In the 1980s, ‘nerd revenge’ films were at their zenith (see: Revenge of the Nerds). The Toxic Avenger, made by a little US film company called Troma, took full advantage of that appetite in 1984.
In the original film, a weedy, outcast janitor by the name of Melvin Ferd Junko III gets mercilessly bullied by jocks – to the point where he falls into a vat of toxic waste, and mutates into the hideous but strong Toxic Avenger. He then becomes an unconventional superhero who stands up for little guys like himself, and fights corporate corruption with a mop – with oodles of slicing, dicing, beheading and bloodletting.
Troma and its filmmakers Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Hertz was best known for these low-budge indie films that leant in to their B-(C, D and all the way to Z-) movie status, which gained cult notoriety due to their extremely filthy (violence AND sex-wise) nature.
It was this same grotesque, overt display of gore that really earned Toxic Avenger its underground fame when it was passed around on VHS – and that buzz soon led to several sequels, spin-offs, comic book adaptations, and even a musical.
Now, director Macon Blair (I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore) has taken on Toxie for a modern-day outing. The Toxic Avenger (2025) re-imagines its central hero as Winston Gooze (Peter Dinklage), still a janitor, but now also a father with a step-son (Jacob Tremblay) who hates him.
The Toxic Avenger: quick links
Gooze is at his wits’ end when he gets dealt a diagnosis of an incurable disease – the treatment of which he can’t afford, because *gestures wildly* ‘America!’. Then, to make matters worse, hired goons from Gooze’s boss Bob Garbinger (a delightfully megalomanic Kevin Bacon) push him into a vat of – you guessed it – toxic waste.
Oh, but that’s after they shoot him in the head at point blank range. It’s Troma all the way down, baby!
At a glance, the spirit of the film is much the same as its predecessor, but the structure is funky fresh, with pointed jabs at the US healthcare system (or lack thereof), climate change, billionaire ‘personality’ cults, and – since it’s still extremely relevant – corporate corruption. With Dinklage bringing his dark comedic sensibilities to the title role, and a robust supporting cast including Bacon, Elijah Wood, and Taylour Paige, Toxie gets elevated to a high-class indie that simultaneously doesn’t compromise its filth.
So, strap in while I review the most feel-good gore-fest of the year!
Watch the trailer for The Toxic Avenger:
The Toxic Avenger: mop crew, whoop whoop!
As a working class dad with a fatal illness, Dinklage’s Winston Gooze is a relatable guy for the modern era. Packed with the dry wit and self-deprecation we’ve come to expect from the Game of Thrones actor, he is the perfect lead for a film where the protagonist is about to have the worst day(s) of his life, and then has to spend the remainder of his days as a melted green mutant with a tutu permanently fused to his torso.
He’s joined by teen actor Jacob Tremblay (who audiences may recognise from Room), who is here testing out his quirky sensibilities as Wade Gooze, a kid who dreams of performing modern dance. Wanting the best for his ward, Winston attempts robbing the company he works for in order to pay for his medical treatment. Things don’t go as planned, and Gooze Sr. is targeted for assasination by Fritz Garbinger (a haunting Elijah Wood) and the Killer Nutz, a punk band who also moonlight as gangsters.
After transforming into the titular hero, Toxie finds that his desire to take down the corrupt Garbinger company is shared by the young JJ Doherty, an investigative reporter who also lost her boss to the Killer Nutz. The two form an unlikely duo and go to town on the baddies with street smarts and a glowing mop.
More Gollum than Frodo, Elijah Wood is having a grand old time as the hunchbacked, slimy brother of Kevin Bacon’s Big Bad. Seeing him wrestle with his renegade band/gang as he hobbles around in an outfit that would make The Penguin jealous is worth the price of admission alone. Next to him, Kevin Bacon waltzes around an opulent mansion, hamming it up as much as a Bacon can.
The Toxic Avenger: come for the blood, stay for the laughs
Heads shatter, blood splatters, and the big-wigs are left in tatters. The jokes fly as thick and fast as the brain matter does, which left me and fellow audience members winded. In a similar vein to The Naked Gun (another recent release), this is a reboot that knows exactly when to land a gag, and how to re-craft the humour for today’s audiences. Visual gags and slapstick never go out of style, but the timing of said jokes – and more importantly, who is the target of them – does shift, and Blair acts accordingly.
It also looks great, with impressive prosthetics, CGI and other visual effects, which make it a significant upgrade from the lo-fi 80s version. The camera work is deft, and the editing is appropriately snappy. Kaufman and Troma should be proud.
My only nitpick is that the sound mix was a bit muddy, and often made dialogue hard to hear. That, and I wish the whole film was longer!
Less ‘so-bad-it’s-good’ and more ‘so self-assuredly vile, campy and hilarious’, The Toxic Avenger soars with satire, tumbles with blood and guts, cartwheels with crass and sticks the landing with barely a falter.
The Toxic Avenger is in cinemas now.
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Actors:
Peter Dinklage, Elijah Wood, