I’ll never forget walking into a mom-and-pop video store in the downtown area of my town. I used to put on my Walkman and walk there, mostly to look when I wasn’t old enough to rent. I’d find stuff I wanted and even hide boxes until I came back with my mom. When I walked into the back room where the horror films were, there was a poster with that terrific catchphrase that read, “He was 98lbs of solid nerd until he became…The Toxic Avenger. The first super-hero…from New Jersey.”
I was fascinated by that poster, and I needed to see it. Months later, I woke up late at night while my dad watched television. If I cracked my bedroom door just right, I could lie on my stomach and peek at the TV through. That night, my dad was watching The Toxic Avenger. I watched maybe half the film before he changed the channel. I stayed at a friend’s house that weekend, and his mom rented it for us. We may have watched it four or five times that weekend before taking it back.
From then on, I found myself obsessed with The Toxic Avenger and other films from the Troma library. They became a brand and studio I would follow until this very day. That first film would spawn three sequels (two in 1989 and one in 2000), comic books, a video game, and a children’s animated show called The Toxic Crusaders. The films have been released numerous times in different formats, and in collaboration with MVD, Troma has FINALLY released a new 8-disc boxset collecting all four films in 4K. That’s right, it’s TA in 4K and all you’ll ever need.
The Toxic Avenger follows Melvin, a mop boy at the Tromaville Health Club who falls victim to a group of bullies. This leads him to fall into a vat of toxic waste, which transforms him into a hideously deformed superhero of superhuman size and strength. He spends his time cleaning up the streets of Tromaville while falling in love with a beautiful blind woman. He battles all sorts of nasty criminals, including a darker version of himself, all while keeping the Tromaville citizens safe.
All four films are B-movie masterpieces that deliver laughs, gore, and gratuitous nudity to all new levels. Before it was cool to release R-rated superhero films, Troma did it best. Having watched these movies so many times over the years, it’s always interesting to see how the releases evolve and improve upon the previous. I never bought the films on Blu-ray since I already had a DVD box set, but this 4K set will satisfy all your Toxie needs.
As far as the 4K image goes, it delivers a sharp, crisp image. I noticed a few spots with digital ghosting, but overall, it is a very satisfying picture. Each film is a two-disc set, one being the 4K and the other being the Blu-ray release. All the extras remain intact on the Blu-rays, while the 4K discs include a new introduction from Troma founder and creator of the Toxic Avenger, Lloyd Kaufman.
Part of me wishes there was a little bit more in this set, like new extras, mini posters, and a booklet. However, it includes a pretty cool postcard showing an old photo of Lloyd and his partner Michael Herz on one side when they were just starting. On the other side is a recent photo of the two. Herz has disappeared from the public eye and kept behind the scenes, so it’s great to see these two friends and business partners have kept the company running for fifty years.
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It’s hard even to imagine a world without Troma, and since Macon Blair’s 2023 remake/reboot of The Toxic Avenger is starting to make the festival rounds, the timing of this 4K release couldn’t be better. Hopefully, it will drum up enough interest in the original films to help keep Troma alive and running for many years to come.
Whether or not you have any previous versions, this updated release will allow fans to see the films in an entirely different light, ensuring the character’s longevity. Thirteen-year-old me never would have thought I’d still be talking about the Monster Hero thirty-six years later. Holding this set in my hands ensures that the kid inside me will live on the same way Toxie has.
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