The sort-of sequel, sort-of reboot of 1987’s Class of Nuke ‘Em High, complete with the requisite squashed heads and boobs aplenty, replaces the nuclear power plant located next door to Tromaville High in the original with the Tromorganic food corporation, but the effects are pretty much the same. 1 on a worldwide promo tour, and in his absence Troma has released the first trailer for the forthcoming Vol. 1 almost in mid-sentence.Īt the moment Kaufman’s taking Vol.
In fact he guaranteed himself an audience for the follow-up by ending Vol. Kaufman takes potshots at both ends of the political spectrum, but just like its approach to comedy, it’s lacking in focus or control.Never one to let a pretentious mainstream trend go unpunished (especially when you can potentially double your profits in the process), Lloyd Kaufman joined the ranks of Quentin Tarantino, Peter Jackson, and Lars von Trier by breaking Troma’s latest splatter comedy epic, Return to Nuke ‘Em High into two films. Troma’s always included political messaging in their films, and Volume 2 is no different. It’s loaded with cameos - some you’ll catch (like Impactical Jokers’ James Murray) and others you might not (Cinemassacre critic James Rolfe) - and there’s some really excellently funny in-jokes for the Tromaheads, like a hilarious ret-con bit to the original that lands with surprising effect.Īs one may expect, a majority of it is astonishingly bad (in a charming trash sense), but there were moments where I found myself completely transfixed by its idiotic lunacy. Kaufman takes a page out of Groucho Marx’s playbook, throwing jokes, puns, gags, and obscenities out at a rapid machine gun rate, increasing the likelihood of making a comedic connection however, the grouping is anything but consistent, and there’s more instances of misfire than there are bull’s eyes. Between both Volumes, there’s probably a decent 90-minute cut in there, after the numerous unnecessary fatty bits are trimmed however, on the inverse, the peripheral elements embedded in both volumes tend to be the stronger bits.Īmidst its scatterbrained chaos, there are some good moments and some stupid dumb laughs to be had - there is one scene between Kaufman and his actual wife, Patricia “Pat” (AKA The Commissioner) Kaufman, about toning down the nudity that is the funniest thing I’ve seen all year. The fact that it took two films to tell this simple story is pretty insane as well. Unfortunately, Kaufman has stepped into a more digital world, and the film loses some charm without the aid of the cool DIY practical effects or the warmth of 35 mm, which have been notorious hallmarks of Troma cinema.
At times, it’s almost impossible to keep up with the blistering pace, but who needs story when there are monsters and mutated ducks and gore?! I don’t know how Lloyd did it, but Volume 2 is somehow even more unhinged and unfocused than Volume 1, making it nothing more than a clothesline to hang various gags, which occasionally land with the dumb, blunt force that Kaufman is known for. It shifts POV at the drop of a hat, staggering the viewer with its frontal assault, and it bounces between its many storylines, which includes a zany Troma morning talkshow, that work a few times before mutating into a cumbersome slog. Volume 2 is even more ballistically ADD and painfully self-aware than the last film, with even less narrative coherence or consistency.
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