This is probably about the most famous and best known title that Troma studios have released. It's an uneven black comedy, with a high gore quotient and lots of lame jokes and laugh scenes. However it's still highly entertaining if you're in the right silly mood, and the title and reputation alone make it a must see if you're a fan at all of exploitation cinema.

The cast is full of nobodies, actors who look like they've been picked off the street, and fill every clichéd role in the book as they madly mug at the camera. To be fair, most of the actors don't take themselves too seriously and a few of them are hilariously over the top. The laughs range from the quite clever to the downright stupid, with the mickey being taken out of the overweight, the blind, just about anyone you can think of really. Therefore the film isn't for those who get easily offended.

The story about a nerd who turns superhero is infamous and clichéd by now, but it was still quite fresh here and therefore it's quite enjoyable. Some sequences are highly reminiscent of Frankenstein, especially with the blind girl, although not as highbrow. Basically the plot is an excuse for a series of violent fight scenes, where the Avenger murders the baddies in various graphic ways, including ripping the entrails out of them, frying them in a deep pan fryer, burning them in a microwave and even drilling them. These fight scenes are all quite enjoyable and fun to watch.

There is plenty of the above mentioned gore to enjoy and lots of topless girls to add to the exploitation feel, as well as some out of place classic horror movie music. This just adds to the feel of the film, which is a totally crazy and insane one. The special effects aren't bad for Toxie; although pretty rubbery, they are good value for money.

The most interesting thing about this film is how much was achieved with so little a budget, all you need is a little imagination, and this film succeeds with that. With lots of sequels and even a cartoon following, this uneven but likable comedy is probably worth a watch.

Tromaville has a monstrous new hero. The Toxic Avenger is born when mop boy Melvin Junko (Mark Torgl) falls into a vat of toxic waste. Now evildoers will have a lot to lose.

"The Toxic Avenger" is the very definition of the so-bad-it's-good movie, and really, so is much of what Troma produced in the 1980s. Over-the-top acting and characters, but always done tongue-in-cheek, you cannot help but laugh at the film, even when it is utterly disturbing.

Lloyd Kaufman and his crew were never afraid to pull the punches. Unfortunately for them, bad cinema has caught with them and their latest releases are not as edgy as their earlier endeavors. Running over a kid's head? Pointing a shotgun at a baby? Very edgy in 1984, but in 2015 it no longer is (no doubt due to independent filmmakers now trying to one-up Troma!).

My 10/10 rating assumes that you like this movie before you've seen it. "The Toxic Avenger" is the ultimate movie for anyone into 1980s schlock. No doubt it was intended mainly for teenage boys (I lost track of how many naked women there were here). But overall, it's great to see a movie never self-conscious or anything like that (I mean, come on, look at that ridiculous outfit that the title character wears); the movie's really gross and proud of it. Troma must still be proud of this flick.

Oh, and of course Marisa Tomei has a small appearance in the movie. Who ever would have guessed that one of the people starring in this would later win an Oscar?