Writer/Director Macon Blair (I Don’t Feel At Home in This World Anymore) answers a very specific question for his sophomore directorial feature: what if Troma’s 1984 cult classic The Toxic Avenger was rebooted with a much bigger budget? Armed with a new Toxie and story, Blair’s version comes packed with reverent nods to the original and retains its specific zany style of gory splatstick comedy. However, its chaotic storytelling winds up overcomplicating matters.
Riffing off Tromaville, The Toxic Avenger sets its raucous tale in St. Roma Ville, where it introduces lowly janitor Winston Gooze (Peter Dinklage). Winston struggles to make ends meet after the death of his partner, leaving him alone to raise stepson Wade (Jacob Tremblay), and a health crisis prompts him to seek financial help from his company’s greedy CEO, Bob Garbinger (Kevin Bacon). But Winston’s desperation leads him to take drastic measures, and while crossing paths with company whistleblower J.J. (Taylour Paige), Winston becomes horrifically transformed by toxic sludge. His ghastly appearance and toxic-powered strength and abilities thrust the former reluctant bystander into the hero spotlight once the bodies start piling up.
Blair packs in the characters as rapidly as the Troma nods. It creates an almost dizzyingly packed world as Blair zips through varying plot threads that ultimately converge on the shady pharmaceutical company responsible for keeping the poor ever poor, as the toxic waste it produces also drains their health. J.J.’s constant attempts to secure proof of misconduct put her in the crosshairs of Bob’s brother Fritz (Elijah Wood) and his henchmen, a monstercore band that moonlights as bumbling hitmen.
While ultimately straightforward, juggling so many players only compounds Winston’s complicated situation. Blair wrings a lot of laughs from his characters, but keeping track of these character threads winds up creating lulls in the pacing that makes the ultra-gory moments feel sparser than they are. It’s not helped by the frenetic, quick editing that sometimes feels like taking narrative shortcuts. Luckily, the chaotic editing primarily serves to showcase the humor, and on that front, The Toxic Avenger is successful.
The gore and the oddball antics of this colorful world ensure this is a Troma movie through and through. Not all of it is practical; a few moments are noticeable in its VFX. But the new Toxie does find creative ways to wield his mop and toxic abilities to wreak havoc on the human body in delightfully deranged ways. A fast food massacre becomes a winsome highlight, delivering the comedy, gnarly kills, and even a familiar blind character to drive home that this is exactly the movie promised on the tin.
The cast commits to this bizarro, cartoonish world. Wood embraces the weirdness of his eccentric character, though he avoids making the obvious choices. Bacon chews scenery like no tomorrow as the CEO obsessed with his vanity and wealth, and Dinklage presents an inspired new Toxie. Paige impresses with her muted, deadpan humor in line with her straight-man character. But the crowded script more dedicated to comedic bits than concise narrative often pulls its punches; expect kinder fates for some and the avenging to bide its time in arriving. Some threads get wrapped up a bit too neatly, considering the title.
Ultimately, The Toxic Avenger is a bit too chaotic for its own good. The gore and comedy delight, and Blair’s reverence for the source material is infectious. When it’s fearlessly capturing the Troma spirit, The Toxic Avenger is a complete crowd-pleaser. But the volume of players on the board and the chaos each brings to the table means that the pacing and energy are prone to sags. A tighter, simpler story would’ve helped, but there’s enough fun and outlandishness on display to offset what doesn’t work. It’s silly, gory, and sleeker in polish. Even better, perhaps, is that it’s as advertised- a Troma movie with a bigger budget made for contemporary audiences.
You’ll know whether it’s for you based on concept alone.
The Toxic Avenger made its world premiere at Fantastic Fest. Release info TBD.
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