The Toxic Avenger
| release date | April 11 1986 |
| studio | Troma |
| director | Lloyd Kaufman, Michael Herz |
| writer | Joe Ritter |
| starring | Mitch Cohen, Andree Maranda |
| site | troma.com |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
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A near-perfect movie, The Toxic Avenger is a must-see for any horror fan. It has great pacing, hilarious scenes, and cool, gory special effects. Contrary to popular belief, this one is actually considerably better than the 4th one, so be sure to see this one first. The 4th one is far too goofy and unpolished.
I have to force myself not to give this movie anything lower than a 5/10, though I’m very tempted to. The reason I’m forcing myself not to be so pessimistic is because I respect this movie a lot more than I liked it. Why? Because there is absolutely nothing here that is more off-the-wall than “serious” (aka: cheesy) horror films from the general time period, but The Toxic Avenger is a comedy rather than a “serious” horror film. And quite honestly, I’ve never seen very many horror-comedies that were actually funny, but The Toxic Avenger IS actually funny. Almost going hand-in-hand, the pure audacity this movie has makes every other horror release in its time look downright PG. The gore took the politically incorrect spin to a new level in the ’80s, and without The Toxic Avenger I simply don’t know if the uber-violent movies of today would even exist. It took things to a new level. It TRIED to offend people, for the first time since the birth of the horror film. Even today, I can’t name very many movies that have this much audacity. For that I respect The Toxic Avenger.
But, maybe it’s just a matter of taste, I just didn’t see this movie as very entertaining. I think it’s one of those movies you had to grow up on as a kid to love as an adult, because I just didn’t see a whole lot in it in 2008. I guess this is because I’ve seen countless imitators and rip-offs that I’m desensitized to what was a very original idea in ’85. I don’t know. I just didn’t find as much entertainment value in it as I thought I would.
On a technical level, the movie accomplishes the mess that it tries to accomplish. The music is catchy and sometimes funny. Some of the plot points are laugh-out-loud awesome. The gore effects and amount of gore are both nothing compared to those of today, but follow suit with the so-bad-it’s-good feel. Everything reeks of ’80s, and why shouldn’t it? The Toxic Avenger isn’t a timeless movie: it was made for one generation, and other generations typically won’t get it the way those in the ’80s got it. It’s like a car, it depreciates in value as soon as it’s released. It’s never the same as it was when it first came out to a modern mind, because we’ve seen the aftereffects of it’s original release (such as rip-offs, sequels, etc.).
With all of that said, I just have a hard time finding anything at all WRONG with The Toxic Avenger. I just didn’t find it entertaining like I thought I would. It’s a definitive watch for any horror buff, or any movie buff in general. Maybe you’ll find something entertaining that I didn’t.
this is the way a superhero movie should be made! troma is one of the best studios of the past years, and this is a perfect example. one of the best heroes put on screen. followed by three sequels. two and three are an aqquired taste, but the fourth, citizen toxie, is great stuff! if you are interested in troma, see this as an intro to their crazy world.
The Toxic Avenger was the most ridiculous movie that I have seen in a long while and I mean that as a good thing. It is so terribly acted and produced but that only adds to its charm and humor, of which there is plenty. Honestly speaking I loved this film and would recommend it to those who like some cheese to go along with their horror.
I first became aware of this when I was a child, and there was a television show called “The Toxic Crusaders.” I remember I had a lunchbox/thermos combo, and Toxic Crusader sneakers. At some point along the past twenty years, I realized that the film it was based on is actually a (very) adult film. Having finally watched it in 2009, I can’t believe I waited so long.
This movie is pure schlock. Absolute garbage, and I loved every minute of it. Between this and “Swamp Thing”, they really made an odd selection of films to make children’s cartoons out of! Exploitative in every fashion! Can’t wait to check out the sequels!
I gotta say it: This movie was a piece of shit! I get it, I do. I wasn’t offended or anything lie that. It was just a BAD movie. It annoyed me. I guess that’s the best way to put it. It irrated the shit out of me. OK? I thought the movie sucked–sue me!
Took me long enough, but I finally saw Troma’s baby- The Toxic Avenger was as bad as I thought, but in a good way. Cheesy, with bad dialogue, nudity and great kills, but thats what b-movies are made of. Plus, how can you not like a movie about “The first superhero from New Jersey!”?
Toxic Avenger- 1986
Best Parts- good gore, funny movie,crazy situations, some creative kills, pretty well paced and entertaining, extreme cheeseiness (good or bad I guess)
Bad Parts- some pretty crappy acting, some parts are just plain stupid
Overall a pretty entertaining movie 8/10
Hands down the best thing Troma has ever done and I’m not just saying that cause Toxie is their uber popular mascot. The film manages to be cheap and full of cheese and great gore without being TOO cheeseball. It’s a fine line to tread on and most of the time movies fail (just look at 2 and 3, bleh).
I was instantly hooked the second I saw the stereotypical goons in the hot tub insulting “mop boy”. What happens next? They’re running over a kid on his bike for points! (reminiscent of Death Race 2000? Sure, but hilarious nonetheless).
His transformation is graphic and disturbing but, somehow, still comical; much like some of the fight scenes in the film as well.
Obligatory boobs and the sauna scene are always a nice touch.
Too bad the second and third ones fail to rekindle this movie’s magic. Though Citizen Toxie was pretty awesome.
long live troma
This is a great small budget indie Hor-Com film. too bad Troma went down hill after this great start.
