A review of The Toxic Avenger (1985)

The Toxic Avenger is an off-beat comedy and a horror spoof movie, following the life of a shy janitor who turns into a burly superhero. Read the following article to find out more about the film released by the famed budget movie company, Troma Entertainment.

The plot

The Toxic Avenger tells the bizarre story of Melvin Junko, the scrawny, insecure janitor of Tromaville Health Club. Lacking confidence and wanting to do anything to please and steer clear of trouble, Melvin is an obvious target for bullies, especially by health club regulars Bozo, Slug, Wanda and Julie. Transformation to The Toxic Avenger One day, after being hoodwinked into wearing a pink tutu, Melvin inadvertently falls into a vat of toxic waste. Unbeknown to everyone, this incident changes Melvin's life forever. In a peculiar twist of fate, the contamination transforms Melvin into The Toxic Avenger, and Tromaville's superhero is born. In classic superhero style, Melvin's task is to rid of the evil in the town and of corruption. Peter Belgoody is the town's Mayor, yet the most corrupt of all, and The Toxic Avenger sets out to reprimand his accomplices in a glory cum comical fashion. Amidst the mayhem, there is even time for the superhero to fall in love with Sarah, the local blind girl.

Cast and characters

Mitch Cohen Cohen stars as The Toxic Avenger, the movie's superhero. He also starred in the 1994 comedy Clerks. Mark Torgl Torgl plays Melvin Junko, the down-on-his-luck janitor persistently bullied by the guests of Tromaville Health Club. Andree Maranda Andree assumes the role of Sarah, with whom The Toxic Avenger falls in love. Pat Ryan Jr Previously of 1997 hit mannequin, Ryan plays the antagonist, Mayor Peter Belgoody. Additional cast members Additional cast members include Jennifer Prichard, Cindy Manion, Robert Prichard and Gary Schneider. The tormentors include Wanda, Julie, Slug and Bozo.

Critical reception

The Toxic Avenger is widely accepted as being a farcical and outlandish fusion of gory violence and impressive special effects, accompanied by tongue-in-cheek humour. Although not recognised for its intelligence, the movie holds a certain amount of charm for the fans of the genre. Rating To date, the movie has a rating of 5.9 on the Internet Movie Database and a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 63%, made up of ten fresh and six rotten votes. Sequels Since the release of the original movie, the toxic hero crusader has made four returns to the big screen: - The Toxic Avenger Part II - The Toxic Avenger Part III - Citizen Toxie- The Toxic Avenger IV - Toxic Twins- The Toxic Avenger V