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Review by James Lindorf
Toxie is back and ready to avenge the put-upon citizens of his small town once again. “The Toxic Avenger” took his first toxic waste bath in 1984, leading to three sequels, even if two of them have been disowned, and a spin-off cartoon in 1991. The last entry, “Citizen Toxie,” was released 25 years ago. While it was better received than the other sequels, it was not enough to save the franchise. Now it is back in the hands of a trio of famous Hollywood actors and Troma head Lloyd Kaufman, who is acting only as a producer. Legendary Entertainment is dusting off the movie and taking it off the shelf, almost two years to the day since its premiere at the 2023 Fantastic Fest, and releasing “The Toxic Avenger” in theaters on August 29th.
There has been considerable discussion about whether this is a remake, a legacy sequel, or a reboot, and the answer is that it is a reboot. The original movie featured Melvin, the cringiest stereotype of a nerd imaginable, being tormented by the jocks and bimbos at the Tromaville Health Center, leading to his dive out of a window into a barrel of toxic waste. In the new version, we follow downtrodden janitor, Winston Gooze (Peter Dinklage), who is doing his best to take care of his dead fiancée’s son, Wade (Jacob Tremblay), in St. Roma’s Village. When money gets tight and his pleas for help fall on the deaf ears of his boss, Bob Garbinger (Kevin Bacon), and his brother, Fritz (Elijah Wood), Winston becomes desperate. When Winston is involved in a catastrophic toxic accident, he’s transformed into a new kind of hero: The Toxic Avenger. With the help of a whistleblower named J.J. (Taylour Paige), Toxie will unleash a brutal form of justice upon the incels, the purveyors of violence, and the greedy who prioritize their bottom line over public health.
Troma movies weren’t afraid to feature nudity, crass jokes, extreme violence, and even worse acting. They never produced a truly good film, but you could rarely fault their effort. They were carried as far as their talent would take them. Writer and Director Macon Blair may have more talent than anyone who ever worked for Troma, barring directors James Gunn and Eli Roth, and actors and creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. And there is no doubt the talent in front of the camera is light-years beyond the acting talent in every Troma movie combined. Unfortunately, talent can easily be accompanied by hubris, and that is the downfall of “The Toxic Avenger.” Blair and the crew believed they were capable of writing a smart, “good,” bad movie, and like 99.9% of filmmakers before them, they failed.
The action, horror, and comedy fail to excite, scare, or elicit more than a smirk for most of the 102-minute runtime. There is one standout special effect during a battle in a fast-food restaurant, but the rest of it is buried under a mountain of subpar special effects. While Wood and Bacon were game to go silly and deliver standout performances, they lack the screen time and plot development to carry the movie. The new movie also follows in the footsteps of the original by having all of Toxie’s dialogue recorded in ADR, as Dinklage is not the one who spends hours in the makeup chair. That honor goes to actress and stuntperson Luisa Guerreiro. She delivers a strong physical performance, and most of the dialogue is well synced. However, the voice can feel disconnected, and it’s hard to believe Winston is Toxie. However, because humor is subjective, your mileage may differ, but “The Toxic Avenger” is a film that requires caution and lowered expectations, or you may give it a score of 1.5 out of 5, just like I do.
IN THEATERS: August 29, 2025
DIRECTOR: Macon Blair
WRITERS: Macon Blair
PRODUCER: Legendary Entertainment
BASED ON: Lloyd Kaufman’s “THE TOXIC AVENGER”
CAST: Peter Dinklage, Kevin Bacon, Elijah Wood, Taylour Paige, Jacob Tremblay, Jane Levy
RUN TIME: 102 minutes
RATING: R (Sexual References|Language Throughout|Brief Graphic Nudity|Strong Violence and Gore)
GENRE: Action, Comedy, Horror
DISTRIBUTOR: Cineverse
