Return to Nuke 'Em High Volume 1

The Troma Team and Lloyd Kaufman have been on a roll ever since the 1997 release of Tromeo and Juliet. That film spawned a second golden age of Troma which gave us Terror Firmer, Citizen Toxie, and Poultrygeist. These are all some of the very best, most inspired films that the famed independent studio has put out in its nearly 40 years of existence. This golden age might have come to an end with Return to Nuke 'Em High Volume 1.

This remake (I guess?) of Troma's 1986 Class of Nuke 'Em High certainly has all of the signature Troma elements in place. Gore, gross-out humor, gratuitous nudity, and social satire are present in abundance. Something seems to be missing this time around, however. Perhaps the writing is not as sharp this time. I can't quite put my finger on it. The film is also noticeably slicker than Troma's usual efforts. Lloyd Kaufman is a noted devotee of 35mm film and all of his previous directing efforts were shot on film. I'm not sure about Return to Nuke 'Em High. It almost looks like it was shot digitally. There are also a number of CGI effects this time around, which I think is a first for Troma. The cast was quite good and the actors did their best with the uneven script. I liked the soundtrack quite a lot also.

To sum up, Return to Nuke 'Em High Part 1 will not rank among Troma's best. It does not compare to The Toxic Avenger, Terror Firmer, Citizen Toxie or Poultrygeist. It just didn't knock my socks off like those films did. However, it is an entertaining film with a few moments of brilliance. It is certainly better than Class of Nuke 'Em High Parts 2 and 3. Here's hoping that Part 2 is an improvement. The trailer looks promising.

This fourth installment of the Class of Nuke Em High series is another schlocky Troma movie that is made for fans of the production company and for fans of B-movies. Just like the other movies from the series, this one is best to be understood as a comedy, with perhaps a little bit of gore (but actually not too much). There's a lot of meta references to other Troma movies, so I recommend watching the Toxic Avenger series and the other Class of Nuke Em High movies first. There's also a lot of funny pop culture references, as well as several nods to current political issues.

In terms of production values, the new digital look I think suits Troma movies. The visuals are very colorful, making you feel like in a campy 90's high school flick. There's a lot of ingenuity in the jokes, but also a lot of slap stick.

A lot of folks don't like the new Cretins—which sing(!)—but I didn't mind them too much. The singing is so absolutely nonsensical that it just seemed right for a movie like this, which, after all, tries to be deliberately random.

What really makes "RETURN TO NUKE 'EM HIGH VOLUME 1" stand out within the oeuvre of Troma movies is the excellent cast. The two female leads are very relatable, and the two of them together have some real energy. I also felt that Clay von Carlowitz's deliberately over-the-top performance as Eugene was absolutely hilarious, with a good sense of physicality.

All in all a nice, short-lived, campy session of good-old Troma entertainment.

Almost 30yrs since the first Nuke Em High movie and almost 20yrs since the last one, Lloyd Kaufman returns in a reboot to Troma's second most famous franchise.

Overhauling the plot altogether (Not that there really was one) it tells the story of two girls who fall in love and have to combat an evil corporation and a genetically modified glee club.

So all these years later what are the differences? Well it's the same gore, nudity and 3rd grade humor. If you want fart jokes and ridiculous stereotypes this will still appeal.

What's different is they've almost entirely lost the 80's theme (Which was the heart and soul of the Troma universe), they've lost the recurring cast and any connection to previous movies.

So essentially this has thrown aside the universe they have spent 30yrs building and starts afresh with a clean slate. Only thing is they used that clean slate to make the same old garbage for the most part.

Crude, offensive, dumb, childish and catering to the lowest possible denominator.

The Good:

Stan Lee's narration

The Bad:

Lloyd Kaufman

Beyond childish humor

Cringe inducing

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

All you need is lobe

Lemmy should have been President

The food network is sexy

Prince alberts are not suitable high school attire

Tuna Town doesn't sound appealing

Marijuana causes spontaneous combustion

95% of Troma advertising is in movie posters

This later day sequel to the Class of Nuke 'Em High is the best film in the series since the original.

This movie has all the odd humor and gore that I've come to love from Troma. Being born in the 80s and growing up on the Classic of Nuke' Em High and the Toxic Avenger series, I always get excited when I hear the Lloyd Kaufman is working on new movies.

Return to Nuke 'Em High Volume 1 is unhinged. There's a lot of pop culture jokes and sick, twisted humor.

The beautiful Catherine Corcoran and Asta Paredes do an excellent job in the film, as two lovers who take on the cretins.

Only downside is the ending. Watch the movie and you'll see what I mean.

How to review a movie like this? The first minute or so we get a fast-forward recap of all the previous Nuke 'Em High movies. The nuclear plant was destroyed and an organic food plant has been build on top of the ruins. A new girl starts school. She's given a hard time by some cute tough chick. On Taco Tuesday the food plant provides the ingredients. All the kids who eat it become mutants. The new girl as a pet duck that also becomes infected and infects the new girl in the craziest way. In the meantime new girl and tough girl have fallen for each other and now both become mutants as well as the school's singing club which have become The Cretins.

It's been years since I've seen a Troma movie. I never was much of a fan. And Return to Nuke 'Em High Volume 1 isn't going to turn me into one either. It's got great gore scenes, very good nudity from the two gorgeous leads: Catherine Corcoran and Asta Paredes. That's about it. The humor wouldn't be funny to 10 year olds. It's more interested in being offensive and dumb, as expected. It even manages to ruin the two main characters. It's impressive though to see a young cast so committed to doing whatever is asked of them. A shame Troma doesn't know what to with them. Still I'll probably check out part 2 just so see more of Cathy and Asta.