Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		0.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		1.0

The Toxic Avenger: Part II Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 28, 2015

After wiping out the leagues of bullies and baddies out to get him in 1984’s “The Toxic Avenger,” New Jersey’s only superhero returns to duty in 1989’s “The Toxic Avenger: Part II,” which promotes the mutant to full-fledged do-gooder. It’s rowdy work from co-directors Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, who trust that an overall amplification of violence coupled with a change in location might revive the picture and its quest to transform the mangled hero into a household name. The manic vibe only works in small doses, with “The Toxic Avenger: Part II” disappointingly unfocused, trying to pull together an overall arc of psychological inspection and traditional Troma bloodletting, but never finding a sweet spot of inspiration. It’s entertaining at times, but rarely coherent, presenting itself as a grab-bag of ideas and broad reactions, watching Kaufman and Herz spend all their time staging slapstick, leaving the script only a vague outline of character development.

After Tromaville has purged of evil, the town has rejected crime and politics, becoming a utopia where citizens are free to dance in the streets. Living peacefully with girlfriend Claire (Phoebe Legere), The Toxic Avenger (Ron Fazio and John Altamura) attempts to keep a low profile while working at the Center for the Blind, with this sightless zone helping him to deal with his depression. Realizing that he cannot devour the Earth’s natural resources with a superhero in the way, the Chairman (Rick Collins) of pollution corporation Apocalypse, Inc. orders a hit on Toxie, sending his best assassins to kill the mop-wielding creature. Realizing that he won’t be happy unless he discovers the source of his pain, Toxie travels to Japan to locate his real father, finding help from Masumi (Mayako Katsuragi), a local woman.

Toxie has a few deep-seated issues this time around. He’s depressed, unable to work up much enthusiasm for his role as protector of Tromaville, but he doesn’t know where this lethargy is coming from, even after subjecting himself to therapy eight times a week. Living a secure life with Claire in his “garden” apartment, Toxie is looking for purpose through personal history, with the hunt for his father providing a passable story to explore. However, “The Toxic Avenger: Part II” is no intimate drama, it’s a Troma Entertainment production, demanding Kaufman and Herz find ways to spice up the effort with ultraviolence, one-liners, and nudity, diluting whatever heartfelt tale of belonging they were originally intending to deliver.

“The Toxic Avenger: Part II” opens with 20 minutes of carnage, watching Toxie defend his woodsy kingdom of the blind with his mop and superior strength. The Chairman isn’t messing around, sending in a horde of supervillains in various costumes, including the future Black Dynamite himself, Michael Jai White, making his film debut here. Revealing the picture’s age, a goon is dressed like Robert De Niro’s character from “Angel Heart,” which is only one of several bizarre references the helmers enjoy selling. Scored to a muzak version of Duke Ellington’s “It Ain’t Got That Swing,” the opening Center for the Blind fight sets a specific tone for “The Toxic Avenger: Part II,” watching Toxie eat a gun, squeeze a wheelchair-bound enemy to an intestine-bursting death, and pull another scoundrel’s ears off his head. Skulls are punched through and arms are ripped off, yet the Chairman still thinks he has a chance, with the entire scene ending in a giant explosion.

Kaufman and Herz blow their wad early, serving up the highlight of “The Toxic Avenger: Part II” right away. It takes nearly 40 minutes for Toxie to head to Japan (traveling to the country via windsurfing), leaving a few gaps in pace, including an introduction to Apocalypse, Inc. that goes on for too long, highlighting every member of the board and their specific character traits and pollution goals. The sequel perks up again once Toxie makes his to Tokyo, embracing the oddity of a mutated monster holding a mop infiltrating the relative peace of the city. It’s difficult to tell the rehearsed extras from the average curious-yet-terrified citizens.

