The Toxic Avenger review | Troma classic gets an update

Share this Article:

Actor turned filmmaker Macon Blair’s remake of a Troma classic doesn’t skimp on the blood, and nor should it. Our review of The Toxic Avenger: A film like The Toxic Avenger is hard to review. On one hand, it’s a little clumsy and awkward but on the other hand… who cares? Macon Blair, known for ... The Toxic Avenger review | Troma classic gets an update

Actor turned filmmaker Macon Blair’s remake of a Troma classic doesn’t skimp on the blood, and nor should it. Our review of The Toxic Avenger:

A film like The Toxic Avenger is hard to review. On one hand, it’s a little clumsy and awkward but on the other hand… who cares?

Macon Blair, known for his acting roles in Green Room and Blue Ruin as well as the director of the underappreciated I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore, has taken 1984’s The Toxic Avenger, a Troma Entertainment classic, and given it a bit of a makeover. Or maybe just a hint of an upgrade. Not much though, or it would go against the whole point of the film and the franchise it belongs to.

The original film was a silly, unserious take on a superhero genre, and in true Troma form, it didn’t hold back on the gore. Thankfully, Blair is smart enough to know that a remake should follow the clear path set by the original. For the most part, Blair’s The Toxic Avenger plays things safe, or at least as safe as a film with excessive amounts of goo and blood can play it.

toxic avenger 2023 — Credit: Signature Entertainment

Peter Dinklage stars as Winston Gooze, a single dad and janitor who falls into a pool of toxic waste, transforming him into an unlikely hero: the titular toxic avenger. He might look like a monster, but underneath that green chest beats a heart of gold. Armed with a radioactive mop, Winston – or Toxie – begins to wreak havoc in the name of justice.

The Toxic Avenger, which is being released uncut, is a wonderfully silly good time. Its pacing is a little breathless, but Blair knows exactly why we buy a ticket for something like this. We want to see blood, limbs getting ripped off and a mop eviscerating heads, and there’s no shortage of any of those things in The Toxic Avenger.

Blair chose to mostly do things practically, and it’s a wise decision, one that keeps that unique Troma spirit alive. The Toxic Avenger is dirty, covered in slime and bodily fluids and that’s the charm of it.

That being said, there is a hint of Saw VI in The Toxic Avenger. Just as that film saw John Kramer target evil insurance companies, The Toxic Avenger wants to showcase just how greedy those insurance companies can be. The film’s excessive style threatens to bury the more relatable, universal themes underneath a lot of effects, but they’re there and a smart addition to the film’s narrative.

Overall, Blair tries to balance between remaking and upholding what made the original so beloved and what to add to it to appeal to modern audiences. It’s a difficult balance to hit and for the most part, Blair does a fine job. Then again, The Toxic Avenger isn’t designed to become a major box-office big hitter. It’s made for a particular kind of audience and is all the better for it. What the film lacks in business sense, it makes up for in sheer authenticity.

Peter Dinklage is an inspired choice for the role of Winston. After the poor guy is transformed, Luisa Guerreiro does the mutant’s physical performance in a suit while Dinklage has dubbed the lines. The choice to go all practical is a smart one; Toxie feels real and it adds some much-needed realism. Jacob Tremblay doesn’t have a whole lot to do as Winston’s teenage son, which is a shame because he’s supposed to be the film’s heart and soul.

Overall, you could do a lot worse than The Toxic Avenger. Blair smartly keeps true to the original film’s spirit and has crafted a fun horror that never takes itself too seriously.