The Toxic Avenger from director Macon Blair, is a reboot of the 1984 film by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz. Starring Peter Dinklage as the titular Toxie, The Toxic Avenger brings the series’s iconic humor and vibe into the 21st Century, which feels like a breath of fresh air once again - if you don’t mind your nature laced with crude humour and over-the-top gore.

 

Winston Gooze (Dinklage) is a grieving widower struggling to take care of his teenage stepson (Jacob Tremblay) while attempting to process a terminal diagnosis due to the exposure to pollution and toxic waste he endured in his role as a janitor at Bob Garbinger’s (Kevin Bacon) factory. Following a series of poor decisions, he finds himself at the mercy of the goons of Fritz Garbinger (Elijah Wood), who dumped him in a lake of toxic waste. Mutated and imbued with superpowers, Winston is reanimated and reinvigorated by rage and injustice and determined to take Garbinger down.

 

The Toxic Avenger is crude, rude and undeniably funny while somehow avoids feeling entirely like a time capsule from the past thanks to Macon Blair’s script and direction. Peter Dinklage does a great job as Toxie, imbuing him with the downtrodden feel the story needs at the film’s early moments while also giving him fire and drive following Winston’s transformation. The film’s effects really lean into the vibe the humour creates, making The Toxic Avenger an entirely compelling watch.

 

The Toxic Avenger is a compelling, crude and gross blast from the past that avoids feeling entirely like a time capsule thanks to strong direction from Macon Blair and a great cast spearheaded by Peter Dinklage.