Shakespeare has been troma-tized for the woke generation! REVIEW: #SHAKESPEARESSHITSTORM (2020)
#SHAKESPEARESSHITSTORM is the best movie based on a Shakespare play to take place in New Jersey
I grew up watching Troma movies. My gateway drug was to Troma was the TOXIC CRUSADERS cartoon services, which to this day is one of the zaniest kid’s cartoons of all time. I think I was 10 when I first saw THE TOXIC AVENGER.
From there on out, I was all in on Troma and gobbled up every release I possibly could. It bears reminding that this was during the VHS days, and you wouldn’t find Troma tapes in just any video store either. Most of the ones I bought I had to order from the now-defunct Suncoast video, and needless to say people certainly wondered where my parents were. I turned out fine, I think.
So while I was in a fever for Troma films in my younger years, over time I just fell out of touch with them a bit. All of that seemed to fade when the unmistakable (and unchanged) music and city skyline backdrop of “Troma Team Releasing” appeared with the two names MICHAEL HERZ and LLOYD KAUFMAN on the screen to introduce their newest cinema trashterpiece #SHAKESPEARESSHITSTORM.
What’s it about?
Literally and figuratively #SHAKESPEARESSHITSTORM is Troma’s version of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”. I was not well-learned enough in the source material, so I took it upon myself to do a quick google search on what the play is about. Unless you’re familiar with the original play, I would suggest you do this too. As the story goes Mad scientist, Prospero, runs away with his blind daughter Miranda to Tromaville, hiding from evil pharmaceutical execs, including his own sister Antoinette, who ruined his career after he found the cure against opioid addiction. With the help of a handicapped crack-whore, he releases a massive amount of laxative to whales, while his enemies are on a cruise ship to North Korea. A humongous shitstorm washes the boat away and brings them to Tromaville. Prospero can now fully realize his ultimate vengeance.
If there was any question as to if the title was in fact accurate in it’s description, the answer is a resounding yes
How is it?
“When you have the power to stop diarrhea, everybody wants to suck your dick”
This is an actual quote from #SHAKESPEARESSHITSTORM. If the above triggers you, disgusts you, turns you off, or doesn’t make you giggle a little then I don’t know how much you will enjoy #SHAKESPEARESSHITSTORM. I don’t want to mince words here, as Troma and this movie are as divisive as pineapple on pizza and politics in the US. So with that in mind, I fucking loved it.
When it comes to movies providing heavy-handed commentary on social issues, it’s hard not to want roll your eyes so far back in your head you can see the nape of your own neck. The attempt at satire most movies make when they criticize something like Social Justice Warriors (SJW) or progressive attitudes is that they are doing so with the intention of putting them down. While one could find themselves offended by something in #SHAKESPEARESSHITSTORM, it also becomes starkly apparent that absolutely no one is safe in a Troma film. No matter how you identify LLOYD KAUFMAN and the Troma team have a joke aimed at you. This is precisely what makes the social satire in #SHAKESPEARESSHITSTORM so damn effective, it’s inclusive in how it pokes fun at almost anyone. And it’s clever, like more clever than most people would give it credit. Not only is it a faithful adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, but it also weaves in actual lines from Shakespeare’s play throughout!
Another thing to love about #SHAKESPEARESSHITSTORM is the flurry of sight gags abound. Shakespeare racking gator tails of cocaine, a chicken named “Dickie” which is more than a clever name and even nods to the shining in the most Troma way possible. This all led me to conclude that LLOYD KAUFMAN is the Mel Brooks of Exploitation Cinema. To that point, if you are looking for only highbrow humor you might feel a bit let down here. To be fair though, if you’re watching a Troma movie you can kind of infer what to expect pretty quickly. So if that brand of funny doesn’t tickle that bone, #SHAKESPEARESSHITSTORM won’t be making Troma converts out of that lot. For the Troma faithful, there are tons of inside jokes and references that put Ready Player One’s easter eggs to a crying shame.
No matter who you are, or how you identify, Troma does not discriminate in their satire!
The Last Rites
#SHAKESPEARESSHITSTORM is the Shakespeare adaptation that every Troma fan deserves. While I’m not ready to put it ahead of Tromeo & Juliet, it is a joyful reminder of the ingenuity, hilarity, and insanity that LLOYD KAUFMAN and his merry band of misfits at Troma are alive and well in 2020!
The Gory Details
Directed by:
Starring
LLOYD KAUFMAN (Prosperpo / Antoinette Duke)
ERIN PATRICK MILLER (Ferdinand)
ABRAHAM SPARROW (Big Al)
KATE MCGARRIGLE (Miranda)
AMANDA FLOWERS (Ariel)
DEBBIE ROCHON (Senator Sebastian)
ZOË GELTMAN (Steph)
DYLAN GREENBERG (Trini)
Runtime
Approx. 94 minutes
Trailer
When and where can you watch it?
Coming soon, but check out http://shakespearesshitstorm.com for updates!
