Recently, news emerged about the still upcoming Toxic Avenger reboot that reignited excitement amongst much of its fanbase. The film has some big-name stars, an interesting director, and the original creators on staff, but the new most exciting detail is that the film has received a firm R-Rating.
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The Toxic Avenger was released in 1984 by the infamous independent production company Troma Entertainment. The film was directed by Troma’s founders, Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, and remains one of the most important pieces of the franchise’s 48-year legacy. Upon initial release, the film was completely unpopular and roundly ignored. The turning point came after a long and gradually beloved midnight movie campaign that lasted well into late 1985. The good people at Troma previously made their living on immature adult comedies, but The Toxic Avenger marked the moment at which the studio began its campaign of silly horror.
Though most of their films are small and disposable, Troma’s impact as a studio remains significant. James Gunn’s first project was Tromeo & Juliet, and he credits Kaufman as a mentor. J.J. Abrams’ first job in the film industry also comes from Troma; he scored Don Dohler’s 1982 film Nightbeast. Without The Toxic Avenger, the world could have been deprived of works like Peacemaker or The Force Awakens.
The Toxic Avenger is a simple superhero origin story. It follows Melvin, a scrawny gym employee who is constantly bullied by the clientele. The abuse escalates over time and eventually results in a violent chase that sends Melvin out the second-story window and into a vat of toxic waste. Melvin is hideously deformed, but is also granted a substantial increase in size and strength. After the incident, Melvin comes across a violent crime in action and wields his newfound power to defend the innocent. In short order, he’s seen as a hero by the populace and dubbed The Toxic Avenger, or Toxie for short. His crime-fighting antics earn him the ire of a local mob boss and the city’s corrupt mayor. Melvin must use his superhuman strength and newfound public fame to expose crime, defeat evil, and save his home city of Tromaville, New Jersey.
Devoid of greater context, it sounds like a perfectly standard superhero movie, but every aspect of the presentation is made more excessive and less mature. As is to be expected of anything with a Troma logo, The Toxic Avenger is packed to the gills with sex and violence. The sense of humor falls somewhere between The Boys and The Mask with tons of tasteless gags. Mitch Cohen, who portrays Toxie in the initial film, is 6’ 4" and immensely muscular, using the Lou Ferrigno method of hiring a genuinely huge man to portray a superhero. Among Troma’s massive catalog, it was a bygone conclusion that the film would see a sequel. Instead, it saw three.
Lloyd Kaufman set out to direct a sequel shortly after the eventual success of the first film, but mistakes were made in production. Partway through filming The Toxic Avenger: Part II, Kaufman realized that he had shot far too much film to pack into one feature, and set to work editing it into two. Part II holds a rare and coveted 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie didn’t fare much better. Both films were considered proof that Toxie didn’t warrant more than a single film. They were so despised by the public that even Troma didn’t see fit to keep them around. In 2000, Kaufman put out Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV, which was seen as a return to form by fans. That period was marked by one other big adaptation, Toxic Crusaders, a Saturday morning cartoon based on The Toxic Avenger. The series ditched all the gratuitous sex and violence in favor of a comical parody of Captain Planet.
One cult-hit midnight movie, two widely despised sequels, and a surprisingly decent season of a kid’s show have remained in the hearts of fans for decades. The remake has secured Kevin Bacon and Peter Dinklage. It’s set to be directed by Macon Blair, star of Blue Ruin and director of I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore. Kaufman and Herz are attached as producers.
Troma has remained in its place of counter-cultural semi-celebrity since the day Toxie became beloved. With nothing but some cheap tasteless comedy and up-and-coming talent, a few creatives crafted one story in a million that would endure the decades and their own incompetence. It’s a joy to see Toxie return, and even if this film doesn’t work out, he’s proven he can survive anything.
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