37 Years Ago Today, This Great Sci-Fi Movie Started 1 of the Best Time Travel Franchises Ever

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Time travel is a hugely popular idea in science fiction, appearing in many major franchises. Films like Back to the Future, The Terminator, and X-Men, as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, have all explored the possibilities and consequences of traveling through time. But one excellent time travel series doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, and today marks its 37th anniversary.

Time travel is a complex idea that people usually approach with a lot of thought. Many movies about it focus on explaining how it works and making sure everything stays consistent. But sometimes, it’s more enjoyable to just have fun with the idea, and this series is a perfect example of that approach.

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure Hit Theaters On February 17, 1989

The classic movie Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure celebrated its 37th anniversary on February 17th, 2024, having first come out in 1989. Directed by Stephen Herek, the film follows Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, who play two talented but struggling students on the verge of failing history. Fortunately, they get help from the future! They learn their band is key to a perfect future society, so they travel back in time using a high-tech phone booth to meet important historical figures and pass their class.

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure isn’t focused on making time travel logical. It uses time travel as a playful way to create humorous encounters between Bill and Ted and historical figures like Napoleon, Genghis Khan, and Sigmund Freud. The movie treats the details of time travel as unimportant, even going so far as to largely ignore it in the sequel.

The original Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure film from 1989 was followed by Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey in 1991. In that movie, Bill and Ted are killed by robots from the future and have to play a series of games against the Grim Reaper to get out of the afterlife. More recently, in 2020, they returned in Bill & Ted Face the Music, where they travel through time to steal the perfect song from their future selves.

Even though Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is a silly comedy, it actually teaches you a bit about history. The movie does a good job with the costumes and accurately portrays historical figures, but it’s mostly about how those figures would react to things like modern music and food. Plus, the film perfectly captures the vibe of the 1980s, making it feel like a trip back in time for viewers today.

While some aspects of Bill & Ted might seem a little dated now, the movies and their sequels are still really fun. That makes it a great time to revisit Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

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2026-02-17 18:11