Who knows Kenneth Branagh after seeing this movie? The British actor will be felt undervalue and humiliated with his careers of well-known Shakespearean actor to throw away. Shakespeare would rather elate to see this version of the famous love story which points more on hatred and feelings. Of course according to the diabolical mind of Troma.
"Tromeo & Juliet" is an absolute masterpiece, one of the best films of the American production company, for some the best ever. Maybe it will be shreds by academic or some Orthodox Shakespearean academic, but the film by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz is simply brilliant.
Splatter, softcore, not in Verona but in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge and especially the use of words taken from the same drama. A "Punk" version truly memorable with the almost complete transposition of all the original characters.
Juliet Capulet is a blonde daughter of a wealthy family that segregated her in the house with a lesbian maid as a close friend, a maniac father with an arranged marriage with the King of steaks, London Arbuckle. She is a vegetarian. Romeo Que is the son of Monty (Monty ... Que ...) a black fat alcoholic man former friend and business partner of a porn production company of Cappy Capulet. Monty was cheated and ruined by the same who has even stolen his wife. Romeo has a passion for porn and spends hours in front of the PC.
Of course, the hatred between the two families is very strong and often cousins and friends end up in bloody brawls that end up with smashed brains and cut limbs. Blood. Benny, Martini, Tyron and many others. Don’t miss anyone. Love blossoms, by accident of course, the usual party to which our Romeo comes dressed as cow.
“Only” the end is different and with no offense in better than the original. Tromeo and Juliet married but they are actually brothers and how genetics teaches the children born deformed.
"Tromeo & Juliet" is a real cult that starts with the sensational introduction of the great Lemmy of Motorhead, and continues with a series of memorable scenes, like the party, the quarrels, the scene of the "monster penis", the transformation Juliet who pretends monster instead of dead, and the grand finale. The classic game of references made in Troma is a game to which we are accustomed. In a careful look not escape the brief cameo by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, as hard telephone operator and the presence of a Kabukiman mask in addition to the more normal re-use of scenes from other films of the production company, which includes as usual the jumping car.
Three hundred fifty thousand dollars for budget used in 1996 to give live to this work that uses more or less well-known actors in the States, like Sean Gunn and singer Jane Jensen and which is also based on a great soundtrack, made and produced by different bands like Motorhead, who worked for free or otherwise asked very little. One of the few but significant cases of Troma films appreciated by magazines and media, as "Variety", "New York Times" and "USA Today".
History say that in 1992 was written a first version, with original text, and starring none other than Toxic Avenger. Surely it would be another interesting version, very curious, but this one is better than many other versions of the history. With all due respect to Branagh, Zeffirelli and Di Caprio.