The Toxic Avenger (1984)

(out of 5)

The Toxic Avenger (1984)

directed by:  Lloyd Kaufman

starring:  Andree Maranda, Mitch Cohen, Jennifer Baptist, Cindy Manion, Dan Snow, Pat Ryan, Mark Torgl, Robert Prichard, Dan Schneider

Tagline:  The First Superhero From New Jersey
Format:  Personal Collection NTSC:  Region 1

                 What is there left to be said about the Toxic Avenger from a fan point of view?  Not a whole hell of a lot I suppose but I'm reviewing it anyway because if there is one thing facebook horror fans have taught me not everyone has obviously had the access to horror films I have in my life and so while I assume many people have seen it, some may have not.  How in the world there can be a classic like this with such a cult following can NOT be seen by every horror fan I will never know but I have to remember the after 2000 generation don't always look back before things like cgi and posters with floating heads. 
     Cue Melvin your classic nerd with all the right moves for annoying Slug and Bozo and their girlfriends who practice vehicular murder in the night life.   Melvin wanders around the gym trying to mop the floors and get things spick and span clean but always seems to end up doing stupid things like dropping his dirty mop into hot tubs and starring at the pretty young ladies.  Pretty soon Bozo and Slug have had enough so they plan and elaborate scheme to embarrass the hell out of Melvin.  Well Melvin is fooled into thinking the gorgeous blonde Julie is trying to get with him and he ends up kissing a sheep with make-up on.  Everyone laughs and begins taunting Melvin who is so upset by the whole ordeal he falls out a plate glass window and lands in a toxic waste truck full of barrels of chemical waste.  Burning and melting he escapes catches on fire and bang!  Changes into the powerful but loving Toxic Avenger.

    Well once Melvin aka Toxie accepts himself for who he is he begins a vengeance spree on the criminals of Tromaville and of course this list of criminals also includes Bozo, Slug, and their ladies.  The meaty part of the movie is filled with gore and hilarious fight scenes especially with my man Cigar Face.  But of course no super hero can go on without someone trying to turn them into a bad guy...at least in the movies.  Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, and now the Toxic Avenger seems to be a tiring attempt at a story with every super hero but since this is a Troma film there was nothing tired here.  If Troma does nothing else it keeps you wondering what the hell is going to happen next.  Disgusting toilet humor and gore effects, outlandish characters, always chaulk full of morbidly obese men of power like in this movie Pat Ryan who plays the mayor and who is a personal favorite of mine in this, Class of Nuke'Em High, and Street Trash.  Plays the same character in all three films but I love it the man is a riot.

    Love Lloyd's sense of humor for the most part I mean the fart jokes and anti-Hollywood jokes get old at times but this is Troma not land of the PC wise cracks.  Lloyds hidden political commentary always shines through for me making his films far more valid than most give him credit for.  Lloyd is out to make money for sure but he has his points to get across.  The corruption of authority in society is a huge point brought out in this film and I love the way he does it.  Gory, nasty, and fun just the way I like it!