Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

Return to Return to Nuke 'Em High a.k.a. Vol. 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 25, 2019

Originally conceived as a two-part extravaganza from Troma Entertainment, “Return to Nuke ‘Em High” was intended to be an all-new blowout screen party from a company that hasn’t had one in a long time. Director Lloyd Kaufman was so certain of fan interest, he doubled down on Tromaville chaos, shooting two movies concurrently, aiming to create an epic to top all other Troma epics. Unfortunately, few showed up to the party. “Return to Nuke ‘Em High: Vol. 1” was released in 2014, with the cult experience well-received by loyal followers of Troma, but failed to make much of a dent beyond the core audience, who were offered a teaser for a follow-up planned for 2015. The year came and went, as did a few more, but Kaufman couldn’t finish the feature, ultimately turning to Kickstarter to help pay for completion. Now five years after “Vol. 1” provided a goopy, gory ride of hyper-violent nonsense, “Return to Return to Nuke ‘Em High AKA Vol. 2” is finally here, and good heavens, it’s not worth the extended wait.

With Tromaville High School now a war zone after Tromaganic Foodstuffs transforms the students into mutated cretins, C.E.O. Herzkauf (Lloyd Kaufman) craves more destruction. Frying his brain with smells from his fart harvester, Herzkauf maintains power as the mutations travel across America, creating mass panic. Coming to the rescue are Chrissy (Asta Paredes) and Lauren (Catherine Corcoran), two lesbians who rise up to fight Herzkauf while raising a mutated baby born from Lauren’s “duck rape.” The father of the child, Kevin, waddles his way into toxic sludge, growing into a dangerous monster bent on destroying Tromaville with Herzkauf.

Kaufman understands how much time has passed between sequels, offering a recap at the beginning of “Vol. 2” to help viewers out. And yet, armed with this refreshing, little makes sense about the picture, or perhaps the overall series, which began in 1986 and only has a loose connection to the new chapter. Kaufman isn’t in this for the dramatic potential, folks, he wants to raise hell in the Troma tradition, doing so with speediness, reuniting with Lauren in her high school shower, where she experiences an immediate pregnancy and goo-and-blood filled birth, becoming a teen mom to a fleshy part-duck baby. There’s no delay here, as “Vol. 2” announces its intentions with lots of nudity, extreme gore, bad acting, and film homages, including reproductions of scenes from “Carrie” and “The Silence of the Lambs,” which finds Herzkauf going, ahem, fully tucked to explore his flatulence-blasted madness.

“Vol. 1” was passably amusing, commencing this journey with enthusiasm for the material and the grisly possibilities of Tromorganic’s reign of terror. “Vol. 2” is definitely more slapdash, as Kaufman is simply trying to finish the picture, not dream up new highlights or follow through on the earlier movie’s pass at a plot. There’s nothing here except more excess and sloppy stabs at cultural and political commentary. Kaufman isn’t clever, he’s just loud, trying to bend 85 minutes of screaming and bloodshed into something irreverent, only to be confronted with a film that’s out of control, growing tiresome as soon as it begins.

Return to Return to Nuke 'Em High a.k.a. Vol. 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Vol. 2" remains in step with "Vol. 1," offering a distinctly digital look to the feature, which works passably for detail, giving strange monsters and gore zone visits reasonable sharpness. Facial surfaces are textured, highlighting makeup achievements and pained reactions. Set decoration is open for inspection, with all sorts of Tromaville particulars filling the frame. Colors remain cranked, doing well with toxic greens and blood reds. Primaries are also appealing, finding costuming especially bright and varied. Ample skintones are natural. Delineation isn't consistent, as black levels range from inky to milky. One visual effect sequence involving, ahem, flying swastikas, is captured with lower resolution, resulting in a flurry of blockiness. Milder compression issues carry throughout.

Return to Return to Nuke 'Em High a.k.a. Vol. 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Offering a Dolby Digital 2.0 mix, "Vol. 2" isn't aiming big when it comes to sonic immersion. It's a chaotic movie, and the track reflects such mayhem, dealing with all sorts of squishy sound effects and screechy metal music. It's not a shrill listening experience, but precision isn't outstanding, remaining more functional than dynamic. Dialogue exchanges are adequate, securing all sorts of performance abilities and accents, while surges into panic are handled without distortion. Atmospherics do just fine, managing crowd unrest and location visits.

Return to Return to Nuke 'Em High a.k.a. Vol. 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc 1

• Intro (3:04, HD) features "Lil' Lloydy," the great, great grandson of Lloyd Kaufman, who explains the delayed release of "Return to Return to Nuke 'Em High AKA Vol 2."

• Short Films include "Mr. Topps" (10:43), "Merry Christmas to my Wife's Butt" (9:59), and "Radiation March" (:56).

• And a Trailer (3:58, HD) is included.

Disc 2

• "2 Girls, 1 Duck" (103:23, HD) is the making of for both installments of the "Return to Nuke 'Em High" sequels, joining Kaufman and his strangely loyal crew as they try to pull off their splatter epic with very little money, time, and patience. Any opportunity to witness a production in motion is terrific, but Kaufman's special way of doing business is riveting, exploring the Troma honcho's desperation to make the most out of his days, dealing with a very young collection of semi-professionals and a lot of volunteers. There's extraordinary tension on the set, and the cameras often hunt for agitation, especially with Kaufman, who's quick to rage. The crew can stand one another. Kaufman can't stand his crew. The moviegoing public can't stand Troma. "2 Girls, 1 Duck" is better than the films it's documenting.

• "Make Your Own Damn Shower" (5:10, HD) is a brief look at the creation of the shower monster scene, featuring adult film star Ophelia Rain.

• "Make Your Own Damn Greenscreen Bentley" (5:47, HD) visits with co-producer John Brennan, who showcases the construction of a greenscreen set-up located in front of Troma headquarters.

• "TroMoMA: Vol. 1 Honored at the MoMA NY" (11:39, HD) joins Kaufman and his Troma gang as they show "Return to Nuke 'Em High: Vol. 1" to a small crowd at the prestigious art center.

• "Bust a Nut with Troma Now" (1:47, HD) is a commercial for the company's streaming site.

• "From Festival to Fascism: Cannes 2017" (13:13, HD) examines Troma's visit to the film festival, where the team and their "street theater" was rudely shut down by French cops, who showed little patience for Kaufman's protests. A Cannes participant since 1971, Kaufman goes nuclear on the festival. Also included is time at the San Diego Comic-Con, where Kaufman and Troma associates describe the Cannes incident.

• Tributes include Stan Lee (3:16, SD), Lemmy (8:15, SD), and Joe Fleishaker (4:43, SD).

Return to Return to Nuke 'Em High a.k.a. Vol. 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Troma Entertainment fans are a forgiving bunch, and "Vol. 2" is aimed directly at them. Not the "Well, 'Toxic Avenger' was fun" crowd, but the "I have a Toxie tattoo on my neck" crowd who lives for the spilling of guts and the spraying of green goo. "Vol. 1" balanced such delights with some level of finesse, but the long-delayed continuation doesn't carry the same concentration. It feels desperate, without a necessary fun factor to help digest some of the extreme visuals. Everything there was to be said about "Return to Nuke 'Em High" was shared in "Vol. 1." "Vol. 2" is merely a show of Z-movie force from Kaufman, who lost perspective a long time along.