‘Beavis And Butt-Head Do The Universe’ Review: Childish, Ridiculous & Inspired Nonsense In Space

It’s been 26 years since “Beavis and Butt-Head Do America” landed in theaters at the peak of the animated idiots’ popularity. Of course, it was a box office hit. If you were around at the time, then you know what a big deal it was. A lot has changed since then, but, in some ways, very little has changed. “Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe,” the puerile pairing’s second full-length feature, premieres on Paramount+ ahead of a new series that will land on the streamer this fall. It’s not the first time they’ve enjoyed a revival, but this should be considered their official second coming, and if this is a taste of what we can expect, they could go all the way.

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It probably doesn’t need saying, but “Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe” is childish and ridiculous (yet inspired) nonsense, and that’s precisely why people will give it 100 minutes of their time. That’s not to say that every one of those minutes is used in the best way. There are missed comedic opportunities and moments where it feels unnecessarily padded, but it avoids overstaying its welcome.

Kicking off in 1998, “Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe” has a judge sending the pair to Space Camp, which was meant to be the grand prize in a Science Fair they ruined. Their fixation with a docking simulator catches the eye of NASA officials and the leader of a vitally important mission, who the duo is convinced wants to have sex with them. Obviously, Beavis and Butt-Head screw it up and end up being sucked into a black hole which teleports them to 2022. The pair, believed to be dead, subsequently find themselves hunted by the Deep State and the mission leader. She’s now a politician and terrified the inept buddies might derail her career and hero status. Beavis and Butt-Head remain convinced she wants to have sex with them. There’s also a subplot involving intelligent versions of Beavis and Butt-Head from another multiverse which works but, to be honest, is the weakest link in the comedy chain.

They’ve never been particularly well equipped for the real world but having jumped forward in time, Beavis and Butt-Head are entirely out of their depths when it comes to understanding the modern world, including iPhones and how to use them. It’s an udder of comedy juice that they stop short of milking completely dry but certainly come close. The biggest laughs in the time-traveling, cat-and-mouse buddy movie come from the stops they make along the way. Particular highlights include a trip to jail where Beavis takes a ridiculous amount of pills and becomes Cornholio and the pair finding themselves on a college campus where they unsurprisingly make wildly inappropriate comments.

There is a lot of solid comedic writing in “Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe” delivering some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments that prove writing inspired adolescent gags is an art – even Shakespeare did it! It’s not easy to write brilliant sexual humor and avoid it coming off as asinine and gross. The problem is that between those moments of inspired immaturity, there are some amusing moments and others that feel flat and half-realized. The situations and opportunities are there, but the jokes can either fail to land or aren’t there. Because the rest of it is strong, you notice the lulls in LOLs. “Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe” could easily have lost 15 minutes and not suffered for it.

Regarding the animation style, this Beavis and Butt-Head feels familiarly scrappy but also a little different, cleaner, richer, and contemporary because technology has moved on. The characters lose none of their, well, character. Titmouse provided animation services for ‘Do the Universe,’ taking over the helm from Rough Draft, who did the first film and the TV series. For those who don’t know, Titmouse was co-founded and is run by the legendary Chris Prynoski, who began his career working at MTV in New York on shows such as, you’ve guessed it, “Beavis and Butt-Head.” While it takes a moment to adjust to the slightly more polished 2022 look, it doesn’t take long to feel right.

There’s not much to be said about the cast other than they all do what they are there to do and do it well. The spotlight is unsurprisingly very much on the titular idiots, again voiced by creator Mike Judge. However, the ensemble cast is impressive and boasts Gary Cole, Tig Notaro, Stephen Root, and “Silicon Valley” alums Chris Diamantopoulos, Martin Starr, and Jimmy O. Yang, among others.

Fans of the original show and the first film will be glad to hear that everyone’s favorite fartknockers, and the team behind them, haven’t lost their edge or toned down their irreverence. Beavis and Butt-Head remain ungentlemanly virgins who talk shit to each other and have no filter or common sense.

“Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe” maintains and respects the legacy of the classic MTV show. It hits all the same beats, delivers what people will be looking for, and smoothly weaves in social and cultural references from the 90s and today without feeling ham-fisted or forced. It’s hard to say whether this feature will win them any new fans because, as enjoyable as it is, it’s not their finest hour (and 40 minutes). That said, “Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe” will undoubtedly entertain everyone enough for them to turn out for the two new seasons that have been greenlit. Think of this as a bonus. Uh-huh-huh. Bone us. [B-]

“Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe” hits Paramount+ on June 23.