The Toxic Avenger (1985)

Simply Perfect

Great Film overall

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Well, this has got to be one of the strangest films I've ever seen in my whole life. Considering that I've probably seen THOUSANDS, that's really saying something. This movie is pretty basic, telling the story of a kid named Melvin who falls into toxic waste and becomes a creature with superpowers. The acting is among the weirdest I've ever seen. It seems like these actors are just pointing their eyes around. They seem to all be shaking all the time. The strangest bit might be where the Toxic Avenger constantly grunts, but then speaks intelligibly for a long time. We finally get to see the creature's face and how it moves.Did I find myself rooting for the Avenger in this? Yeah, I guess. I mean, he does come off as sympathetic. This is just a movie where everything is so ridiculously over the top and outrageous you can't help but at least be somewhat entertained by it. It did amuse me with how preposterous it was. It's better than something like "Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes". Having done some research on Troma, I was interested in seeing a movie made by them. The effects are as goofy as you'd imagine. These characters are just dumb. This one criminal repeatedly attacks the avenger even though he had a shotgun. Nothing in this film made any sense, but it was certainly like a bizarre theme park ride seeing it. If you want to see something that defines "over the top", check this out! **1/2

That this movie is rated 6.2 on IMDb undermines hope for humanity. There is nothing even remotely engaging, good, or well done in this movie. Perhaps if you are under the influence of mind-altering substances, or are a pubescent male there might be something in it for you, but otherwise forget it. The acting is not just over-the-top, which may have been intentional, but it doesn't work because it is just plain bad. There is not a single actor in this movie that can do exaggeration in any convincing way, and so they all simply look nothing but stupidly ridiculous, and not in a humorous way. There are a few attempts at crafting a humorous-looking scene, but as soon as you spot it and your hopes increase for a comedic laugh, the direction and staging dive immediately downward and dash all hope for something truly amusing. The writing couldn't be less moronic, so when coupled with inept acting, makes for a disaster of a movie. So, as last resort, could this movie possibly be saved by well-crafted make-up and effects? Once again, all hope is lost, as the make-up and effects are notably cheesy and unconvincing. Oh, wait a minute...lest review of the so-called action sequences be unfairly omitted here, it is sufficient to say that they are poorly choreographed and edited, and the stunt work is consistent with being as unconvincing as everything else in the movie. This movie can't even qualify as being good as a guilty pleasure flick. It does, however, achieve top honors as being remarkably repugnant.

I've always loved this movie. I wanted to put in a short review here for why.I think most humans are basically horrifying savages, and that the only thing keeping us from living in a jungle of rapists, murderers, drug addiction, and diseased whores are the artificial constructs of civilization. Most movies try to lie about this in order to sell some kind of agenda. The Toxic Avenger not only sh*ts all over the myth that there aren't a lot of truly terrible sociopaths out there who cruelly exploit the weak. It shows these people's actions coming around to not just bite them in the ass, but literally CRUSH THEIR SKULLS. Young, old, ugly, beautiful, male, female, rich, poor, powerful, pathetic -- NO ONE escapes judgment. I don't know if it was the intention of the filmmakers, but to me that makes this a movie with a deeply moral message. It doesn't surprise me that people think it's "politically incorrect" to hold people unconditionally accountable for their actions, which is what I think people find offensive about this movie far more than the violence. Like the hot slut (Julie) who was an accomplice and a lover to a murderous child-killing psychopath (Bozo). Does she get merely intimidated, or shamed, because she's an attractive young woman? No, the seed gets gutted alive with a pair of scissors! =) =) =) The instinct to be in touch with one's personal divinity is every bit as savage - has to be - as the evil turds who want to turn the world into their sadistic playground. Finally a movie that "gets it"!This movie's a tongue-in-cheek primal scream for someone who hates evil.

Meek mop-handler Melvin (Mark Torgl) is transformed into a tutu wearing, muscle-bound, crime-busting mutant (played by Mitch Cohen) after a cruel prank results in him falling head first into a barrel of radioactive sludge. With his home town of Tromaville ruled by a crooked mayor (Pat Ryan) and his corrupt police-force, there's plenty for this hideous hero to do, but it's not 'all work and no play': Toxie also finds love with super sexy blind babe Sara (Andree Maranda), with whom he sets up home in the local industrial waste dump.Loaded with terrible dialogue, outrageous gore, puerile humour, and gross caricatures, this is pretty much the archetypal Troma movie—an extremely dumb trash classic designed for those days when thinking feels like too much of a chore. Topless bimbos, gratuitous violence against minors, dogs and a dwarf, some surprisingly good stunts (including an impressive full body burn), a few genuinely amusing moments, baddies with stupid names, baddies wearing silly outfits, car crashes, baddies doing inept kung fu: for the select few for whom good taste and quality are of zero importance when it comes to their entertainment, The Toxic Avenger should prove to be a whole lot of demented fun.