Allright guys keep up the good work and in response to your query from the last Podcast here is my thoughts on Citizen Toxie [please be kind, hopefully on time (; ]

Sept. 09, 17

Review by: Nick Ian Decelles

Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV [aka A Tale of Two Toxies]

This adventure of Melvin, The Toxic Avenger, is drastically different than his previous 3 films. MTV fast-cutting editing and hip music is noticeable right away and very similar to the critical darling “Tromeo & Juliet”. This style is very different than that used in Toxie’s previous adventures [including his “Toxic Crusader” cartoon series]. It’s a good thing that the chosen songs from many unknown independent Musicians are very catchy. Troma Entertainment founder Lloyd Kaufman is once again directing this, along with the previous three, although this time his frequent directing partner Michael Herz is only on as a producer, also there appears to be an uncredited Director named Gabriel Friedman this time.

Beginning at the “School for the Very Special” we are introduced to many handicapped students who are celebrating a very special holiday [to them at least] “Take a Mexican to Lunch Day”. During their festivities they are ambushed by the notorious “Diaper Mafia”, a gang who sports automatic weapons and you diapers [?!], and taken hostage. Here and throughout the rest of the film are Live segments from “Tromaville Actions News Ch. 69” featuring some hilarious news anchors commenting on the goings on of the Tromaville citizens during the films main plot line. After many jam-packed incidents, the students are saved by a sexy bikini clad model news reporter who then rips off her skin revealing a disguised Toxie complete with his trademark mop. He has a superhero partner named Lardass this time played by a hilarious Joe Fleishaker [whom I just found out online passed away last year r.i.p. you funny man]. After a bloody battle where many special students are lost, Lardass eats a large explosive set by the “Diaper Mafia” and nearly saves the day by detonating the bomb in his lard armored stomach. Sadly though, a gang member who was fornicating throughout the proceedings afterwards lights a cigerette. Lardass then lets out an explosive fart detonated by the flame and blows-up the remainder of the “School for the Very Special”, miraculously Toxie escapes unscathed.

At this point the plot really beings as Toxie escapes un-damaged only to find himself in a parallel world to Tromaville called Amortville. In this town he is considered public enemy #1 and is attacked by the citizens and police force upon exiting the school. Thankfully Kabukiman [of “Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.”] is there to save him in a fast getaway car. Only this Kabukiman is no Seargent, Toxie quickly finds out. It is around this point that we join Toxie’s doppelganger The Noxious Offender, also exiting the school from the explosion. Only, being in Tromaville, he is greeted by the town with open arms. Being a really really bad dude, we find out Noxie’s very different character as he proceeds to rip off the police chiefs arms and use them as weapons against the good citizens of Tromaville.

And that’s only the first 15 minutes, this movie is packed tight. Also, as usual Troma really pushes the boundaries with their comedy and mayhem. There is a lot of violence in this movie and considering this came out in October 2000, being an American I had a couple of issues with some real life parallels, mainly at the described parts at the beginning of the movie. Without going into the obvious there however, once the opening scenes were over and the parts of the main of the movie occurs, you could call me a very happy camper for the rest of the flick. I’d have to say my favorite character [besides the 2 Toxies of course] is Tito. I guess I’d include Sweetie Honey, his soon to be sidekick for most of the movie, as well. Tito, is basically her mentally handicapped human version of Toto from “The Wizard of Oz” and Sweetie Honey is a not so smart version of Dorothy. Both characters had the funniest moments in the movie to me. Tito began as one of the very special students who Toxie finds to be unusually articulate and a rebel who takes drugs because, “Being a teenager sucks. Being a retarded teenager sucks worse. Drugs make it suck less.”

Well besides all that insanity, a quick round-up of what’s in store throughout include basically: 2 versions [Good and evil] of all the main Toxie Troma characters. Ron Jeremy as the bible-thumping mayor, a group of Troma Superheroes, a thinly disguised Steven Hawkin character, a Doctor played by an outrageously dubbed Corey Feldman, a hitler-stache sporting police chief and his hitler-stache sporting police force, Mr. Head aka Poppy the helpful talking severed head, Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead [r.i.p. bro], a blink and you’ll miss cameo by the future Horror Auteur Eli Roth in the credits as Beautiful Young Boy, 3 dueling Toxie Babies, God as played by an ill-mannered/foul-mouthed little person, and the original actor as Melvin [evil doppelganger] from the original “Toxic Avenger”.

So much Epic material is covered in the nearly 2 hours that is “Citizen Toxie”. The original trilogy was all released in the 1980’s, and watching them again I noticed that they are very much movies of that memorable decade. Part 4, like I mentioned, was released in the year 2000 and is basically, to my eyes/ears at least a thorough Recap of the 1990’s and it’s Generation X’ers. This is especially noticeable in the wide array of Alt Rock songs placed throughout, some of the replayed many times a character motif’s. Love it or hate it, this seemingly limitless barrage of madcap creativity for strictly adult audiences is does to “Citizen Kane” and “A Tale of Two Cities” what “Tromeo & Juliet” did for.. well you know. “Noseblood,” anyone?