MTV’s classic duo of crude, dumb, oblivious, head-banging, and fire-loving teens are back at it once again trying to finally score. This time, instead of just doing America, it’s the entire universe’s turn to be subject to Beavis and Butt-head’s commentary, and perhaps a touch of destruction and nachos.
For those who grew up with the duo in the late nineties, with its MTV reruns, or even during its brief reboot in 2011, it will be a much-welcomed return of the satirical comedy of Mike Judge. But also it may just be the dumb comedy that people may need after the past few years with the pandemic, either way,Beavis and Butt-Headare back, and it is as fun as ever seeing these two navigate through the world once again.
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Spoilers ahead
The duo got their first showing as just a short clip in 1992, in one of creatorMike Judge’s first attemptsat an animated short, with “Frog Baseball.” Shortly after, a full series was ordered by MTV featuring the two teens in their own TV show. The show would quickly grow popular and become a major pop-cultural icon — especially with Cornholio. It was so popular that aBeavis and Butt-Headmovie would come only four years later, withBeavis and Butt-Head Do America. The show would sadly end only a year after the release of the movie, ending the series at seven seasons. Over a decade later, the show would be briefly rebooted for an eighth season in 2011, but would yet again be canceled only one season into its reboot.
But finally, over two decades afterBeavis and Butt-Head Do America was released, it has received a sequel with Paramount Plus’Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe. But the duo isn’t just returning for the sequel. Yet another reboot of the show has been ordered, and is on the way to Paramount Plus. TBeavis and Butt-Head’s big return to the small screen will coincide with the release ofDo the Universe, andhopefully the duo us here to stay a little longerthan the last reboot.
The film follows the title characters as they continue with their regularly scheduled mischief in space camp at NASA. They miraculously impress NASA scientists with their rather-crude talents, to say the least. After further delinquency, Beavis and Butt-Head strand themselves and their co-astronauts in space, when lead astronaut Serena attempts to strand them there. They soon find themselves back on Earth after getting sucked into a black hole — but this time 24 years in the future. Thus let the mischief and commentary begin.
This movie wiselydoesn’t attempt to be anything that it isn’t. Writers Guy and Ian Maxtone-Graham, along with directors John Rice and Albert Calleros, keepBeavis and Butt-Headthe same dumb crude teens they have been for the past three decades. They aren’t going for any Oscars, and aren’t really trying to appeal to a new audience. They know what the characters and show were and are, and thankfully don’t deviate from that, and it still works for what it is.
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While the movie feels likeBeavis and Butt-Headoriginally did in the late nineties, Mike Judge and the team wisely find a way to bring the hormonal teens to the current day, especially in a world of iPhones. It makes it a lot funnier and relatable to see the two teens dealing with current world problems, rather than sticking to the older material. Not only does it make it more engaging, but it also brings a freshness to the characters with them navigating new technologies like using Apple Pay for gas station nachos and mixing up Siri for Serena.
What works best for the movie is that it seems that no matter how long it has been since audiences last sawBeavis and Butt-Head, the world is still ripe with idiocrasy for the duo to explore. As sad as that may seem outside the viewing experience, it is very much welcome during the viewing. As stated before, the duo learns about small TVs called iPhones, and quintessential Beavis and Butt-Head mayhem follow. But the movie doesn’t stop its commentary on the modern landscape with iPhones. Much likeBeavis and Butt-Head Do America, its sequel wittily brings up politics and real-world issues in a way onlyBeavis and Butt-Headcan. A lot of the content is new for the title characters, but the way it is tackled is for the most part identical to its predecessors.
For those who aren’t too fond of the crude teenagers, this movie might not hold as much appeal. It is moreBeavis and Butt-Headantics in a new world. But for those who have a fondness for the dimwitted teens, it is a refresher on thefranchise that many have probably missed. It’s fun, wild, and dumb — but at the same time charming.
