September 4, 2001
The first Superhero from New Jersey is back!
In this one, The Toxic Avenger goes to Japan to find his father. I was impressed by the fact that they really filmed in Japan and found some great locations, like the Fish Markets. There was more blood and gore going on in that fish market than in the rest of the film. There were also a lot of Kabuki men, possibly foreshadowing Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.? I did expect more Godzilla references though.
There are some decent villains in this one – my favorite is the little midget Basketball dude. The Mutant fish head guy is a close second. I think Malfaire was underused though – I guess they couldn’t afford to send her to Japan.
Toxie’s “new” girlfriend is quite annoying. I just wanted to bitchslap her the whole time. She does fill out a dress better than the last one, but geez….she could stop making those weird squealing sounds.
And what’s up with ‘Amazing Grace’? I have noticed it used in almost all TROMA films that I have seen recently…there is a gospel version in this one, a Kabuki version in Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. and a metal version in Terror Firmer. I am guessing that the rights on the song have lapsed and they can use it all they want…or maybe Lloyd just likes that song a lot…
Well, I gotta say that the second installment in the Toxic Avenger series is not nearly as good as the first one, but it is still a pretty decent way to spend a Labor Day. The main shortcoming is the lack of gore, as compared to most other TROMA fare. Even though I have the Director’s Cut DVD, a lot of the gore is edited out. The official site says that a box set is coming out that will include the gore, but goddamn it, I HATE it when they do that, now I have to buy the damned thing again.
Rating – R
Runtime – 96 minutes
Genre – TROMA
Director(s) – Michael Herz, Lloyd Kaufman
Writer(s) – Lloyd Kaufman, Pericles Lewnes
Actor(s) – Ron Fazio, John Altamura, Phoebe Legere, Rick Collins, Lisa Gaye
BOB Rating – Three BOBs
Favorite Quote – "At first I found it hard to believe that my father was Japanese, and that I was part-Japanese. But that would explain why I've always had these strange, non-American urges to work very hard, save money, and live without credit cards." - The Toxic Avenger (Ron Fazio)