Review #1,299: 'The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie' (1989)

When we last saw the first and only superhero from New Jersey with superhuman size and strength, he was returning from his journey of self-discovery in Japan to banish the evil Apocalypse Inc. corporation from his home town of Tromaville. The Toxic Avenger Part II was certainly a sluggish affair, but contained enough genuinely funny moments - specifically watching the terrified Japanese public run from the hideous monster - to justify its existence. Troma being Troma, they were never going to let their most famous and bankable character disappear after just one sequel, and in fact they released Part III, subtitled The Last Temptation of Toxie, later the same year. Yet clearly the brainstorming sessions didn't produce anything of note, as this third entry is not only clearly out of ideas, but uses deleted scenes from the previous instalment to stitch together what they obviously feel passes for a plot.

It begins much in the same way as before, with Tromaville living a peaceful existence due to Toxie's successful efforts to banish crime once and for all. While he previously passed his time working at the home for the blind, Apocalypse Inc. saw the end to all that when they blew it up. Now, Toxie (played by Ron Fazio and John Altamura) sinks into a deep depression due to sheer boredom, spending most of his time moping around the junkyard he calls home with his loyal blind wife Claire (Phoebe Legere). When the chairman of Apocalypse Inc. (played by Rick Collins) learns that Toxie needs $357,000 to pay for an operation to restore Claire's sight, he takes advantage, employing the superhero as his assistant and enforcer, manipulating him into keep the town's residents in line and ensure that Tromaville can be used as the company's toxic waste dumping ground.

It's a re-hash of everything that came before, which almost feels like a slap in the face for those of us who stuck with Part II to the very end, despite its exhaustive running-time. There's almost a complete absence of genuine wit, with returning directors Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz relying mostly of goofy slapstick and cheap effects to bulk up the running-time (which again runs at a painful 100 minutes). It's at its best when Toxie is disposing of bad guys, starting with a scuffle at a video store in which the disfigured brute mutilates and executes a gang in various horrific ways, including mincing one of their hands in a VHS player while onlookers scream in terror, in a set-piece that will have you questioning his status as a 'hero'. But with Troma's notoriously tight budgets, these moments are in short supply. The climax aims to up the daftness factor as high as it will go, but after 30 minutes of watching bad gore effects followed by the reactions of the shocked crowd gathering to watch, you'll likely wish that you were the one getting their head smashed to a pulp.


Directed by: Lloyd Kaufman, Michael Herz
Starring: Ron Fazio, John Altamura, Phoebe Legere, Rick Collins
Country: USA

Rating: **

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,286: 'The Toxic Avenger Part II' (1989)

Five years after he fell into a drum of toxic waste and stated taking revenge on the school bullies that had harassed him his entire life, Melvin Ferd AKA The Toxic Avenger (here renamed Melvin Junko) returned for a sequel as Troma's lucky charm. Troma are a small production company proudly trafficking in schlock, but 'Toxie', New Jersey's first and only superhero, was a surprise hit, spawning comic-books, action figures and even a stage musical. Directors Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman - also the company's founders - knew there was money to be made, and the character ended up getting three sequels. 1984's The Toxic Avenger, like Troma's fellow cult classic Class of Nuke 'Em High, was so memorable because it was funny, off-the-wall and had real heart buried deep within.

This cash-grab sequel seems to forget all of this, and in blowing its load far too early in the film, sucks all the fun out of Toxie and his crazy adventures. Having completely rid Tromaville of crime, Toxie (played by both Ron Fazio and John Altamura following the latter's dismissal), has made the town a haven, and the hideous but gentle creature with super size and strength enjoys life looking after the blind and shacking up at the junk yard with his (also blind) girlfriend Claire (Phoebe Legere). A life without crime has given Toxie a chance to reflect, and in his depressed state he decides that the only way to fill the void in his heart is by confronting his estranged father in Japan. With the good-hearted monster off to Asia in a sailboat, evil corporation Apocalypse Inc. move into town to spread toxic waste and evil in equal measures.

To give The Toxic Avenger Part II its due, there are quite a few very funny moments. A small appearance by Michael Jai White making his big-screen debut and watching the oblivious Japanese public gaze with curiosity and terror as the rubber-suited hero struts through Tokyo are some of the highlights, and an early extended fight scene is just absolutely bonkers. But Toxie's trip to Japan feels more of a diversion from the lack of care taken with the story, which is all over the place and takes way, way too long to reach its end. While some of the jokes land, around 90% fall flat on their face, with a heavy reliance on childish slapstick humour and silly costumes for cheap laughs. The daftness is quite endearing for a short period of time, but then it hits you that this is what you're getting for a whole 100 minutes, and the film quickly becomes an absolute chore.


