‘The Toxic Avenger’ (review)

Subversive to the nth degree, Troma Entertainment has made a name for itself by gleefully exposing filmgoers to all manner of gory, lewd and, above all, silly merriment since 1974, and the company has carried on with reckless – some would even say tasteless – abandon throughout the subsequent decades to cement its status as the forerunner in shlocktastic offerings that shock the masses and delight the company’s loyal followers.

Troma’s most successful title is undoubtedly 1984’s The Toxic Avenger, which spawned several sequels, and even the animated series Toxic Crusaders in 1991, complete with its own toy line, because that was the sort of thing you could get away with in the early nineties.

In this new take on Toxie, we are introduced to Winston Gooze (Peter Dinklage), who plays a downtrodden janitor at a big company run by callous CEO Bob Garbinger (Kevin Bacon), who lives large while the low-ranking employees struggle to get by, and the surrounding environment is poisoned by the company’s toxic waste.

Struggling to connect with his stepson, things only get worse for Winston when he learns that he has a perfectly curable disease, which his employer’s insurance policy unfortunately refuses to cover treatment for because while this is a fictional tale, it is after all still set in America.

One thing leads to another, and before long, Winston becomes a hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength, realizing that his newfound powers – complete with radioactive mop action – have put him in a position to clean up Harbinger’s mess for good.

As the nonsensical mayhem ensues, Peter Dinklage approaches the role of Winston with gusto and emotional heft, ensuring that Toxie is portrayed with humanity and sincerity, making him the clear standout among the protagonists.

In terms of the baddies, Kevin Bacon clearly relishes playing a Bryan Johnson-esque incarnation of corporate evil, surrounded by a rabble of maniacal henchmen, the ringleader of whom is portrayed by Elijah Wood, who continues to live his best weird life as he emulates Rocky Horror’s Riff Raff with mixed results.

As is par for the course with Troma, the self-serious need not apply, as there is no intention to make self-important arthouse cinema here, and if you are going into this expecting even an iota of seriousness, you will leave infuriated at how purposefully immature Troma proves to be once more.

Instead, the charm of The Toxic Avenger – and, indeed, Troma in general – is how a preposterous premise is unapologetically approached with dilettantish dedication, making the most of a devoted crew and cast whose sole mission is to make you laugh until your sides hurt, and your toes curl from the self-aware cringe and bloody mayhem.

As such, the humor is of the utmost importance, and while not every joke lands, there is such an abundance of subversive silliness on display here that fans of Troma are likely to enjoy what writer/director Macon Blair has to offer, however, in return, existing fans of Blair may find that the tonal shift from his previous efforts is simply too severe to stomach.

Slyly winking at the viewer as always, without risking becoming serious all of a sudden, there are nonetheless pertinent themes at play about the evils of late stage capitalism and the unacceptable things we have somehow come to accept, however, these never become ham-fisted or sanctimonious – we are all in on the joke, and we laugh because otherwise we would cry.

The gore is sporadic but gruesomely entertaining, putting practical effects at the forefront as it runs hand in hand with the absurdity set forth by a subversive yet classic tale of the unassuming hero who rises to the occasion, all of it wrapped in a type of humor that is not simply of the toilet variety, but all the way down in the sewer.

Aside for some pacing issues, for the initiated, it may not reach the heights of the fever dream that was Troma’s offerings once upon a time, the new The Toxic Avenger nonetheless showcases that Troma is still very much alive and kicking, forever refusing to grow up and behave like a serious adult, and what a relief that is.

Verdict: 7 out of 10.

* * * * *
Produced by Mary Parent, Alex Garcia,
Lloyd Kaufman, Michael Herz
Based on The Toxic Avenger Written by Lloyd Kaufman
Written and Directed by Macon Blair
Starring Peter Dinklage, Jacob Tremblay, Taylour Paige,
Julia Davis, Jonny Coyne, Elijah Wood, Kevin Bacon