Paramount / 2011 / 264 min. / NR

THE SERIES:
After being off the air for over a decade, Mike Judge resurrected two of MTV’s most popular animated characters last year bring Beavis and Butt-head back to television screens everywhere. The adventures of the high school dim-wits from Highland, Texas haven’t changed at all over the intervening years with the duo still trying (unsuccessfully) to pick up “chicks” and criticizing everything with their trademark smirks, stuttering laughter and potent “That sucks.” In addition to their biting commentary on the popular music scene this new series also adds movies and television shows into the mix, with the first episode taking a glorious stab at the insipid TWILIGHT franchise and several episodes featuring clips from “Jersey Shore.”

The original BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD series was criticized for having the characters do extremely dangerous stunts, frequently with having the characters end an episode with a dire outlook for their survival. If you are worried the show has soften in tone over the years, don’t. Going back to that premiere episode, the duo end up in a hospital ravaged by a plethora of life threatening diseases; they haven’t soften in the slightest.

This set includes all 12 episodes of the new season:
“Werewolves of Highland/Crying”
“Daughter’s Hand/Tech Support”
“Drones”
“Holy Cornholio”
“Supersize Me/Bathroom Break”
“The Rat/Spill”
“Doomsday/Dumb Design”
“Copy Machine/Holding”
“Used Car/Bounty Hunter”
“Time Machine/Massage”
“School Test/Snitches” and
“Whorehouse/Going Down”

If you are a fan of the metal rock obsessed slackers, then this is a reason to rejoice. Beavis and Butt-head are still the same biting, controversial and hysterical losers they always have been and now they are skewering a whole new generation of pop culture!

THE DISC:
The full frame 1.33 picture is surprisingly… blah. While color saturation looks to be okay, is has a weak, almost pastel tone to it. Line detail seems soft compared to other animated fare we’ve reviewed here lately. While none of this really distracts from the viewing experience, the picture certainly doesn’t pop like one would expect it to.

The Dolby Digital soundtrack is clear as a bell and completely serviceable. BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD is almost entirely dialogue driven against a near silent background. When music videos and other live action film clips are used, we get a slightly richer sound, but never an immersive surround mix, nor was one ever intended.

THE EXTRAS:
The supplements include:

The “2011 San Diego Comic-Con Panel” with creator Mike Judge and moderator Johnny Knoxville (really!) is well worth checking out as the two have a great rapport and deliver an excellent and informative piece here.

The “Beavis and Butt-head Interruptions” features four sections of Butt-head calling various “celebrities”: “Gym. Tan. Butt-head,” “Settle Down Snooki,” “Beavis and Juice-head” and “Vinny Reloaded.”

The goodies are rounded out with the “Silence Your Cell Phone” Announcement.

MY SAY:
Heh heh… BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD are back. And this set is as cool as a GWAR music video. Heh. Heh. Yeah, cool.

Reviewed by Jeff Allen