Directed by: Michael Herz, Lloyd Kaufman
Starring: Ron Fazio, John Altamura, Phoebe Legere, Rick Collins
Country: USA

Rating: **

Tom Gillespie

Review #636: 'Class of Nuke 'Em High' (1986)

Following the surprising success of The Toxic Avenger (1984), cult, Z-movie proprietors Troma Entertainment stuck with the toxic-mutation-in-high-school theme and blended it with the zero-taste, smutty humour of the likes of Porky's (1982) to bring us Class of Nuke 'Em High. This is crass, low-brow entertainment, but entertainment it certainly is. Long a cult favourite, this is hopefully due a critical re-evaluation, because if you can look past the many burp and fart gags (although admittedly these probably got the biggest laugh from me), there is an energetic movie underneath, and certainly one of Troma's best works.

Tromaville High School has been overrun by formerly respectful honours students, who now dress like punks and sell weed in the school corridors, calling themselves 'The Cretins'. They sell weed to Eddie (James Nugent Vernon) for a party, where he gives a joint to his friends Warren (Gil Brenton) and Chrissy (Janelle Brady), who end up having some supercharged sex. Unbeknownst to them, the weed was grown next door at the nuclear power plant, giving the weed an extra 'potency'. That same night, Warren and Chrissy have strange dreams, and Chrissy gives birth to a deformed foetus which is flushed down the toilet, only to land in a drum of toxic waste underneath the school.

It's a ridiculous premise, and nothing more than an excuse to flash some boobs and show some gore. The blood-letting is kept a minimum, however, and doesn't really advance with the movie's opening, which has a nerd affected by nuclear waste jump out the window to his death, his body quickly rotting away. This is all about the comedy, and subtle this certainly ain't. The Cretins are ridiculous caricatures, one with a nose ring so big it drops well below his bottom lip, and he carries a bone for some reason. So while Warren gets super-strength, the Cretins have seemed to have just turned nihilistic from smoking too much of that 'Atomic High', as they call it. It's a major inconsistency to the plot, but not one that will have any Troma fans complaining, nor me neither. Some extremely dodgy special effects aside, the climax proves to be insane and amusing, even throwing in a foetus monster for good measure, and rounds off what is a pretty good movie.


Directed by: Richard W. Haines, Lloyd Kaufman
Starring: Gil Brenton, Janelle Brady, Robert Prichard
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #70: 'The Toxic Avenger' (1984)

Four crazed teenagers speed down the road in their car, wildly bragging about points they've notched up by running down different people in the car. So many points for someone on a bike, so many points for an elderly person, and big points for a small child. "How many points for a child on a bike?" asks the driver, excited. Learning this will earn him maximum points, he proceeds to knock the small child off his bike, and he goes flying over the hood. They turn round and see the child move in pain. Horrified that he may lose out on his points, the driver then proceeds to reverse over the child's head, squashing it completely. Two girls get out of the car and take some pictures. This scene, for me, represents the majority of this film. More shocking than it should be, even today, but never taking itself at all too seriously, regardless of the horror on show.

Melvin (Mark Torgl) is a skinny, nerdy loser who works in the swimming baths, forever cleaning up with his mop. He is frequently bullied and humiliated by a high school gang who one day play a trick on him, which sees him kissing a goat dressed in a tutu. Horrified, Melvin flees and throws himself through a window, landing on a conveniently positioned (and open-topped) barrel of toxic waste. He begins to burn and rot, and eventually the  toxic waste causes him to mutate in a taller, stronger, and ultimately more heroic beast, who wants revenge on his tormentors. Toxie (as he is now called, played by man-mountain Mitch Cohen) starts to clean up the city of Tromaville, which is being run by corrupt mayor Peter Belgoody (Pay Ryan), while at the same time romancing blind girl Sara (Andree Maranda) who he rescues from a rapist in a restaurant.

This was Troma's biggest hit, and Troma head-honcho Lloyd Kaufman says that they owe everything to the success of this film. After this, which after an initial unsuccessful run became a popular cult favourite on the B-movie circuit, they focused pretty much only on horrors. This is the second Troma film I've seen. The other is Killer Nerd (1991). You can probably assume from the title that it is a god-awful excuse for a film, although it is quite amusing in it's filmed-on-video awfulness (starring Harvey Pekar associate Toby Radloff). The Toxic Avenger, however, I'm pleased to say, was actually good! It was a hell of a lot more violent than I was expecting, and the special effects are actually pretty impressive in some places. And Toxie proves to be a likeable vigilante/superhero, however hideous he may be.

Having said that, this is a low-budget Troma, and it's not exactly Citizen Kane (1941). The acting is wooden, and the film is so 80's you can practically reach out and feel the sweatbands and mullets. But it is funny, satisfyingly gory, and, most importantly, fun. Toxie proves to be a more interesting 'superhero' than the majority of others. And the film actually has a social message in there somewhere, beneath all the tits and human-taco-making, recognising the pollution that we are all too aware of in our age of global warming and climate change. Now to sit through the three sequels, which I am quietly confident will be awful!

Directed by: Michael Herz, Lloyd Kaufman

Starring: Mitchell Cohen, Andree Maranda, Gary Schneider

Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie