In the modern culture of remakes and sequels of long-dead franchises, no one should be shocked to see how the old name returns to relevance. Despite the expectations, there are still a few projects that appear out of nowhere and make fans look back at decades of history to see a possible future.
Recently, there was news about the upcoming reboot of Toxic Avenger, which again caused excitement among most of the fans. The film has several famous stars, an interesting director and original creators on staff, but the new most exciting detail is that the film has received a solid R rating.
Toxic Avenger was released in 1984 by the infamous independent production company Troma Entertainment. The film was directed by the founders of Troma, Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Hertz, and remains one of the most important parts of the 48-year legacy of the franchise. After the first release, the film was completely unpopular and completely ignored. The turning point came after a long and gradually beloved campaign of midnight films, which lasted until the end of 1985. The good people at Troma used to make a living from immature adult comedies, but “Toxic Avenger” was the moment the studio launched its silly movie campaign. horror movie.
Although most of their films are small and one-off, Troma’s influence as a studio remains significant. James Gunn’s first project was “Tromeo and Juliet”, and he considers Kaufman his mentor. J.J. Abrams’ first job in the film industry also came from Troma; he wrote the music for Don Doler’s 1982 film “The Night Beast”. Without the “Toxic Avenger”, the world could lose such works as “The Peacemaker” or “The Force Awakens”.
Toxic Avenger is a simple story about the origin of a superhero. He follows Melvin, a skinny gym employee who is constantly bullied by customers. The abuse escalates over time and eventually leads to a violent chase, resulting in Melvin being thrown out of a second-floor window into a vat of toxic waste. Melvin is horribly deformed, but has also greatly increased in size and strength. After the incident, Melvin faces a brutal crime in action and uses his newfound strength to protect the innocent. Soon the people began to consider him a hero and nicknamed the Toxic Avenger, or Toxi for short. His antics in the fight against crime arouse the anger of the local mafia boss and the corrupt mayor of the city. Melvin must use his superhuman strength and newfound public notoriety to expose crimes, defeat evil and save his hometown of Tromaville, New Jersey.
Without more context, it sounds like a perfectly standard superhero movie, but every aspect of the presentation is made more excessive and less mature. As you’d expect from anything with the Troma logo, The Toxic Avenger is packed to bursting with sex and violence. The sense of humor is somewhere between The Boys and The Mask with a bunch of tasteless jokes. Mitch Cohen, who played Toxie in the first film, 6 feet 4 inches tall and very muscular, used the Lou Ferrigno method, hiring a really huge man to portray a superhero. see the sequel Instead, he saw three.
Lloyd Kaufman intended to shoot a sequel shortly after the possible success of the first film, but mistakes were made in the production. During the filming of Toxic Avenger: Part 2, Kaufman realized that he had made too many films to fit them into one film, and began editing it into two parts. Part II contains the rare and coveted 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. Part III: Toxie’s Last Temptation isn’t much better. Both films were considered proof that Toksi did not deserve more than one film. They were so despised by the public that even Troma did not consider it necessary to keep them to himself. In 2000, Kaufman released Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV, which fans perceived as a return to form. This period was marked by another major adaptation, Toxic Crusaders, a Saturday morning cartoon based on The Toxic Avenger. The series abandoned gratuitous sex and violence in favor of a comical parody of Captain Planet.
One iconic midnight movie, two widely despised sequels and a surprisingly decent season of a children’s TV series have remained in the hearts of fans for decades. The remake secured Kevin Bacon and Peter Dinklage. The film will be directed by Macon Blair, the star of “Blue Ruins” and the director of “I don’t feel at home in this world anymore.” Kaufman and Hertz are appointed producers.
Troma has remained in her place as a countercultural semi-celebrity since the day Toxi became beloved. With nothing but cheap tasteless comedy and promising talent, several creative people have created one story in a million that will endure decades and their own incompetence. It’s nice to see Toxie back, and even if this movie doesn’t work out, he’s proven he can survive anything.
