Class of Nuke'Em High Reviews

• Too much fallout...

  
  By A3OI841P5R6FCH on 2005-02-18
  I dunno how those Troma guys do it, but somehow they manage to rope me into watching their cheeseball flicks. Well, actually I DO know how they do it: they put together some really good promo trailers. Whenever I see a promising-looking trailer for a Troma flick, I usually end up rushin' out to the rental store to pick that particular title up. And almost invariably, I find the movie a bit of a disappointment (the two exceptions so far: "Toxic Avenger" and "Cannibal! The Musical"). Which is exactly what happened after I saw "Class of Nuke 'Em High". I saw a promo for it on the "Surf Nazis Must Die!" tape I rented the day before (another disappointment, BTW), and found its minute-long depiction of over-the-top weirdness and just plain cheesiness a promising preview of what I could expect from the movie proper.
  
  Sure enough, "Nuke `Em High" had all the appropriately crude special & visual effects, gross-out moments of bizarre ultraviolence (none of which included the Troma-staple head-crushing scene, oddly enough), and ludicrously over-the-top characters I've come to know and love in most cult/trash-cinema "classics" I've viewed. But for some reason these elements when put together in this production didn't quite do it for me. Maybe the lack of a head-crushin' scene was the big difference? One can only wonder...
  
  But while the movie itself may have been somethin' of a wash, there was one fairly entertaining thing about it: Lloyd Kaufman's commentary track. Whenever I take my ear to one of these, I can never tell if the guy's bein' serious or not. He throws out his usual assertion of the collusion between government and big business to make as big a profit as they can at the detriment of the little guy, which is symbolized by the defective nuclear power plant that gets the ball rollin' in this flick. Then he talks about how many of the flick's scenes are based on actual events "ripped from the headlines", which are satirized to such a ludicrous level that it's d@mn near impossible for ya to see the real-life event in the satire. Well, d@mn near impossible without Mr. Kaufman actually spellin' it out for ya in the commentary track that is...
  
  Kaufman also brings up the various staples & themes contained in Troma flicks, like the combining of hot babes and "himbos" with some of the nerdiest losers and the weirdest freakos you'll ever see in low-budget cult cinema. Then there's the blurring of gender identity, which is driven home in one scene where one of the bad guys... er, bad girls uses a urinal in the high school men's room. And another bad guy wearin' lipstick, falsies, and a darling blouse (who, according to Kaufman, was supposed to look a bit more androgynous, but the limited budget wouldn't allow it).
  
  But the most unusual bit of commentary is Kaufman's rambling thoughts on the "Tromettes", AKA the bad@$$ hotties you see in Troma flicks who take no guff from nobody. He talks about the influence Troma chicks have had in the movie industry, and... well, ya gotta listen to it to believe it. This piece was the point where I couldn't tell if Kaufman was takin' his labor of love all too seriously, or if he was just pretending to take his movie all too seriously as a goof. In either case, Kaufman's track makes the "Class of Nuke `Em High" DVD worth a rental...
  
  `Late
  
  

• Awesomely bad!

  
  By A1O59D9PN09TTW on 2004-10-31
  Class of Nuke Em'High is so awesomely bad!!! It is the best 'bad' movie I have ever seen! I have watched this movie over and over for more than 10 years... I know every word and every scene... I can also point out all the mess-up's!! I never get tired of seeing this film!!
  
  

• The film with the three R's Reading, Writing and Radiation

  
  By on 1998-11-27
  Tromaville High is a regular American highschool with one exception. It's 1/4 of a mile from a nuke planet. At the high school strage things are begining to happen. The honor society has turned from a group of clean cut preppys into a gang of violent creatins. The movie gets really good when the two main characters Warren and Krissy smoke some radio active pot. If your looking for an 80's cult classic with nothing but sex, drugs and rock'n roll get this movie It kicks so much mother ass!
  
  

• One of the greats!

  
  By ANRC8AEENJOMU on 2001-12-07
  Rating: 5-"This is a special rating for bad films that are fun to watch. Because they are inherently difficult to rate, they receive 5's because there is much that is terrible about them, but much that is often unintentionally amusing as well. Or they can be bad films made to be bad or camp. They may have intentional merits, also. Everyone should stay away except for connoisseurs of enjoyably bad films."

