning: Please be aware that some of the information in this entry may be construed as spoilers.

"EXCELLENT!" [air guitar motion]

As with all popular movies, sequels are inevitable to milk franchises as far as they can go. The 'Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure' cult hit with air guitar in 1988 was no exception. 'Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey' was let loose in 1991 but the plot was entirely different to what seemed to make the first movie a success: two undergraduates bumbling through time in a phone booth.
Instead the writers, Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon decided to do the unthinkable... kill off starring characters: Bill S. Preston Esquire (Alex Winter) and Ted 'Theodore' Logan (Keanu Reeves)...

At least that was the opinion of Orion - the film's distributor - who didn't see the sense in killing the main protagonists. They suggested an alternative idea in which Bill and Ted enter famous works of literature to pass their English exam.

Disliking an idea that was clearly very similar to the first movie¹, the writers decided to get Winter and Reeves to back up the original screenplay which became the final film after seeing Orion's idea had no mileage so Orion relented.

However, along the way the title with the rather un-enigmatic name 'Bill and Ted Go to Hell' did change owing to the fact that American TV couldn't allow the advertising of anything with the word 'Hell' in it until after 9:00pm. A move that would splice the target audience by half. The original also had more Hell sequences before being cut, adding further reason for renaming the film.

The visual style of the sequel looks different. Not only was it a product of a different decade but a bigger budget of $20 million² created a better standard of quality than the non-union, independent film before it. This is best seen by comparing the two's scenes from the 27th century, the 1988 Excellent Adventure feature looks grainy and dull with its backdrops compared to Bogus Journey's colours which bear similarity to the (unaltered) future Hill Valley shown in Universal's Back to the Future, Part II. It also allowed the then big rock band KISS to provide the film's closing theme: God Gave Rock 'N' Roll To You II.

"What's Your Mission...?"

Last time we saw Bill and Ted, it was San Dimas, California, 1988 and they found out from time traveller Rufus that 'Wyld Stallyns' (B and T's Band) music was the basis for peace throughout the cosmos and by 2688 the universe is a utopia. Thus it was pivotal that Rufus helped the two pass their History Oral or the band would falter and collapse.
They passed and Rufus presented the pair with new guitars and saved the two princess from Medieval England who became part of the band...

"...To Destroy Bill and Ted!!"

2691, San Dimas, California. Three years on and the future might not be looking so great for Bill and Ted.
Chuck De Nomolos (Joss Ackland), presumed dead, isn't happy about his present being built upon the legacy of two fools and he wants to change all that.
In the future, our Rufus (George Carlin) is teaching the 'physics of Acoustical Reverberation' at the Bill and Ted University with special guest speakers thanks to the time travelling phone booth.

De Nomolos interrupts the session in an entrance not unlike Star Wars' Darth Vader and presents his secret weapons: Bill and Ted, robotic replicas.
It's the mission of these automatons to:

Totally kill Bill and Ted.

Take over their lives and totally destroy them.

Give the speech they were gonna give at the Battle of the Bands, only different.

This will change the future as it is the Battle of the Bands (15 September 1991) where B and T will speak to millions with the prize of $25,000, and two-year record deal.
The evil B and T step into the phone booth, punch in the number and hit the '#' and '*' keys to confirm and head to 1991...

1991, and Bill and Ted have reached the "second most crucial stage in their destiny lines"
They have moved into an apartment together and are about to propose to their girlfriends: the Medieval England princesses, Joanna and Elizabeth who are celebrating their 521st birthdays.
Life is good and they STILL can't play their guitars but then the doppelgangers arrive who lead our heroes (who are expecting "a most unprecedented expedition") to the top of a cliff in the desert³ and... push them off.

Now their evil selves are wrecking their lives and Bill and Ted can't do anything about it 'cause they're dead.
This all (within half an hour) sets up another most excellent movie where B and T have to challenge the Grim Reaper and travel from Hell to Heaven in order to get their lives back...

"I'll see you soon."

Six months of planning went into getting director Peter Hewitt's vision of a recognisable but non-stereotypical portrayal of Heaven and Hell for the movie.

Hell has the licking flames and burning rock but is more a sort of industrial prison. A very large Satan sits observing the happenings like a factory foreman and the seeming infinite rusted corridors containing everyone's personal hell. Alex Winter plays his character's grandmother in one scene as well!

Heaven on the other hand is white with a variety of lilacs and from the inside basically looks like an Ancient Greek holiday camp. Knowing the meaning of life being need to gain entrance. The staircase to heaven however is taken directly from Stairway to Heaven, that film's director Michael Powell and star David Niven are represented by the two statues at the stairway's base.

"They 'Melvined' Me"

The Characters:

(Evil) Bill S. Preston (Alex Winter):- The blonde one, now distinctive in his red cap and green checked jacket. Still refers to his step-mother as 'Missy' before correcting himself to 'Mom'

(Evil) Ted Logan (Keanu Reeves):- The black haired less-smart of the two. Now in a jacket that sports a smiley on the back. His father is still threatening him with military school.

Rufus (George Carlin):- The time-traveller who fails to follow the evil robots by getting lost in the circuits of time.

Chuck De Nomolos (Joss Ackland):- Dis-illusioned exile. Once Rufus' teacher. He plans to change the world in his image.

The Grim Reaper (William Sadler):- Rather famous Apocalypse Horseperson who goes to collect the souls of Bill and Ted...

Station:- A Martian who is the most intelligent person in the universe. His entire vocabulary consists of saying his name...

'Missy' (Amy Stock-Poynton):- Still dubbed as Bill's stepmother but with her... social skills with the men of the town, she divorced Bill's dad and married Ted's dad.

Elizabeth (Annette Azcuy):- The brunette princess from England... She is also the fiancée of Ted.

Joanna (Sarah Trigger):- The blonde princess from England... She is Bill's fiancée.

You can find the official Bill and Ted site at BillandTed.org