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| Stomp Visual (Australia). All Regions, NTSC. 4:3. English DD 2.0. 83 minutes |
| The Movie |
| Cover Art |
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| Credits |
Directors: Richard
W. Haines and Lloyd Kaufman
Starring: Janelle Brady,
Gilbert Brenton, Robert Prichard, R.L. Ryan, James
Nugent Vernon, Brad Dunker, Gary Schneider, Theo
Cohan
Screenplay: Richard
W. haines, Mark Rudnitsky, Lloyd Kaufman, Stuart
Strutin
Country: USA |
Class of Nuke 'Em High is an absolute Troma classic, from back when some
money was still being spent on their projects.
Radioactive contamination causes some personality
changes at Tromaville High School, most noticeably
in the Honour Society, which has morphed into
the worst high school gang ever, The Cretins.
The Cretins are buying pot grown at the nearby
nuclear plant (because it grows quicker there),
and selling it at school. Our two heroes aren't
fully straight edge, but they aren't into
drugs, yet still end up taking a toke. The tainted
weed has some disastrous, and messy, side effects,
but what else would you expect from Troma?
Class of Nuke 'Em High's
story is a bit all over the place, in part due
to choppy editing, and some story elements just
kind of stop, creating loose ends. A few minor
points of clarification turn up in the deleted
scenes, but this is often one to just enjoy on
a scene by scene basis.
While there is some similarity story wise to
Troma's prior hit The Toxic Avenger,
as both films focus on mutation, Class
of Nuke 'Em High actually has a
climax (though that also has an air of familiarity
to Toxic Avenger fans in the
form of R.L. Ryan). It isn't as excessive
as Toxic Avenger, even in this
director's cut, but it's still one
of Troma's best. The film features MANY
familiar faces from the classic Troma staple,
even though some of them are obscured by the wild
styles of the high schoolers, and is very entertaining. |
| Video |
| Class of Nuke 'Em High is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1.
The film has specks, grain, dirt, a lack of clarity
in blacks, a slightly soft image, and a few digital
glitches. In short, it's of the expected quality
of an older Troma movie. |
| Audio |
| The audio track is a two-channel mix, which is
decent and presumably the original audio. The dialogue
remains clear throughout, except for Gonzo's,
of course. |
| Extra Features |
| Firstly, I have to say the DVD's menus often
lack a back feature, so I constantly had to use
the title button on my remote to navigate the disc.
The disc has quite a few of the standard Troma
extras: an ad for a book by Lloyd Kaufman, President
of Troma and creator of the Toxic Avenger; the
Aroma du Troma clip; public service announcement
number one; an ad for the website; and the Troma
tour. Missing from the original US pressing of
the DVD are the Troma trailers and the T.I.T.
Unfortunately not missing from the original pressing
is the Radiation March short.
Class of Nuke 'Em High specific extras include a photo gallery; deleted/extended
scenes; a five and half minute interview with
stars Robert and Jennifer Prichard; a 39 (!) second
commentary by Theo Pingarelli, who worked with
Troma for many years and designed the models seen
in Class of Nuke 'Em High;
a clip from Tromaville Café introducing
the film; and a commentary by Lloyd Kaufman, President
of Troma and creator of the Toxic Avenger.
The brief interview with the Prichards is listed
as a 'picture commentary' on the slick,
but it's not really; it's an interview.
Regardless, it is surprisingly good, as they also
starred in Toxic Avenger, so
had several amusing Troma anecdotes. The 39 (!)
second commentary is also listed on the slick,
which I think is just misleading. The main extra
is, of course, the commentary by co-director Lloyd
Kaufman, President of Troma and creator of the
Toxic Avenger. Lloyd Kaufman, President of Troma
and creator of the Toxic Avenger, seemed less
talkative than usual, but it's still a good
track, and it's very interesting to hear
his take on the death of indie theatres in the
80s and the rise of Blockbuster video. |
| The Verdict |
Nudity, gore, oozing monsters, and utter zaniness?
It must be Troma! While it wouldn't be until
the sequel that we got everyone's favourite
mutated squirrel, Tromie, this is still a lot of
fun, and a must have DVD for Troma fans.
Got something else to say? Spill your guts on the
Digital Retribution Message Forum! |
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