  At various times good, bad, enjoyable and irritating, Class of Nuke 'Em High is a grade C film that was intentionally made to be a grade C film. The plot concerns a nuclear power plant that's run by a whole team of Homer Simpsons. Not only are they having periodic mini-disasters, but one of the employees has been growing marijuana in a restricted outside area and selling it to kids at the local high school, which is only a quarter mile down the road. The high school kids are exposed to nuclear waste both through the marijuana and through a water supply contamination, and it turns some of them into pulsating radioactive superheroes, disintegrates others, and for the former honor society, it turned them into an overacting group of Mad Max rejects. There is one scene in the movie which is especially bad where supposed actor, Brett Weston, playing a corpse gets gang raped by a bunch of covermounters and can distinctively be seen smiling as he recieves wave after wave of punishment.
  
  A lot of Nuke 'Em High is supposed to be funny, and much of it is. Some of the stuff that's supposed to be funny is simply irritating-this goes for the Mad Max rejects most of the time. Movies like this tend to work better when it's not so obvious that they are trying to spoof genres. When they are trying, it has to be extremely funny in order to work. When they aren't trying-when the filmmakers are trying to make a decent film given their budget, and it still comes out bad, the little unintentionally funny bits are enjoyable. It's the difference of laughing at a faux pas as opposed to watching a bad comedian tell a cheesy joke.

  The nuclear plant setting, with a wonderfully fake looking matte painting for exterior shots, is unfortunately underused-the plant employee characters were enjoyable, funny and there was a lot more potential for them. Several other auxiliary characters should have been used more, also, but the two goody-two-shoe protagonists are well cast and do an admirable job.

  Classified as horror, Nuke 'Em High doesn't even approach that genre for a large chunk of the first half. That's too bad because it works best when it's violent. The scene with the old lady carrying groceries, the alleyway brawl, the coup d'etat in the principles office, the bathroom fight scene, etc. are all among this films best.

  Recommendation: Overall, Nuke 'Em High is a mixed bag, and my evaluation while I was watching it continually vacillated between "bad bad" and "good bad." Troma films fans are bound to enjoy this to some extent, although most fans are more than likely already familiar with this Troma staple. Other than Troma fans, approach this film only if you enjoy cheesy B and C movies. It's not the best "turkey," but it is tasty enough for Thanksgiving.
  
  

• AT LEAST WATCH IT TO SEE THE "CRETINS"

  
  By on 1999-10-27
  This movie is great. The best part about it is this crazy gang called the "Cretins." One of them is a cross dresser and one of them has like 5 crazy nose rings and hits people with a bone. The bone hitting factor alone is enough to make this a classic.
  
  
• CLASS OF NUKE EM HIGH
  By A1ZKK7GPHUFIMH on 2001-11-24
  Let me start off by saying that this is one of the better Troma films but not better than the toxic avenger.Nuke em high is about a nuclear power plant that leaks into Tromaville high causing students to mutate.Thats preatty much the plot without taking about the createns, but this is a Troma movie so who cares about the plot.Fans of Troma will love this but those who don't might want to look eleswhere.Followed but two sequels that shouldn't have ever been made.
  
  
• Every bit as good as The Toxic Avenger
  By A1LFPTJWCWQTLU on 2000-04-20
  I have seen this film many times and never get tired of it. I would mention the plot,but who cares about the plot in a film like this? For some reason,this isn't as respected as The Toxic Avenger,and I wonder why. The laughs in this film are nonstop and any comedy fan should check this film out.
  
  
• Class of Nuk'EM High
  By on 2001-01-25
  Class of Nuk'EM High is one of Troma's better movies but that ain't saying much. The movie is very sloppy and looks like there wasn't much time taken into it, but what do you expect from a B movie? Well there is a lot better B movies out there then this one. It is good for a Troma movie and Troma fans will like it but if you hate Troma movies stay away from this one. I really liked "The Toxic Avenger" and I felt this was a let down compared to that film. Troma made two sequels to this and they were even worse.For a Troma this is good,but they haven't yet made a film really good since "The Toxic Avenger".
  
  
• A classic 80's horror flick
  By A2QV1W4UTY9SPT on 2001-09-13
  Keeping in line with the tradition of other low-budget, cheesy horror films, Nuke 'Em High leaves the viewer satisfied that he or she has successfully wasted two full hours of their life with nothing to show for it.

  The movie begins when an overweight manager at a nuclear powerplant attempts to cover up a radioactive spill that contaminates the local water supply. Nuke 'Em High, a highschool located near the plant begins to show the effects of the spill. The preppy kids become mutant degenerants reminicsent of Mad Max. They terrorize all of the other kids and faculty and also begin selling contaminated weed from the power plant to other kids at school. This inadvertantly creates an angry, superhuman jock who spits acid and begins to seek revenge on the mutants. After that scene I sort of lost track of what was going on in the movie. Either I was too intoxicated or too distracted to pay close attention to the plot. The brilliance of this movie is that you don't need to pay close attention to still understand what is going on. In fact I would reccomend not trying to follow the story since it would probably only cause further confusion and frustration.

