Class of Nuke 'Em High: Subhumanoid Meltdown

One of Troma's bigger franchises next to 'The Toxic Avenger' are the 'Nuke Em High' movies. There have been a few of them and all have that special and unique Troma insanity, which includes blood, guts, laughs, and tons of nudity. The first 'Class of Nuke Em High' came out in 1986 and was pretty straight-forward in a Troma sort of way. The sequel, which came out in 1991 was a completely different animal altogether with a new director named Eric Louzil who wanted to make his own 'Nuke Em High' movie.

He didn't really even make a direct sequel, but instead tried something new. Like most Troma sequels, things tend to go berserk in a chaotic manner where a smoother story is left to rot in the corner. It's about more monsters, boobs, and gore this time around, but hey, I'm not really complaining, because I know what I'm in for with Troma most of the time. The big corporation Nukama decides to build a new technology college where Tromaville High once stood called Tromaville Institute of Technology or (T.I.T.) for short. I know, pure geniuses. Of course, this being Troma, the student body consists mostly of almost naked women and a gang called The Squirrels who more or less break into fights rather than learn.

Professor Holt (Lisa Gaye) is in charge of the Subhumanoid program, which is basically mutating humans into these monstrous creatures that have no emotions and are expected to perform easy tasks. There are still a few kinks to work out though as most of the Subhumanoids tend to melt to death at any given moment, hence the title 'Subhumanoid Meltdown'. The school reporter Roger tends to report on all the gossip and fights in school, but comes across a Subhumanoid and ends up falling love with her. When he finds out about the melting condition, he sets out to stop the evil Professor Holt and find a cure.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that there is also a giant mutated evil squirrel named Tromie that breaks out and tries to destroy everything and everyone in the city. I couldn't make this up if I tried. Oddly enough, the start of the film tries to show us what's in store through the movie, by pretty much giving the ending away or at least the climax. It's a strange decision, one that slows the pace down quite a bit. That being said, this unique sequel still has enough Troma nudity and gore to keep your attention and even has a cameo by The Toxic Avenger in a slapstick scene.

In the end, this sequel is too chaotic and runs all over the place instead of trying to keep to the story at hand. In addition, this sequel tries to show too much at the beginning of the film in stead of pacing itself out. That being said, there is still enough fun and gross out gags and crazy giant squirrel monsters for you Troma fans to sink your teeth into.

'Class of Nuke Em High 2: Subhumanoid Meltdown' comes with a 1080p HD transfer presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Unlike the video presentation of 'The Toxic Avenger: Part II', this video presentation is quite good, considering it's Troma. The image holds up quite well in this new transfer. The detail looks great that showcases vivid closeups of every gooey and gross piece of makeup effect. Even the wider shots and background images hold up nicely here too. There is a nice layer of grain from the original film that is left here without any new fluctuations.

Colors pop of screen as well throughout as each color is well-balanced and saturated this time out. It's like looking at a new movie, especially the gorier moments. Skin tones are natural and the black levels are somewhat deep and inky. There are still plenty of scratches, dirt, and debris throughout the whole movie, because who wants to clean up these films? Certainly not Troma. There were some minor moments where some compression issues cropped up, but it's nothing to write home about, leaving this video presentation with solid marks.

This release comes with a Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo mix, which makes me ask again, "Why isn't there a lossless DTS-HD option? It would eliminate some of the problems with these stereo mixes. Most of the time, this audio track sounds decent, but when a loud sound effect plays out or someone screams, high shrills and distortion can be heard. It's not a constant annoyance, but it's present.

Other sound effects sound decent if not a little muddled. Dialogue is presented nicely, and everything can be understood, even in the larger crowd scene where everyone is screaming. Again, there are some minor shrills and pops, but it's all part of the experience here I think. The music and score shines here as it always takes over every scene without crossing the overly loud territory. The LFE is good and the dynamic range is wide, considering what type of movie this is, leaving this audio presentation with good marks.

Audio Commentary - Actress Lisa Gaye, a Troma regular talks about her time spent in Troma over the years and what it was like to make movies with Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz. She also discusses the production of the film.

Interview (SD, 5 Mins.) - Again, Lisa Gaye is interviewed at Troma Studios where she talks about how she got involved with Troma and the famous people she has met.

TroMoMa (HD, 12 Mins.) - This fun extra has Lloyd Kaufman going to the Museum of Modern Art where one of the Troma films was being celebrated. There is an interview as well as a special dance.

Music Video (SD, 4 Mins.) - The main song from the film with clips of the movie spliced in.

Radiation March (SD, 1 Min.) - Yet again, another strange extra that more than talks about pollution.

The American Cinematheque Honors 40 Years of Troma (SD, 2 Mins.) - Yes, pretty much the same extra here with the Motorhead song playing to Troma's awards and achievements.

Say What You Want (SD, 3 Mins.) - Yet another music video from The Lunachicks.

Return to Nuke Em High (HD, 5 Mins.) - One more music video from Mystery.

James Gunn Interview (HD, 6 Mins.) - Yes, the James Gunn is on the set of 'Guardians of the Galaxy', where Lloyd Kaufman enters his trailer with a camera and interviews him about film in general. Fun Fact: James Gunn got his start at Troma and Kaufman had a small cameo in 'Guardians of the Galaxy'.

Trailers (HD, 4 Mins.) - Trailers for the new reboots of the film's franchise.

'Class of Nuke 'Em High: Subhumanoid Meltdown' is quite the fun movie, even if it doesn't make sense half the time and tends to go off on gory tangents from time to time. I just have to give props to Louzil, the director for sticking to his own original idea and not making a direct sequel to the first film. This is pure Troma cinema, even if it's too chaotic of a story line. The video and audio presentations are both very good, considering the source and studio, and the extras are a bit of fun. Again, if you're a fan of Troma, you're in for a treat here and should add this to your collection.