The
Toxic Avenger - Part II (1989/Troma Blu-ray w/DVD)
Picture:
C/C Sound: C+/C+ Extras: B Film: B-
For
those unaware of the premise behind The Toxic Avenger, the
film (originally created in by Lloyd Kaufman in 1984) focuses on a
once humiliated, harassed, and abused janitor turned mutated
superhero. Coming into existence after falling into a vat of toxic
waste, Toxie battles the baddies of a local town.
5
years after the original film, Kaufman and crew went back to the
toxic waste dump to create another Toxie adventure. Waste dump is a
fitting assessment for the film, as it does not live up to the first
film; which teetered on horrible itself. Yet, an assessment of
'horrible' is not necessarily a bad thing; as I still love the Toxic
Avenger, as do many others. The films are cult classic and must be
watched in the right mind set. The film is a B-Movie (C?) through
and through, but that is half the fun as it is seemingly self-aware.
With
bad acting, bad special effects, and admirably bad costumes and
make-up; the Toxic Avenger Part II has our hero (played by Ron
Fazio) battling the evil Apocalypse Inc. after being lured to Japan,
but all is not as it seems as Apocalypse Inc. continues to reap havoc
on Tromaville, while Toxie is off saving Japan. So can Toxie save
both Japan and Tromaville?
The
film (also starring Phoebe Legere as Claire) has gratuitous gore,
over-the-top special effects, and an overall bizarre presence.
Again, in a 'so bad it's good' way the film successfully accomplishes
its mission. Most fans of the Troma-verse are more than aware that
Lloyd Kaufman is not making 'Oscar winners' with his films; but
instead he caters to fans of debauchery and the inexplicably strange.
So for that I say bravo to the Toxic Avenger series.
Though
the Blu-ray/DVD case sings the praises of a ''lovingly remastered HD
presentation''... the truth is the presentation is satisfactory at
best. The picture is presented in a 1080p, 1.78 X 1 HD widescreen
that appears to be only a slight upgrade from the DVD release also
included here; but distracts as aliasing and banding run rampant.
Dirt, debris, and grime plague the image throughout, coupled with
blunted colors and noticeable clarity issues. The sound presentation
leaves much to be desired as the lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo comes
heavily from the front and often times can sound muffled or distant.
Indeed, Troma films are meant to be ''bad'' and have a degree of
camp, but if Kaufman spent the time to go back to the original film
stock certainly a better Blu-ray transfer could have been made.
Unfortunately, the 'restoration' efforts seem as low budget as the
original film itself.
The
DVD and Blu-ray are close in presentation quality, but in the end the
Blu-ray is a minor upgrade.
Several
extras exist on this set, but like the Blu-ray presentation more
could have been done. The bonus features (with the exception of the
commentary) are all EXTREMLY short with running times of 1 to 3
minutes; leaving much to be desired. Extras include:
Film
Audio Commentary with Lloyd Kauffman
At
Home with Toxie
A
Word from Toxie's Villainous Lisa Gaye
Toxie
on Japanese TV
Old
DVD intro
Radiation
March
The
American Cinematheque Honors 40 Years of Troma
Theatrical
Trailer
