Uncle Lloyd has done it again! Hell, he’s welcome to come by my place to kick the dog any day! He and his Troma Team have once again provided connoisseurs of fine filth with yet another over-the-top classic that goes down well with a case of cheap beer. Troma have been revitalizing themselves over the past five years, beginning with the release of “Tromeo and Juliet”. They’ve thankfully left that watered-down, half-assed slump they were in during the early 90’s (“Toxic Avenger” cartoon anybody?) and have once again claimed their much deserved status as the current kings of sleazy midnight movie madness. “Citizen Toxie” makes sure that the crown is glued onto their heads.
As plenty of Troma Films go, “Citizen Toxie” really isn’t about a strong, cohesive story as much as it is a bunch of hilariously disgusting antics strung together in an attempt to go lower than the notorious film company has ever gone before. They’ve realized what the bulk of their fan base is made up of (drunks and perverts), so they really pile on the filth here. But if you really need to know what the string is holding this movie together, it’s like this – While saving a school of taco eating retarded kids from the hands of a ruthless gang, an explosion sends the Toxic Avenger to an alternate Troma universe, Amortville, where the town’s citizens are all twisted and evil. In the real Tromaville, the Toxic Avenger is replaced by his doppelganger, Noxie. So, the bulk of the film, we’re flipping back and forth between the two universes, watching Noxie terrorize Tromaville and Toxie wander about the corrupt Amortville, trying to find a way back home while battling the evil versions of Troma’s superheroes, Sgt. Kabukiman, Mad Cow Boy and others.
It’s great to see the Toxic Avenger back in true form again, ripping meaty limbs from bad guys and wrecking shop with his girlfriend. He kinda even has that old voice back from the original film. You know, the voice that sounds like a stick up his a*s narrator from an educational safety film. It is unfortunate however that Toxie just isn’t looking as good these days. Not to be a total bitch about it, but he looks really clean and plastic in this film. In the original he was all dirty and crappy looking and actually kinda scary. It’s like how Freddy Krueger became more plastic and less scary looking as the series of films progressed. Oh well, this is just a minor gripe. The blood and sex flows here more than the original film, so bow down.
Peppering the on screen lunacy are cameos by Troma’s usual suspects (Lemmy, Ron Jeremy) as well as a batch of new faces (Corey Feldman, Kevin Eastman, Al Goldstein). Also appearing are all of the Troma vets, so “Citizen Toxie” kinda stands as a gory version of Where’s Waldo as you get to try and spot as many familiar faces as you can amongst the flying body parts and naked bodies.
As much fun as I had with this film, and many others will have with it for years to come, “Citizen Toxie” is definitely an acquired taste. Troma die-hards will eat this one up for sure, while others will no doubt leave the theater shaking their heads. The film’s a complete calamity, filled with bad edits and crumby acting, but if you know what you’re getting into then a perverted smile will be plastered across your mug from start to finish.
Oh yeah, make sure to listen up for a little narration by the one and only Stan Lee. If that doesn’t make you a Troma true believer, then the Sub-Mariner was a worthwhile superhero.
