Starring - Peter Dinklage (Pixels, Dexter: Resurrection), Jacob Tremblay (Harley Quinn, Pete the Cat), and Taylour Paige (Brothers, IT: Welcome to Derry)
Release Date - 2023/2025
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "The hero we need now!"
Format - UHD (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
I'm a Troma fan and that is no secret to those that have been reading my review for sometime now. For a short period of time I reviewed a Troma release a week until I just didn't have time for it anymore but I miss it. I miss the no budget and low brow humor, the off the wall stories, the campy acting, and the unforgettable characters. My introduction to Troma, like many of us born in the 80s and raised in the 90s, was with the film that put Troma on the map. That film, 1984's The Toxic Avenger, is a movie that shaped my taste in film and a movie that has stuck with me my entire life. I was excited when I received news that Legendary was remaking Troma's classic superhero film and had zero doubts about it. Legendary has done right by me with their Godzilla films and I knew Toxie was in good hands. That was until I heard the film was getting shelved. That was around last year I believe and over time I would see random social media posts pop up about getting petitions going calling for the release of the film and so on. I don't know if the movie finally getting a release is the result of that or someone realizing that Troma fans are rabid but I'm grateful either way. A few days back I was sent the UHD release of the new Toxic Avenger for review and I couldn't wait to dig into it!
The film follow single father Winston (Dinklage) who is raising his step-son Wade (Tremblay) after the unexpected death of his mother. To pay the bills, Winston is a janitor for a company that has been secretly polluting the environment. He soon finds himself confronted with an illness that will surely kill him if not treated but his insurance refuses to pay for the treatment. He tries to plead with the owner of the company to help him since they manufacture the medication he needs but finds himself laughed at behind closed doors. He decides to rob the company he is working for but is caught up in the middle of a plot to expose them for environmental crimes by a local boy band hired to be lackies of the company. They shoot Winston and toss him in a barrel of toxic waste. He awakens to find his entire body mutated and his wounds healing rapidly. He tries to make right by his step-son but finds himself stuck trying to bring the evil corporation down when they kidnap him in order to gain Winston's new powers.
When this reboot, remake, reimaging, whatever the fuck you want to call it was finally released, I saw so many Troma fans praising it while a handful or so shared their dislike for the film. I didn't care who liked it or hated it. Honestly, my taste in film is different than most people I know so I didn't care what other people thought which is why I paid them very little mind. I went into this one what the naysayers had to say and fucking loved it. The acting in this one is amazing. Dinklage is the obvious star of the film and while he doesn't portray Toxie once he is mutated, his voice work is great. Some may be pissed that he doesn't recreate the character of Melvin here but I loved Winston and the personality that he created for the character. It fits the film very well and Dinklage delivers an amazing performance. The supporting cast is just as good. While Kevin Bacon delivers another stand out role, it's Elijah Wood that impressed me. I was not expecting that kind of character from him and could see myself really getting behind a film or show featuring the character. The story for this one keeps some aspects of the original film but gives it a more modern spin. The movie does stray from the original film in many aspects and a lot of the crude, almost offensive humor, is wiped clean. The roadkill game is gone, the name swap from Melvin to Winston, and his pursuit to crush crime is swapped with the idiot in the wrong place wrong time angle. Don't get me wrong, I still loved it but those that watch it expecting it to be a faithful remake will be a bit disappointed. With that being said, the movie felt more like a live action Toxic Crusader adaptation than The Toxic Avenger. A lot of the villains have that cartoon mutant vibe like the boy band, their manager, and even the owner of the evil corporation gets in on the action as the film hits it's final leg. Considering this is a remake, the story is a lot of fun if you just give it a chance. Finally, the film has so much blood, gore, and amazing effects to look at. We get a good chunk of practical effects. I love the look of Toxie and everything the suit can do. I also loved a lot of the aftermath with the great looking props and so on. We do get a lot of visual effects, however. They are very noticeable but they are still fun especially when you realize that this is a remake of a Troma film! Overall, The Toxic Avenger is a fantastic film regardless if it was a remake of The Toxic Avenger or whatever the correct terminology is. It's gory, funny, and over the top in the best way possible. I highly recommend this one even if you don't know what The Toxic Avenger is. It's a must own for genre fans.
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