Purely talking in terms & standards of Troma Film Productions, "The Toxic Avenger" is almost like a true masterpiece! It's a fast-paced and immensely entertaining smutfest, stuffed with grotesquely gooey make-up effects, politically incorrect situations and ridiculously absurd toilet-humor that somehow puts a giant smile on your face despite being unspeakably awful! The plot borrows the clichéd elements of average 80's teen-slashers, as a constantly bullied moron, working as a cleaner in the Tromaville's fitness center, is hurled in a barrel of radioactive toxic waste after one-too-many juvenile pranks. However, he emerges again as a horribly deformed and 7 ft. tall superhero still wielding his mop, only now to fight crime and wreak havoc on all those who mistreated him. The crime scenes Toxie encounters are extremely offensive, but at the same time irresistibly hilarious because they're so over the top! A clique of hyperactive teenagers randomly drive their car over the faces of children on bicycles ("Death Race 2000"-style), crazed robbers aim their guns at little babies and guide dogs for the blind and old ladies are beaten up with their own canes. The gore effects surely are nauseating, but never really unsettling or shocking. Naturally, there's also tons of rancid sleaze and embarrassingly bad jokes on display and witty dialogs are the last thing you should expect in a script written by Joe Ritter and Lloyd Kaufman. The last fifteen minutes are rather tame in comparison with the rest of the film, because the two had already run out of ideas. Overall, "The Toxic Avenger", as well as the entire Troma-repertoire, represents the lowest form of horror film-making, but it can be fun when watched in the right mental state of mind.
Review of The Toxic Avenger
