The Toxic Avenger

When Troma Entertainment released The Toxic Avenger in 1984, the general public maintained standards of good taste and decorum—or at least the illusion of them—which the movie’s directors, Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, completely obliterated. Their brand of underground exploitation and sleaze sought to offend every sensibility, transgress every boundary, and gleefully embrace taboos, resulting in a grotesque superhero comedy that enraged the uptight and delighted outcasts—even while containing a sly environmentalist message. Made on a budget of $500,000, it earned millions for the renegade studio at Midnight Madness screenings, prompting three sequels and the popularization of the Troma brand. That’s not to suggest the eponymous hero, Toxie, ever went mainstream, though not for lack of trying. Troma’s franchise quickly formed a devoted following that, bizarrely, led to a musical, an animated series for kids in 1991, a video game, and action figures. Still, The Toxic Avenger remains rooted in satirical bad taste, as all Troma productions are. So the notion of remaking the movie with Hollywood stars feels somehow wrong.

Even so, writer-director Macon Blair puts forth a worthwhile effort with his new take on The Toxic Avenger, co-produced by Troma and Legendary Pictures. Despite starring an ensemble of well-known talent (Peter Dinklage, Kevin Bacon, Elijah Wood, Taylour Paige, et al.), Blair’s version dabbles in base humor and over-the-top bloodshed worthy of a Troma release. However, something is missing: an intangible quality of unconscious badness found in Kaufman and Hertz’s collaborations that stems from their pervasive need for rebellion and defiance. Kaufman’s last film, for instance, was called #ShakespearesShitstorm (2020) and managed to make me squirm in my seat and reflexively gag several times. Nothing so vile or boundary-pushing happens in Blair’s picture, in part because, in today’s market, mixtures of abject horror and vulgar comedy have become so commonplace that a movie like Blair’s hardly shocks anymore. That’s not a complaint about our cultural desensitization, only an acknowledgment that to approach Kaufman’s level of transgressiveness, more is more. 

Indeed, there’s an intangible randomness and zaniness to Troma movies, and Blair attempts to replicate those qualities here. That’s part of the problem. The Toxic Avenger is Blair attempting to do Kaufman and Herz, and his effort lacks the naturally occurring harsh, subversive edge of the original. But it’s still plenty gross and funny regardless. Dinklage plays Winston Gooze, a janitor who works for BTH, a massive company in St. Roma’s Village (where faded welcome signs unsubtly highlight letters that spell “Tromaville”). Run by the evil CEO Bob Garbinger (Bacon), BTH distributes healthcare products that cause tumors and cancers in consumers, evidenced by the vast lake of toxic waste behind its factory. After Winston learns that he has a brain tumor and only a year to live, he resolves to rob BTH, hoping to extend his life so he can look after his motherless stepson, Wade (Jacob Tremblay). But in the attempt, Bob’s goons drop Winston in a vat of green sludge, transforming him into a messed-up mutant with super strength and an uncanny ability to heal—and played by Luisa Guerreiro under a thick layer of green prosthetics, with Dinklage’s voice looped in. 

Much limb-tearing and face-smashing ensues, as Winston, newly christened “Toxie” in the press, joins forces with J.J. (Paige), an investigator hoping to acquire evidence to expose Bob’s shady corporation. However, Bob has help, including his Igor-like brother Fritz (Wood), the devoted compatriot Kissy (Julia Davis), and the “monster core” band The Killer Nutz—populated by a clown-faced rapper, a goth medusa, a zodiac-killer ninja, a Lenny Kravitz look-alike, an escaped lunatic mummy, and a baby-headed giant. Typical for Troma, the humor throughout is childish, broad, and layered in the background and foreground. Blair thumbs his nose at the establishment beyond his movie’s critique of irresponsible corporations: One trigger-happy cop discharges his weapon while shouting, “Show me your hands!” I liked that Bob’s vocabulary included banal LinkedIn-worthy businesspeak, with words like “gamechanger” and “robust.” There’s also plenty of humor around bodily functions. Winston checks his negative bank balance, and an alert tells him “You are desti-TOOT!” And after he becomes Toxie, his urine doubles as a corrosive acid. 

This is Blair’s second feature after his directorial debut on I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017), a rather straightforward indie crime comedy. After acting in, co-writing, and producing several laudable thrillers directed by Jeremy Saulnier—Blue Ruin (2013), Green Room (2015), Rebel Ridge (2024)—Blair cannot help but deliver a technically cohesive picture. There’s a conspicuous proficiency and competence behind the filmmaking that seems out of place here. Likewise, the cast raises the movie’s status to its detriment. Even so, it’s a pleasure to see actors of this caliber play in such grotesque material. Dinklage, while an inspired casting choice, cannot help but perform with gravitas, which feels out of place in this context. Bacon has appeared in plenty of schlock over the years and played many maniacal cartoon villains (see 2010’s Super), and it’s fun seeing him in this sort of role. Wood fits right in, being well-versed in B-movies and genre pictures. Paige plays the one normal person onscreen, providing audiences with a grounded and relatable character amid the roster of mutants and monsters. 

Those following this project’s long gestation have been waiting for the release of The Toxic Avenger since well before 2023, when it premiered at Fantastic Fest. There, some stodgy executive reportedly called it “unreleasable”—a perfect unintentional endorsement. Alas, the movie is neither a disaster nor particularly offensive. With Cineverse picking up the distribution rights, the movie will likely arrive with a box-office whimper and find its audience on streaming platforms. My biggest reservation is that The Toxic Avenger doesn’t have the scrappy and unvarnished production values of most Troma pictures, which usually look cheaply slapped together, endearingly so. Along with the notable cast and competent filmmaking, Blair’s movie might be too good, lending the material credibility. If true to Troma’s form, it should all feel less polished than it does. I wanted to be scandalized by Blair’s movie, and I wasn’t. But it boasts some amusing gross-out jokes, nasty effects, and a commendable air of rebelliousness that make it worth checking out for those curious.