The Toxic Avenger

Saw the 'new' uncut version of this absolute toilet cinema as part of a blind early showing of an upcoming 'horror' film. Was slightly disappointed when learning that it was Toxic Avenger in the opening credits, absolute terrible film. The best part was when I got up and left early and got an hour back.

This is a BONKERS, BONKERS movie, and its got the funniest line of year, possibly the decade....

Peter Dinklage stars in this remake / reboot of the 80s 'classic' the Toxic Avenger

Dinklage plays Waylon Gooze, a single step parent trying to do his best realising his teenage stepson while working as a janitor at Kevin Bacons Toxic Waste plant.

Meanwhile Taylour Paige plays JJ, a reporter / investigator trying to blew the whistle on corporate bad guy Kevin Bacon and his nefarious company and toxic waste dumping shenanigans (theres also a sub plot involving Kavin BAcons character owing money to the mob)

Waylon sees some stuff he shouldn't, he ends up falling / being pushed in a vat of toxic waste and he becomes, the TOXIC AVENGER.

Opens with a fun tongue in cheek smash cut montage with voice over from Peter DInklage, that goes some way to set the tone for the type of movie we're in for

Elijah Wood as Bacon's right hand man / brother is kind of a mix between The Penguin and his version of Gollum.

When he's on screen its great, but it feels like he's underused in this movie

Bacon is the one who steals the show, It felt like he was the only one who 100% got the tone of the movie.

Dinklage isn't bad, far from it, but it did kinda feel like he was acting in a different movie that everyone else at times, felt that way with Jacob Tremblay & Tsylour Paige.

The Killer NUTZ (the gang of thugs who also happen to be a band) who carry out the dirty work for BAcon / Wood, look like they wandered off the set of a Purge movie onto the Toxic Avenger set.....

Tone wise, for the most part it confidently has in tingue in its cheek, but at times that tone seems to falter a nit and some elements feel like they're from a different movie.

Once the first act is done and dusted, its feels like the movie settles in to itself and is comfortable in its own skin, and then we as the audience settle in and enjoy the ride.

And it is a BONKER ride. Its also bloody HILARIOUS at times. There's more than one laugh out loud moment, and, one moment in particual is the funniest thing I've seen in the cinema this year (let me know in the comments which bit you think I'm talking about

Its ultra violent (the word UNCUT was literally in the title card)

There's location text on screen like 'yonder spooky woods' and things like that, wo yeah, very much tongue in cheek and fun in that sense

I don't have the affinity to the original that many people do, I've seen the original but It wasn't a staple of my childhood or anything so I've not overwhelming connection to it,

So I'm ok with the story changes, with the fact they've rebooted and remade it.

Its not Dinklage in the Toxie suit, its Luisa Guerreiro. While she does a great job with the physicality of the role, the reality is all of Dinklage's lines were dubbed in after the fact, and it shows on more than one occasion, when that happens, it takes you out of the movie a little. It does feel like theres a disconnect between the physical role and the voice.

I saw it at 9am at a press screening at the Edinburgh Film Festival, so not quite the time or the crowd to fully embrace it. Speaking of embracing it,,,, why don't you go ahead and ... ahem... EMBRACE that SUBSCRIBE button.....THANK YOU

It was then shown to the public at midnight as part of the 'Midnight Madness' line up, I image the atmosphere at that screening was a little more.... lively.

-- On that not, my good friend Cinephile Mike was at both the 9am press screening AND the midnight madness screening, so I'm gonna pass you over to him for a brief moment as he tells what that was like, take it away Mike --

6/10 for the Toxic Avenger, totally bonkers, ultra violent at times, very much tongue in cheek if a little unsure of itself tonally at times.

There IS an end credits scene so be sure toi stick around for that, and If you wanna see my thoughts on other films from the Edinburgh film festival, you can click here.

When this was announced I was intrigued and when I found out Macon Blair was directing, I was fully on board. I expected something putrid and heinous with a ton of violence. Now that this is finally here after almost 3 years of delays, I can say the brutality is there in heavy doses, but the comedy aspect that they went for is absolutely pathetic . Now I'm not saying the originals weren't zany and mightily cheesy. It's just for the time that is why they worked. This time around it's like they took gen z humor and threw it at a Gen x property and it just doesn't work. It's cringeworthy in the worst way. At times the extremism of it even goes into territory that gets bordeline creepy.

Another huge and glaring aspect is the casting of Peter Dinklage for Toxie . It just doesn't work flat out . I'm really not sure what they were thinking with that . It's also even more flabbergasting they don't even use him in the actual practical suit/mask . He's simply the voice over with a stunt double . Some of the other casting decisions were off as well with even some of the notables. I will say at times the visuals were kind of cool but that was about it . This film didn't need to happen if this was the effort they were gonna throw at it .

The Toxic Avenger was actually made in 2023, but - according to IMDb's trivia - 'producers failed to secure a distributor for some time due to the film's violent content'. Yeah, right! Terrifier 2 & 3 did just fine with much more violence. I think most distributors passed on the film because it is pure garbage, easily one of the most moronic Troma films I have ever seen, and that's saying something.

I gave it a shot because I found the original The Toxic Avenger to be fairly fun, was intrigued by the impressive cast (Peter Dinklage as Winston AKA Toxie, Kevin Bacon as the villain, Bob Garbinger, and Elijah Wood as Bob's brother Fritz), I thought that the trailer looked promising (hinting at plenty of over-the-top gore), and I thoroughly enjoyed director Macon Blair's I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore. Unfortunately, nothing about this film works. Blair attempts to replicate Lloyd Kaufman's trademark lunacy, with plenty of colourful characters and general craziness, but it all feels so desperate: the gags fall flat and the chaotic direction is loud and obnoxious. The splatter is okay, but nowhere near as excessive as the trailer suggests (and too reliant on CGI).

I tried very hard to get into the swing of things - even forced myself to smirk a couple of times - but if truth be told, it wasn't long before I was praying for the film to end. The Toxic Avenger should have stayed on the shelf. 1/10.

A remake that neither replicates nor ignores the original. Plenty of knowing jokes (New Chem High School, the St Roma's Village location, with both esses faded) and an opening animation that will feel familiar.

Peter Dinklage and Kevin Bacon having the time of their lives; Jacob Tremblay and Taylor Paige a solid rhythm section; but Elijah Wood in a sadly derivative role (Penguin / Minions bad guy). A band of musician assassins - think Insane Clown Posse / Slipknot - provide slapstick, and a subplot involving the primary villain being in hock to worse villains was entertaining.

No real attempt at moral nuance or intellectual rigour - I loved the doctor explaining the technical stuff - but great fun and well worth the time and ticket money.