Film Review: ‘The Toxic Avenger’ is a Fun and Gory Romp

Toxie is back! The mere re-appearance of The Toxic Avenger is notable, given how Troma is such a small outfit, but to see this mutant hero done again is a lot of fun to witness. In particular, to see it done well, too, as the film is very solid. At times, it’s a real hoot. The movie feels very much like the next feature from Macon Blair, without question, but anyone who knows and loves Toxie will be pleased as well. So, for fans, it’s an unquestioned success, and that’s a huge compliment.

The Toxic Avenger is as gory as it is silly, which is to say, very. At the same time, it walks a fine line. If you don’t embrace the low budget origins of the story, it won’t feel like it’s a part of the franchise. That being said, if you make it too shoddy looking, what’s the point of actually doing a new one? So, managing to do this, seemingly with ease, is one of the major reasons why this works as well as it ends up working.

Winston Gooze (Peter Dinklage) is a single father, struggling to make a world for himself and his son (Jacob Tremblay). A janitor at a chemical factory, Winston soon finds out that working there has led to a terminal cancer diagnosis. A plea to his boss, the owner of the company, Bob Garbinger (Kevin Bacon), goes nowhere, so Winston takes extreme measures to make sure his kid won’t want for anything. One mishap later and he’s covered in toxic waste. Instead of dying, however, he winds up mutating into something grotesque.

A bit of unintentional heroism puts him on the radar of some, including J.J. (Taylour Paige), who has designs on taking down Bob. It will only be a matter of time before their goals intertwine, but before that, there’s lot of gore, lots of laughs, and a fair bit of fun. After all, what more would you expect from Toxie?

Peter Dinklage is undeniably overqualified for this role, yet even so, he gives it his all. His commitment to the part really helps invest you, as well as give the performance some added layers. He’s having fun and going big as well, though there’s more here than in the mostly silly turn from Kevin Bacon. Supporting players, in addition to Taylour Paige and Jacob Tremblay, include Elijah Wood, among others, but Dinklage is the star.

Filmmaker Macon Blair made his debut with the underrated I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, and while this is very different in some ways, in others it’s an obvious follow up. He honors what Lloyd Kaufman originally did with The Toxic Avenger, while modernizing and reimagining it in a number of ways. It’s all very silly, though intentionally so, which keeps the audience in on the joke throughout.

The Toxic Avenger is certainly not high art, but I enjoy Blair’s filmmaking, and Toxie himself is a hoot. If you’re down for a silly and violent time at the movies, there’s plenty here to tickle your fancy. Will it re-launch the franchise? That remains to be seen. Is it worthy of the series? Very much so, and that’s not nothing.

SCORE: ★★★