I’ve got a confession. I’m not a Troma fan. At least I wasn’t until now. If I’m honest, and maybe it’s because I didn’t grow up with it, but Troma has never hit for me. I’ve always found it offensive and a little dull. Now, this review isn’t to rip on Troma because after seeing Macon Blair’s The Toxic Avenger, I think I need to revisit some Troma titles and give them another shot. Can a movie really make you want to revisit a studio’s catalogue? In this case, yes. Be warned, there are light spoilers in this review!
In The Toxic Avenger, “when a downtrodden janitor, Winston Gooze, is exposed to a catastrophic toxic accident, he’s transformed into a new kind of hero: The Toxic Avenger. Now, Toxie must rise from outcast to savior, taking on ruthless corporate overlords and corrupt forces who threaten his son, his friends, and his community. In a world where greed runs rampant… justice is best served radioactive.”
Now, you’re probably asking, “Sarah, if you don’t like Troma, why would you go see this?” The answer is simply that I was curious. The release for this film was delayed for so long, despite a good reception during its festival debut, that I needed to see it for myself. I am so glad I did because The Toxic Avenger is easily one of my favorite films that I’ve seen this year. So much so that I may change my rules for my end-of-the-year favorites to include it, despite it initially being seen on the 2023 festival circuit.
What makes The Toxic Avenger different than other Troma films I’ve seen, including the original, is that this iteration feels like it has more of a message than just trying to be over the top and as offensive as possible. I know a lot of Troma fans find that fun, but it’s just not my jam. Macon Blair’s take still goes hard but doesn’t rely solely on obscenity. In fact, he said, “the goal was a silly, sloppy, bloody, knuckleheaded, and heartwarming romp for the whole family.” I think he succeeds in this on every level. While not every joke lands, I didn’t feel like I was left with a sense of ick.
The social messaging in this film will hit for a lot of folks. Medical debt is a huge problem in the United States, and to see Toxie deal with something the average American has experienced or will experience is really meaningful. On top of the messaging of the film, Cineverse has partnered with national nonprofit Undue Medical Debt to erase at least $5M in medical debt. Additionally, for every $1M The Toxic Avenger makes at the box office, Cineverse will erase another $1M in medical debt. So not only can you go see Toxie beat the snot out of rich people who don’t care about anything outside of profits, you can help folks just by buying a ticket!
The casting for The Toxic Avenger is killer! Everyone gives 110%. Peter Dinklage’s Winston/Toxie is endearing in both forms. You can’t help but connect to him. Shout out to Luisa Guerreiro, who did the physical performance of Toxie. Elijah Wood and Kevin Bacon give their all in their roles. I like seeing Elijah Wood as an antagonist and would love to have him take on darker roles more often.
It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t talk about the food in the film. Yes, The Toxic Avenger has gastro elements! Sadly, the restaurant scene is the basis for the joke that didn’t really land for me. That said, there is a correction to the joke made by a character in the film, which made it feel less awkward. In fact, just about every time a tasteless joke is made, someone in the film calls out the crassness of it. The gastro moment that I adored was a scene that felt like a riff on The Avengers, and I was living for it. All I will say is that you definitely want to stay for the post-credits scene.
Speaking of The Avengers, this film seems to lovingly poke fun at the superhero movie genre. In a time when a lot of folks have been feeling the fatigue from the constant release of these types of movies, The Toxic Avenger feels like a breath of fresh, albeit polluted, air. This is the splatter version, complete with its very own Stan Lee-style appearance by Lloyd Kaufman. I can only hope we see more of Toxie in the future. If Macon Blair is writing, I’m there!
As I said in my initial Letterboxd thoughts, loving a Toxic Avenger movie and finding it wholesome was not on my lifetime bingo card, but here we are. Toning down the irreverence of other Troma films will likely piss off some viewers; however, I think it makes Troma and Toxie more accessible. In the words of their marketing, we need to show the f*ck up for this film! Go show Hollywood and theaters that we want more horror like this!
My Rating: 4.5/5
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