If you do not know the name Lloyd Kaufman, then you probably don’t know why he is arguably the king of schlock and B movies and that he created his own label called Troma which was established for low budget movies to find a home and distribution so they can be enjoyed by audience. Through the Troma umbrella of films, movies that typically would never see the light of day have had their chance to shine and become cult classics for some true die-hards of cinema. This all leads to the newest Troma-released home video, The Toxic Avenger box set, containing all four films featuring beloved New Jersian hero, Toxie, in 4K UHD, to prepare audiences for the new Toxic Avenger while also giving die-hard fans a way to explore Toxie and his friends in their adventures.
What is most fitting about this incredible box set, featuring all four movies on 4K UHD and Blu-ray, is the restoration process that was done by none other than the incredible people at Vinegar Syndrome (which if you’re purchasing The Toxic Avenger 4K boxset, it would be a safe assumption to know that one’s aware of Vinegar Syndrome). These restorations were taken from the original camera negatives and remastered with HDR, and, honestly, they look like they were made today on the budget they clearly had. It is rare for something this old and low budget to be so masterfully restored and cared for so fans of Tromaville can enjoy Toxie’s adventures from the comfort of their home.
This was my first time visiting the subsequent sequels to Toxic Avenger, and my first time seeing the original film in probably a decade, and it has to go without saying that the content of these films hasn’t aged well, at all. However, it all comes down to one’s personal stance on content and the time period it was presented in, that is not defending some of the choices made in the films as some of them are bad in any light, but different times allowed, albeit wrong, ideology to prevail, but at the time it was almost acceptable. There are so many films of the past, especially B movies and comedies that feature some truly inexcusable things in a modern lens, but at the time they weren’t so socially unacceptable.
If we were to break down the quality and advantages/disadvantages of each installment of this Toxic Avenger boxset, we would truly be here until Toxie returns. So instead of breaking down each of the four installments, I’m going to talk broadly about each of the films. This is mainly due to the quality of each of the films, quite frankly, being topnotch and so superb that the 16 years between The Toxic Avenger and Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV make the films look like they could’ve been made months apart, not years and certainly not nearly two decades apart. These transfers across the board are some of the best to ever dawn the toxic waste created hero from New Jersey and continues to give Vinegar Syndrome the claim to fame of the highest degree; their transfers truly are sublime. The color grading to the quality of the picture itself, it is undeniably astonishing that these films range from nearly 40 years old to 23 years old as they look like something you’d see released today in the underground cinema scene. This is the best Toxic Avenger has ever looked, and if you’re a proud citizen of Tromaville and have not fallen victim to Apocalypse, Inc., then the Toxic Avenger 4K box set is the best gift you can give yourself.
If you’ve never seen The Toxic Avenger, the story across all four movies is relatively straight forward. It focuses on essentially an outcast from Revenge of the Nerds (1984), Melvin (Mark Torgl), as he is chased around the health club he works out at and goes out of a second story window, falling into a vat of toxic waste. His monstrous transformation makes poor meek Melvin into the first superhero from New Jersey, The Toxic Avenger (Mitch Cohen)! Throughout the four films, Toxie takes it upon himself to protect the citizens of Tromaville and his friends from all forces of evil. In the second Toxic Avenger film, an evil corporation of Apocalypse. Inc. makes their presence known, and they wreak havoc on Tromaville throughout three movies while Toxie has some personal matters he needs to deal with, whether it is finding his father or fighting an opposite version of himself. The citizens of Tromaville are never safe, but Toxie is there to ensure he can save the day.
Overall, The Toxic Avenger 4K box set is absolutely a terrific addition to any collector’s shelf and will surely bring all the troma, no pun intended, to the forefront of the fan’s shelf. With these beautiful restorations and incredible work that went into making The Toxic Avenger look the best he ever has, it truly is an astounding restoration that will leave fans in disbelief at how crisp and clean Toxie truly looks. On an important note as well, Troma and MVD have released a statement regarding Toxic Avenger III: The Last Temptation of Toxie that there may be some playback issues on this particularly entry. Through their extensive quality control they believe the issue is only with some players, so please update your firmware and if the issues still persist after the firmware update then please email customerservice@musicvideodistributors.com to obtain a replacement disk.