You gotta love the violence and comedy in this movie, #2 & #3 sucked though, I heard Citizen Toxie was good though.
I love Troma. This is one of my favorite films. the kills are awesome, and gotta love the Troma gore. Can’t wait to buy the 7 disc box set from Uncle Lloyd in August!
such a great movie.
memorable, campy fun. a shame the sequels suck.
One of the most popular cult classics, if not THE cult classic from the notorious Troma studios. A hilariously mad and supercampy kinda-exploitation-flick, extremely funny and highly entertaining. I really had a ball watching this.
Nearly all of the characters are completely and utterly wacko (which really, really satisfies the Frank Henenlotter fan in me). The dialogue is mostly very amusing (“All right everybody, drop your tacos or I’ll blow your brains out!”), the script is full of politically incorrect jokes and crudely brilliant humor.
‘Toxie’ himself is of course the highlight of the movie: the transformation from janitor-dork to atomic superhero is cheesy but it has its charm. The toxic avenger looks gorgeously goofy, his voice is as pleasant as ‘Aylmer’s’ and his kills are simply fabulous (crushed heads, deep-fried hands, ripped out guts…).
An absolutely fabulous must-see b-movie masterstroke!
Hilarious! This sleazy classic is the king of all trash films. A perfect mixture of slapstick and violence. Slows down a bit near the end, but overall, it’s a wicked ride. Hilarious!
This movie was awesome. It kinda like a weird twist on Revenge of the Nerds.
Good gore. Other ones were good expect the 4th.
Awesome movie
Cheap, Cheesy, Trashy… the voice over when melvin talks had me in stiches. The moment I herad ”how much for a kid on a bicycle” and the following scene (UNCUT)I was hooked. The overdramatic acting in some of the scenes. The typical bad-guy mayor. Whats not to love about this film? God bless you Melvin. Definatly in my top 10 favourite films!
a very fun cult classic. Troma’s masterpiece.
come on folks, its troma it does not get any better!!! This is a great film in that it is truely independantly made underground violent and funny. its a very difficult combination to pull off and troma films does it great everytime.
Thank goodness that films as good as “The Toxic Avenger” exist when it comes to much needed escapism. Without these films, we might just explode from the stress of everyday life. Sometimes we just want to sit down and watch a movie. And while there are other movies that you could certainly watch instead, you shouldn’t distance yourself too far from this one. As strange and corny as it may seem, “The Toxic Avenger” is a film that I’d actually end up recommending to a good amount of my readers.
If you like B-movies, then you’ll probably love “The Toxic Avenger”. It’s a good-old-fashion exploitation/midnight movie from the 80′s, directed (mostly) by Lloyd Kaufman; who is known for his whacky and exploitative sense of humor. “The Toxic Avenger” won’t appeal to those who take the film and its idea of “humor” too seriously, however, if you surrender your intelligence; you might just admire the craft that went into it.
Melvin is a work-out-gym janitor who mops up the floors, never gets girls, and it basically nothing more than a “98 Pound Weakling”. The film bombards his character with steriotypes. He stutters, he’s forever nervous around women, he’s never TALKED to a woman for much longer than a minute, and he still lives with his mother. He doesn’t appear to be a fan of movies or comic books; he’s just a nerd. And the people at his work-place constantly make fun of him for that.
One day, they pull a prank that has Melvin ending up in a barrel of toxic sludge. The material immediately affects his skin; mutating him into a creature much larger, stronger, and awesomer than anyone he’s ever been before. Melvin takes on the name “The Toxic Avenger”, and starts serving up justice in the town of Tromaville. There’s a sinister plot involving the town mayor, a romantic love-interest of Melvin that happens to be blind (which works to Melvin’s advantage), and much, much more.
The film is kept simple, and I liked that. It’s an entertaining film that probably inspired a comic book series, and a television program; which I know it did, but the latter was not successful. However, “The Toxic Avenger” did spawn a couple sequels, and I might just see them. Lloyd Kaufman is good at making movies like this one, and while the first film of his that I saw was his latest big one, “Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead”, I’m ever-so-happy that I can appreciate a film as crude and mindless as this one. But perhaps there’s a part of me that is accepting enough to enjoy stuff like this.
However, some good directorial skill was put into the film. After all, good exploitation and satire, both which this film attempts, comes from good filmmaking and some good writing. I laughed a lot in the film because it blended goofy satire with even goofier slapstick. Yet, it’s smartly made; and I kind of admired it. There’s some decent make-up effects work going on, the acting is effectively campy, and the overall feel of the film matches what Kaufman intended perfectly. He made this film to appeal to an audience that could see it for what it is. It’s not a perfect movie, but few exploitation-comedies truly are. They can simply be good, inspired films; that touch our hearts in creepy, strange ways. If anything, “The Toxic Avenger” is memorable because it’s one of the few exploitation films that actually appeals to me. But perhaps I liked it because it blended common superhero stereotypes, clichés, and lore with satire and toxic waste. You can’t beat good movie-making.
A lot of the movie is funny. I admit that some of the jokes are cruel and hard to laugh at. But if you can get by that, then this is a pretty fun watch; and that’s all it needs to be. I could look into it more than I need to and just dismiss the thing as a whole, or I could enjoy the movie. I chose to do the second thing, because it was easier. “The Toxic Avenger” requires no thought whatsoever. It’s not necessarily for a “dumb audience”, but it is laid back, and well-made enough to appeal to a cinephile such as me; and that’s saying something, especially when you’re dealing with something as intentionally stupid as this.