There is a warm, fuzzy place in the heart of real Horror fans for independent cinema. Something more mainstream viewers may not appreciate, or even understand, it is the dedicated viewer that keeps the lower budget industry alive. That said, perhaps the most well-known and beloved independent film production and distribution companies in America has to be Troma Entertainment. Founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz back in 1974, through the years, Troma has produced, acquired, and distributed over one-thousand independent films. A grand accomplishment, arguably one of Troma’s most recognized original releases is none other than 1984’s The Toxic Avenger.
A film that is credited as the one that built the house of Troma, The Toxic Avenger really captures the imagination of its audience with a mix of comedy, goofy gore, and plenty of satire. For those who have yet to view the film after nearly four decades, in short, you have a geeky, awkward guy named Melvin Ferd Junko III who works at a local gym full of meatheads. With some of the clientele worse than others, unfortunately for Melvin some of the club’s worst humans are out to get him, and inveterately expose him to toxic waste. What happens from here is really up to you to watch and find out.
A really fun film that’s sarcasm is still not lost all these years later, it also spawned a series of films that included 1989’s The Toxic Avenger Part II and The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie, as well as 2000’s Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV. A collection of over-the-top, at times bizarre, but no less entertaining films, Troma Entertainment have put together the ultimate Toxie fan collection with The Toxic Avenger Collection, TA in 4K.
A part of Troma Entertainment’s 50th anniversary celebration, the new set became available back on August 29, 2023 for human consumption. Presented in TROMAzing Ultra High Definition, the collection includes all the aforementioned original Toxic Avenger films in one box set. Individually packaged, but all within a nice box, the features are all newly restored 4K scans from the original camera negatives and they look pretty solid. Furthermore, the films are presented in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio in HDR with English DTS 2.0 stereo audio, plus feature new introductions from Lloyd Kaufman himself. Enough to sell the set, because presentations are really high quality, like Troma, they still offer you more. Always given their fans more back for their buck the set also includes a collectible Toxic Avenger postcard, plus plenty of extra features on the discs such as interviews and commentaries.
In the end this is the ultimate Toxic Avenger box set and a fitting honor to film that really set a standard for other independent flicks that proceeded in the ‘80s and beyond. It is also a reminder of the series impact… because there is actually a reboot of the original film that premiered as the opening film of Fantastic Fest on September 21, 2023. A good pick up to watch with some popcorn this Halloween season, or pick up as a Christmas gift for a friend, Cryptic Rock gives The Toxic Avenger Collection 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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