Toxie’s on a mission, but it’s not a particularly interesting one, with Herz and Kaufman showing limited interest in the father quest. Instead, “The Toxic Avenger: Part II” has more fun detailing Toxie’s powers, including superbreath, which cooks one foe dunked in a bathhouse whirlpool. Also on the feature’s to-do list in an explanation of “Tromatons” -- special heroic cells that pump through Toxie, triggering his fearlessness when crime approaches. It’s a midichlorian-style addition to Toxie’s arsenal that’s pretty much only employed to provide the villains with a weakness to exploit, giving the script a proper formula to follow when Herz and Kaufman actually feel like sticking to the writing.

The Toxic Avenger: Part II Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation strives to bring "The Toxic Avenger: Part II" into the HD age, but something went wrong along way. Boasting 480i resolution, the feature is a nice looking DVD with HD ambition, but somewhere Troma zigged when they should've zagged, missing the 1080p goal line. I've never encountered a mistake like this before, and I choose to believe it wasn't intentional. However, it certainly looks as though "The Toxic Avenger: Part II" is ready for Blu-ray, offering pleasing colors and the potential for a filmic presentation. Damage remains, with vertical scratches, speckling, and debris detected, along with mild judder.

The Toxic Avenger: Part II Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

"The Toxic Avenger: Part II" doesn't look convincing, and it certainly doesn't sound sharp. The 2.0 Dolby Digital mix is generally muddy and underwhelming, requiring a volume boost to bring levels up to acceptable standards. Hiss and pops run throughout the feature, while dialogue exchanges are thin and crispy, losing integrity when action heats up and the screaming begins. Performances are understood, but there's no definition to accentuate the moment. Soundtrack cuts and scoring are also flat, with the metal mood barely able to catch fire, fighting for clarity. Atmospherics are halfhearted, while sound effects (mostly squishes and splats) are adequate. Weirdly, Japanese dialogue is either dubbed into English or left untouched, with no subtitles to help the viewer along. Perhaps this is intentional, but it feels like another mistake.

The Toxic Avenger: Part II Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Intro (3:06, SD) catches up with Troma Entertainment president Lloyd Kaufman in Copenhagen. Welcoming viewers to the Blu-ray release of "The Toxic Avenger: Part II," Kaufman attempts a few jokes, shares a little information, and pays a visit to Castle Elsinore, where Toxie has recently abused one of the toilets.

• Commentary features Kaufman.

• "At Home with Toxie" (3:51, SD) is a jokey featurette that visits the star of "The Toxic Avenger" in his palatial estate, residing in comfort with his second wife.

• "A Word from Troma's Villainess Lisa Gaye" (2:15, SD) is a brief conversation with the company's go-to baddie, who discusses her career and love of screen evildoing. How old is this featurette? Gaye makes a request to be a part of "The Toxic Avenger: Part IV," which came out in 2000.

• "Toxie on Japanese T.V." (3:07, SD) is presented without subtitles, making the true origin of this news piece unknown, but it does provide a look at BTS footage, with Kaufman wearing a jet-black beard, clad in a "Toxic Avenger" shirt, leading the production through shots. And co-star Mayako Katsuragi appears in an interview.

• "Old DVD Intro" (:41, SD) showcases a much younger Kaufman, who welcomes viewers to the "digitally remastered" presentation of the sequel.

• "Radiation March" (:56, SD) is a short dance piece concerning the dangers of pollution.

• "The American Cinematheque Honors 40 Years of Troma" (2:03, SD) is a montage of company achievements, scored to song by Motorhead.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:19, SD) is included.

The Toxic Avenger: Part II Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Receiving a cleansing sumo education, taking on a helmeted enemy known as the "Dark Rider," and returning to sweep up the streets of Tromaville one again, it seems like Toxie has one too many concerns for his second adventure. "The Toxic Avenger: Part II" doesn't retain a tight attention span, often spotted wandering through its subplots and misadventure instead taking them on one at a time. The lunacy of the effort is sufficiently distracting, stained by Troma's unmistakably tasteless sense of humor. It doesn't quite live up to the memorable introductions made in the original film, but "The Toxic Avenger: Part II" has its moments.