The Toxic Avenger Collection – 8 Disk set (4K UHD and Blu-ray) Special Features:
- *New* 4K scan and restoration (from the films’ original camera negatives*) of each film presented in their original 1.85:1 aspect ratio in HDR with English DTS 2.0 Stereo audio
- *New* introductions for each film from Lloyd Kaufman, President of Troma Entertainment and creator of The Toxic Avenger
- Optional English Subtitles for the deaf or hard of hearing on all discs
- Collectible Toxic Avenger Postcard
- Region Free 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray discs
The Toxic Avenger [Unrated Director’s Cut] 4K Ultra HD:
- Prologue by Director Lloyd Kaufman
- Audio Commentary with Cast Members Robert Prichard, Gary Schneider, and Dan Snow
- Audio Commentary with Director Lloyd Kaufman
The Toxic Avenger [Unrated Director’s Cut] Blu-ray:
- Introduction by Director Lloyd Kaufman
- Audio Commentary with Cast Members Robert Prichard, Gary Schneider, and Dan Snow
- Audio Commentary with Director Lloyd Kaufman
- Interviews with Cast Members Jennifer Baptist, Robert Prichard, Mitch Cohen, and Dan Snow
- Interview with Co-Director Michael Herz
- “Mark Torgl Talks About The Toxic Avenger” featurette
- Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery
- Trailers
The Toxic Avenger Part II [Unrated Director’s Cut*] 4K Ultra HD:
- Prologue by Director Lloyd Kaufman
- Audio Commentary with Director Lloyd Kaufman
The Toxic Avenger Part II [Unrated Director’s Cut*] Blu-ray:
- Introduction by Director Lloyd Kaufman
- Audio Commentary With Director Lloyd Kaufman
- “At Home with Toxie” Mockumentary
- Interview with Cast Member Lisa Gaye
- Japanese News Report On The Filming of The Toxic Avenger Part II
- “Radiation March” Short Film Directed by Lloyd Kaufman
- The American Cinematheque Honors 40 Years of Troma
- Trailers
The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie [Unrated Director’s Cut] 4K Ultra HD:
- Prologue by Director Lloyd Kaufman
- Audio Commentary with Director Lloyd Kaufman
- Audio Commentary with Cast Member Joe Fleishaker
The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie [Unrated Director’s Cut] Blu-ray:
- Audio Commentary with Director Lloyd Kaufman
- Audio Commentary with Cast Member Joe Fleishaker
- Behind the Scenes of the “Return to Nuke ’em High Vol. 1” screening at MOMA
- The American Cinematheque Honors 40 Years of Troma
- “Make Your Own Damn Horror Film” – Behind the Scenes of Old 37 with Kane Hodder and Bill Moseley
- “A Halloween Carol” Short Film
- Infomercial for “Rabid Grannies” Blu-ray Release
- “Radiation March” Short Film Directed by Lloyd Kaufman
Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger Part IV [Unrated Director’s Cut] 4K Ultra HD:
- Prologue by Director Lloyd Kaufman
- Audio Commentary with Director Lloyd Kaufman
- Audio Commentary with Editor Gabriel Griedman
- Audio Commentary with Cast Member Trent Haaga
Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger Part IV [Unrated Director’s Cut] Blu-ray:
- “Apocalypse Soon: The Making of Citizen Toxie” Behind the Scenes Documentary
- Audio Commentary with Director Lloyd Kaufman
- Audio Commentary with Editor Gabriel Friedman
- Audio Commentary with Cast Member Trent Haaga
- Tribute to Lemmy Kilmister
- The American Cinematheque Honors 40 Years of Troma
- Trailers
Available in 4K UHD Blu-ray October 24th, 2023.
For more information, head to the official MVD Entertainment Group The Toxic Avenger Collection webpage.
This piece was written during the SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.
Share this:
Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation
Leave a Reply