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Rating
Synopsis
Down-and-out janitor Winston (Peter Dinklage) struggles to make ends meet while caring for his stepson Wade (Jacob Tremblay). To make matters worse, he learns that he has a terminal brain disease, and his company’s insurance won’t cover it. Desperate, Winston meets with the CEO Bob Garbinger (Kevin Bacon) to beg for help, only to be turned away. He tries robbing them, but he runs into The Killer Nutz, a ruthless gang and band working with Bob. They shoot and dump him in toxic waste, which transforms him into a hideously deformed creature of superhuman strength. Now mutated, Winston makes a name for himself as he tears up terrorists and becomes a hero. News of his exploits reaches Bob, who sends The Killer Nutz and his brother, Fritz (Elijah Wood), to eliminate him. Now christened “The Toxic Avenger,” Winston teams up with J.J. Doherty (Taylour Paige) to take down Garbinger’s corruption.
Review
As a huge Troma fan and knowing about the reboot for years, I was skeptical going into this. Thankfully, I’m happy to say that Macon Blair’s reimagining is a worthy successor to Lloyd Kaufman’s seminal cult classic. Firstly, I should mention that this is a reboot, not a remake, although it does hit similar beats. For instance, Winston does wear a tutu before his transformation, and his first heroic act is stopping a fast-food robbery. I’m glad the filmmakers went in this direction, as doing a straightforward remake would’ve made this movie redundant. Instead, they went in the same direction as The Fly and The Blob remakes, creating something similar but different. You can watch the original and this film back-to-back and have two different viewing experiences, which I appreciate. Plus, there are tons of fun nods and background references to the original film for eagle-eyed viewers.
When I first heard that Peter Dinklage was playing Toxie, I wasn’t sure how that would work. Granted, that’s mainly because Toxie has traditionally been an imposing figure, but I remembered that this is a different interpretation. While Mark Torgl played his janitor as goofy and hammy, Dinklage gives Winston a humanity and realness that’s compelling. Like the original, a different actor plays Toxie, specifically Luisa Guerreiro, but they do a good job blending them. Dinklage has fantastic chemistry with Tremblay as you see him struggle to be the dad he needs. As always, Kevin Bacon steals the show as the overzealous, corrupt businessman, hamming it up while remaining intimidating. Elijah Wood is wonderfully creepy as Fritz, playing a cross between Danny DeVito’s Penguin and Dwight Frye’s character from Frankenstein. Other highlights include Taylour Paige’s no-nonsense reporter, Julie Davis’s sycophantic assistant, and Jonny Coyne’s ruthless mobster.
In true Troma fashion, many of the effects are practical, from the Toxie suit to the gore flung everywhere. While there is some CGI that creeps in, it’s kept to a minimum rather than dominating the film. You can tell that Macon Blair has a reverence for Troma with the plentiful gore, tasteless jokes, and anarchic energy. That said, though many of the jokes landed and got a good laugh, quite a few fell flat. It doesn’t help that this film runs 103 minutes long compared to the original’s 82 minutes, which feels unnecessary. So much of the film could’ve been cut, namely some dialogue-heavy scenes, and it wouldn’t have made a difference. Still, for a modern reimaging of a legendary cult film, it’s so wildly entertaining that you can forgive its shortcomings. Overall, The Toxic Avenger is a worthy successor that delivers what fans expect while respecting its predecessors.
The Toxic Avenger is in theaters.
Where to watch The Toxic Avenger (2025)