  The ending was great and there was, of course, some good nudity scenes as well. I would highly reccomend this movie to anyone who appreciates this sort of genre or just wants to see a mindless, gory movie.
  
  

• This campy, fun film sums up the 80's with a... BANG!
  By A37GTE7FVDZ2LU on 2003-01-27
  This is a film only for those whom truly enjoy bad film-making, even worse acting, and off the wall characters. ...CLASS OF NUKE EM HIGH is without a doubt a film that summarizes the cliches, cliques, and comic tastes of the 80's, makes the viewer laugh, want to go to the porcealan thrown, and very happy all in the same frame. A gore masterpiece in the genre of horror-comedies, this film is the second best in this genre... I will remember this film for many years to come. Oh, and yes, it is a better movie than any Toxie film. B-bye.
  
  
• one of troma's best
  By A2C8TJXJWBCN1K on 2004-11-22
  This is a awsome movie that is about a group of high schoolers who smoke some raidoactive weed a flip out. It was very good and the gore was above average. The toxic avenger 1 and 4 are better though..... But all arounf this is a great movie!!!
  
  
• Well, It's Troma
  By A2CT2SA6KFE8GC on 2008-01-13
  Oh boy, Class Of Nuke Em High. How do you defend a movie like this(or any Troma film for that matter)? As anyone knows, Troma is not for all tastes, and sometimes can even test the will of the most hardcore cult film fan. I can surely stand by that statement considering I've seen a few Troma films that should have never slimed their way out of the dump. I have a special place in my heart for this one considering I saw it when it came out and it made a helluvan impression on such a young kid. I still watch it every now and again when the mood hits(and lets face it, you have to be in the right mood for Troma). Class tried to duplicate the success of The Toxic Avenger, and depending on who you ask, either succeeded or failed miserably. It does remain one of the most famous of their films however. Plotwise it concerns a leak at a power plant infiltrating a high school. This results in the usual Troma shenanigans including preppies turned into murderous punks, people oozing and melting, and a radioactive monster in the basement. Naturally all this is carried out in the name of humor, and as we all know, in the world of Troma this is very hit and miss. Alot of jokes are very predictable and some are downright groaners. Some work quite well though. There are of course extremely irritating characters(like the friends of the hero) and memorable ones(like Spike, the leader of the gang, and Gonzo, the biker with the ring in his nose). Like most Troma film, nobody acts like a normal human being. A good example is when a student starts spewing nuclear waste from his mouth and ears, jumps from a window and melts on the sidewalk, and the other students just kinda brush it off as, "oh well". This movie isn't packed with the kind of gore like Troma's later films, not even as much as The Toxic Avenger for that matter. It has moments though. Though the box says Unrated Director's Cut, there is no difference in this version than the vhs that came out way back in the day. The bonus features have some deleted scenes, but these aren't anything to shout about. There are also some short interviews with a few cast members. And of course the usual extras that are on all Troma discs. Did anyone else have a hell of a time with this disc's menus? Anyhow, The Troma name will probably determine whether you check this out or turn and run for your life, so judge accordingly.
  
  
• The classy "Class of Nuke 'Em High"
  By A1CXNKHP8NOUJ7 on 2000-03-30
  Finally, "Nuke 'Em" gets the home video special edition treatment it so mightily deserves! Screw George Lucas and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace! Spend your money with Lloyd Kaufman and Troma! Natalie Portman? Feh! Try Janelle Brady on for size! Darth Maul? "Nuke 'Em" had face-painted weirdo villians over 13 years earlier! A conspiracy by trade-types that causes disaster for all involved? "Nuke 'Em" has it all, baby...

  The DVD's picture looks a little overcompressed, but we're not talking Geoffrey Unsworth or Jordan Cronenweth-level cinematography anyway... Kaufman's commentary is somewhat boring, but gives a few cool tidbits about the inner-workings of Troma, if that's your bag.

  The clips from the deleted scenes are "so-what" inducing, but the trailers for the two "Nuke 'Em" sequels are a welcome treat, as is the "Toxic Avenger" trailer.

  C'Mon Troma! Get "Class of Nuke 'Em High 2: Subhumanoid Meltdown" and "Class of Nuke 'Em High 3: The Good, the Bad and the Subhumanoid" out on DVD NOW!
  
