It has been five long years since Return to Nuke 'Em High Vol. 1 was released on blu-ray, but the time has come for Troma to release Vol. 2 on blu-ray. Is it worth the five year wait or is the film a substandard entry into Troma's filmogralhy.
Studio: Troma
Release Date: January 15th, 2017 (theatrical)
November 12th, 2019 (blu-ray)
Run Time: 85 mins
Region Code: FREE
Picture: 1080p (1.78:1 aspect ratio)
Sound: English Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH
Slipcover: No
Digital Copy: No
Starring: Asta Paredes, Catherine Corcoran, Zac Amico, Vito Trigo, Lloyd Kaufman, and Tara E. Miller
Written by Derek Dressler, Lloyd Kaufman, and Gabriel Friedman
Directed by Lloyd Kaufman
Rating: Not Rated (strong graphic violence and gore, graphic nudity, strong sexual content, and language)
THE FILM
Lauren (Catherine Corcoran) and her blogger girlfriend Chrissy (Asta Paredes) must save Tromaville's Nuke 'Em High from the ongoing effects of the nuclear-sludge filled tacos from Tromorganic Foodstuffs, while also trying to keep their illicit love affair from being unmasked.
It has been over five years since the release of Return to Nuke 'Em High Vol. 1 was released on blu-ray and fans finally have the conclusion to this saga that shouldn't have taken this long to finish. While the first volume had plenty of plot and characters to move that plot forward in an honest way, Vol. 2 barely enough meat on its bones to limp to its 85 minute run time. It becomes very apparent while watching this volume that had Troma just made a two hour film that combined everything needed from both volumes they wouldn't have needed this second volume. Now, that's not to say that there isn't anything to love here, quite the contrary, it's just that I have forgotten most of what happened in volume 2 and it has only been a few days since I watched it. I can still remember volume one pretty well and I haven't seen it in five years. The gore effects here are good as are all of Troma's gore effects. It's the CGI that Troma uses that doesn't look very good at all. Thankfully, they aren't used very much but I wish they weren't used at all. In the end, Return to Return to Nuke 'Em High aka Vol. 2 meets Troma's standards when it comes to gore and everything else that Troma is known for but fails as a film because it is completely unnecessary. Oh well, we should be that Shakespeare's Shitstorm is already in the can.
THE PICTURE AND THE SOUND
Being Troma's first digitally shot film, you should expect it to look good but I think it looks so much than good. This is a great looking film with a wide color palette that accentuates the blood and gore. This transfer keeps up with everything Troma has put into the film. Colors never bleed and skin tones look great. Detail is high in just about every shot and I didn't detect any problems that plagued some of Troma's blu-rays over the years.
While the sound is not lossless, we only get a Dolby Digital track, I didn't really have any problems with the track. Dialogue is clear and the effects are all gooey as we have come to expect from Troma.
THE PACKAGING
THE FEATURES
Disc 1: The Film
Introduction by Lloyd Kaufman, Zac Amico, and Catherine Corcoran (3m 4s, HD)
Troma takes the piss out of the fact that it has been over five years since Vol. 1
hit blu-ray by setting this introduction 100 years in the future and having
descendants of Kaufman (Lil Lloydy), Amico, and Corcoran introduce the
film in a way that only Troma can.
Return to Nuke ‘Em High Trailer (2m 43s, HD)
Vol. 2 Uncensored Trailer (3m 58s, HD)
#Shakespearesshitstorm Trailer (1m 23s, HD)
Many Thanks to Our Kickstarter Backers (5m 5s, HD) A list of the backers
who gave Troma money through Kickstarter so that Troma could finish post-production
on Vol. 2.
Short Films:
Mr. Topps (10m 43s, HD)
Merry Christmas to My Wife’s Butt (9m 59s, HD)
Radiation March (56s, SD, 1.33:1)
Troma Now! Xtreme Edition (2m 22s, HD)
Disc 2: Special Features
2 Girls 1 Duck: Full-Length Duckumentary (1h 43m 23s, HD) Since Terror
Firmer, Troma has become known for their honest and raw behind the scenes
documentaries. In fact, they are some of the best making of docs out there. This
one is no exception. Return to Nuke ‘Em High was the first film that Troma shot
digitally and thus they wanted to do things right and hired a small crew that had
worked on many Hollywood productions to oversee the photography of the film.
This turns out to be more of a curse than a blessing. The crew required Troma to
rent tons of equipment that the film really didn’t need and then the crew also looked
down on the production and the people working on the film any chance they got.
This leads to some confrontations between the people of Troma and the Hollywood
elite. That is just a small sampling of what this doc has to offer. I actually liked this
doc much more than the film it accompanies.
Make Your Own Damn Shower Scene (5m 10s, HD) A look at how a shower
scene is shot with Ophelia Rain.
Make Your Own Damn Green Screen in a Bentley (5m 47s, HD) This is from
some pickups down after the film had finished filming. We see how Troma uses
a green screen to good effect.
TroMOMA: Vol 1 Honored at the Museum of Modern Art in New York
(11m 39s, HD) An extended version of what is seen in the doc.
Bust a Nut with Troma Now! (1m 47s, HD)
From Festival to Fascism: Cannes 2017 (13m 13s, HD) A look at what has
happened to the Cannes Film Festival in recent years. Cannes has become a
military state that tries to silence independent cinema while Disney and the
other big corporations can do the same thing the independents are forced to abandon.
Tribute to Stan Lee (3m 16s, HD)
Tribute to Lemmy (8m 15s, HD)
Tribute to Joe Fleishaker (4m 43s, HD)
THE CONCLUSION
THE FILM5
THE PICTURE8
THE SOUND6
THE PACKAGING7
THE FEATURES10
Summary
Return to Return to Nuke ‘Em High aka Vol. 2 is a miss for me. I really love Troma but there isn’t much here to keep me going. That said, this blu-ray is a must have for Troma fans. The film may not be all that great but the doc that is on this disc is pure perfection. I would recommend people just buy this set for the making of. It is that good.
8.5
THE SCREENSHOTS
 Blu-ray Review){kind=link}
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