A beloved B-movie from the 1980s, The Toxic Avenger is one of the mutant creations from schlock master Lloyd Kaufman and Troma Studios that broke through into the mainstream as an iconic standout in the sci-fi/horror genre. With 4 feature films and a television show (which was weirdly aimed towards younger audiences), Toxie, as he is more colloquially known, has been yearning for a contemporary update. And now, after an oozy and gooey gestation period following its 2023 premiere at Fantastic Fest, The Toxic Avenger has arrived.
Written and directed by Macon Blair, of whom Kaufman himself declared “[Blair] knows more about Troma that even he does”, this inspired homage and surprisingly touching reimagining of the character stars Peter Dinklage as Winston Gooze, a widowed husband and down on his luck father trying to repair the broken relationship with his anxiety riddled son, Wade (Jacob Tremblay).
“…after an oozy and gooey gestation period following its 2023 premiere at Fantastic Fest, The Toxic Avenger has arrived.”
Taking place in a heightened, almost fantasy-like world run by conglomerate corporations and evil CEOs, Winston works as a janitor for a chemical company run by Bob (Kevin Bacon), which is under scrutiny for causing multiple cases of cancer, of which Winston has recently become. Winston pleads with Bob to help with payments for the treatment, but after being mocked and pushed to the side, Winston fatefully falls into a vat of toxic goo, transforming into a mutant vigilante, armed with a magical mop. Now The Toxic Avenger, Winston uses his new found powers to take down the corrupt and evil, all the while trying to mend the relationship with his son.
Much like the satirical nature of the original film, and much of Kaufman’s work at Troma, underneath all of the blood, guts, and ooze of The Toxic Avenger is an angry attack on the abusive nature of conglomerate corporations and the greed of the rich douchebags who run the show. The dismissiveness of Winston’s literal cancer by Bob is such a rage-inducing moment (played to perfection by Bacon), because Bob does it with a shit-eating grin. And the most shocking thing of it all is that in the 40-odd years between the original film and this remake: not a lot has changed, and Macon Blair wants you to know that.
Blair also adds a lot more heart into this story than the previous films contained. The first act of The Toxic Avenger is a truly heart-breaking, empathetic exploration of the fractured relationship between Winston and Wade, which is brought to life by two great performances from Dinklage and Tremblay. Winston is a character that doesn’t have all of his shit together, but his impassioned attempts to be the best dad he can be for a son who is truly struggling with grief and anxiety, is surprisingly touching and adds a lot of emotional substance to the plot. This aspect of the film may catch some audience members off guard, because a fair bit of time is spent in this part of the film, and for those expecting a litany of schlocky blood and guts do have to wait a solid 45 minutes before the gooey action begins.
But, when Winston’s mutant transformation occurs, no time is wasted in bringing the horror goodness to the fold. Within minutes of the psychedelic visual and punk rock soundtrack filled transformation, Winston stops a diner robbery with gloriously gory results, and the movie uses this new found momentum to fly through some entertainingly disgusting moments towards the climatic battle, which is just as batshit crazy as you’d expect any homage to the Troma era of films to be.
The action choreography, which features Luisa Guerreiro as the performer in the practical Toxie suit, manages to capture the campness of the original films. It’s so comically over the top and insane, and that’s exactly what it needs to be. However, the contemporary direction and cinematography really do elevate this film. The neon light, hazy alleyways and dynamic camera movement accentuate the B-movie stylings in a way that hasn’t really been done before, and it looks amazing.
While the movie does take a minute to get going, it’s rampant insanity that fills the second half of the film is wildly exciting, but loses a lot of the emotional foundation that was created in the first half, and these two tonally different aspects can feel like you’re watching two separate movies at times. The neon psychedelic nature of the more Troma heavy moments feel more entertaining, and while the emotional exploration is appreciated and elevates the material, it does take away from the B-movie fun at points, in both a narrative and technical way.
But, there’s no denying that when The Toxic Avenger is fun, it’s a hell of a lot of fun! Wildly absurd, with blood-and-guts galore, brought to life by committed performances and filmmaking that understands why this is such a beloved character, this is a film for those of us who love a good old B-movie shlock-fest.
The Toxic Avenger is in Australian cinemas August 28.
