Plot: What’s it about?
The infamous Diaper Mafia has just overtaken Tromaville’s School for the Very Special, which means bad news for all those retards. As Ms. Weiner (Debbie Rochon) tries to keep her students calm, the Diaper Mafia begins to execute the mongoloids. The sole hope of rescue is The Toxic Avenger, Tromaville’s own radioactive superhero. Toxie soon arrives on the scene with his sidekick Lardass (Joe Fleishaker), determined to retake the school. Even after he forces the thugs to shit in their own diapers, Toxie finds himself in serious trouble, as a bomb is set to explode in five seconds and he needs to go impregnate his wife. He manages to race home, lay the meat to his main squeeze, and return before the blast, but its still too late. The school shatters under the pressure of the bomb, though Toxie does save two students. Lardass lessened the damage by eating the explosives, but he goes down with the school. When Toxie emerges from the school, he isn’t hailed as a hero, instead he is chased by the police and treated like a jerk. Toxie soon discovers that he has been transported into a different dimension, a place known as Amortville. The blast triggered a hole in time & space, which sent Toxie to Amortville and by turn, sent The Noxious Offender to Tromaville, where he is causing all kinds of chaos. Can Toxie somehow get back to Tromaville and save his beloved town, as well as his beloved wife?
Toxie is back! After an extensive series of delays, Citizen Toxie has landed and fans of bad movies should rejoice. The plot is a little more complex than the usual Troma projects, but rest assured, all the usual Troma elements are on full showcase. So that means tons of blood, tons of breasts, tons of politically incorrect dialogue, and of course, that special lack of budget that makes Troma so much fun. Citizen Toxie isn’t quite as out of control as Troma’s Terror Firmer, but it comes close and is a total blast to watch, especially with a large audience. The pace is brisk and the outlandish moments never cease, so dull stretches are absent and the fun never slows down in Citizen Toxie. I loved all the wild cameos, including some I never expected, as well as the usual Troma band of offenders. The acting is bad, but that’s good in the Troma realm of cinema, though I do think Michael Budinger is hilarious as The Retard Rebel. Troma has upped the ante with Citizen Toxie, adding more graphic violence, bloodshed, topless women, and offensive content than ever before, which is a real feat in this case. So if you’re a fan of the Tromatic cinematic experience, Citizen Toxie is a must have release. Troma’s two disc collector’s edition is awesome too, but make sure you nab the unrated director’s cut.
Video: How does it look?
Citizen Toxie is presented in full frame, as intended. As always with Troma movies, this one looks about ten years older than it is, but that’s to be expected. The print has marks, debris, and some grain, but not enough to be concerned about, at least not on the Troma scale. The image is also on the soft side, but that is due to the source material and not this visual presentation, so we can’t knock this treatment. The colors are bright and consistent, while flesh tones look natural, though some dullness can be seen. I found contrast to be passable, but not as refined as I would like, as black levels are a tad inconsistent. But on the Troma scale, Citizen Toxie looks quite good and as such, I see no reason to raise much of a ruckus.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio here is passable, but as per usual, Troma didn’t spend much time on the overall sound design. So the soundtrack lacks refinement, but it gets loud when it needs to and in this case, that’s all we can ask. If you’re hoping for a dynamic, reference level Toxie, you’ll be let down, but as far as Troma movies, this one sounds solid. All the crashes, smashes, and screams come through well though, so the experience remains intact. No troubles with dialogue either, as vocals sound clean and clear at all times. So on the Troma scale, this one sounds good enough, but the low budget is evident throughout this soundtrack. This release also includes optional English subtitles, in case you’ll need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This is a loaded two disc edition, with more supplements than you can shake a mongoloid at, believe me. On the first disc, we have special introduction from Troma’s president Lloyd Kaufman, but that’s just the start of the goodies. A trio of audio commentaries can be found here, as Kaufman holds the first session, editors Gabe Friedman & Sean McGrath are in the second, and the final track features several members of the cast. I always love to listen to Kaufman’s candid comments, but the session with Friedman & McGrath is the best of the tracks. You shouldn’t miss Kaufman’s rants, but make sure you also listen to the editors’ session, though the cast commentary proves to be a slight disappointment. That’s not all however, as this first disc also holds some deleted scenes (w/ optional audio comments), additional cast interviews, a reel of outtakes, and trailers for Citizen Toxie and other Troma delights. The second disc holds even more supplements, the most substantial of which is Apocalypse Soon: The Making of Citizen Toxie. This piece runs well over two hours and while it is good at times, its too long and should have been trimmed in places. Even so, its fun to see all the behind the scenes footage, the kind no major studio release would ever have, plus all the candid interviews with cast & crew members. You can also browse a wealth of additional behind the scenes material, including pre-production and script meetings, make-up and special effects reels, and footage from the film’s theatrical premieres.