  

• CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH is a Troma-tizing Classic!
  By A39C7SEMCJWVOI on 2000-04-08
  This is one of the best films out of the Troma Film Library, next to the "Toxic Avenger" of course! The story is about a nuclear power plant that is leaking radiation onto the nearby high school, and turning it's students into the opposites of what they are. Nerds turn into psycho's, preps turn into perverts, and a teen gives birth to a mutant slug that falls into toxic waste and then turns into a giant monster that stalks the high school halls. Sound complicated? It's not. Just pick this one up, you might be surprised. The acting and special effects may seem cheesy, but it's all in good fun.
  
  
• Slightly good film from the makers of "The Toxic Avenger"
  By A4WFI9VW5HM8C on 1999-12-30
  Troma's previous film, 'The Toxic Avenger', was a cult hit worldwide. Troma has tried but failed to acheive cult statutas again with 'Class of Nuke 'Em High', an overlong horror/sci-fi/comedy about teens at a local high school who are contaminated by toxic waste from a nearby nuclear power planet. Some good scenes, but fails to deliver the same graphic violence as 'The Toxic Avenger' and 'Surf Nazi's Must Die'. As in all Troma films, this film is extremely long and dosn't know when to quit.
  
  
• Sick, sick, sick
  By AEF8X4ECM4Q3S on 1999-12-23
  The fumes coming from a chemical plant seep into the nearby high school, turning the preppies into delinquents and the goody two shoes into mutants. Almost completely repulsive, this film is good when it's serious but the mixture of comedy, sexual appeal, and low brow horror is not very entertaining. The makers of this film just don't understand that a good movie doesn't always have to be sick to be sexy, or scary for that matter. Or funny. Too many gross-out factors and not enough emphasis on the actual CLASS.
  
  
• buy this movie...i'm serious
  By on 1999-06-30
  You can't go wrong with Troma, ever. But as with most films, some are better than others...this is a better one! How can you go wrong with Fellini references, bathroom brawls, and mutated punks...you can't. This is the breakfast club on acid! Buy it, rent it, steal it...just watch it!
  
  
• Troma Shoots and Scores
  By A2ZX6GW8WL5AG3 on 2007-09-27
  Made for a fraction of the cost of most MTV videos, there are plenty of cheaps laughs and gross out gags for the fan of B-movie horror/comedies.
  Nicely paced and well crafted, Team Troma throws the gags around but keeps a semi-horror flick going simultaneously.
  Funny characters, hyper dialogue and decent effects make this a great watch in the right mood.
  
  
• Nuke'em High
  By A14QBPA1FKENNZ on 2008-02-15
  There are a few things in this world that are essential to well-being of mankind. The making of this film is one of those things.
  
  
• OOOO, camp and sex and rock, oh my!
  By A3H234XH4XABZY on 2000-05-09
  If you like camp, if you groove to strange humor, if you laugh when someone falls down, this is the flick to see, bay-bee. It's not a cult classic for nothin'.
  
  
• ONE OF THE BEST B MOVIES EVER MADE
  By on 1999-04-18
  AS GOOD AS THE TOXIC AVENGER
  
  
• This movie opened my eyes to the world of Troma
  By on 1999-08-11
  I had never seen a Troma video before Class of Nuke 'Em High. I could not stop laughing. I also cannot stop buying more and more of their videos. Class of Nuke 'Em High is tons of fun. A great movie for you to watch with a bunch of friends.
  
  
• stick with the video...its far better
  By A2CB3PA2WH33YU on 1999-12-19
  This DVD fails to deliver by a long shot....it was supposed to include all the deleted scenes, yet the movie was supposed to have a scene where someone is being puched down the throat, this was present in the video but not in the dvd. The picture is ok and you get some bonus material. The menu features tend to get irritating after a while with a repetitive song which keeps ringing in your ears for the rest of the day. The movie deserves 4 stars but the dvd only gets 2. Stay way clear of this one.
  
  
• Great movie
  By on 1999-12-30
  The Cretins were what made this movie good. If it weren't for them, this movie would've sucked. The only reason I didn't give this movie five stars is because I was hoping it would have been the Cretins that mutated. I'd never seen this film before, but now that I have, I'm glad I bought it.
  
  
• The 4 "R'S" Reading, Writing and Radiation
  By on 1999-01-22
  From the mind of Lloyd Kaufman who brought us The Toxic Avenger, and Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. Yet another realy funny yet messed up Troma film. IF you like Violence and lots of nudity then see this film!
  
  

• The Toxic Avenger
• Tromeo and Juliet (10th Anniversary Edition)
• Surf Nazis Must Die
• Terror Firmer
• Sgt. Kabukiman, N.Y.P.D.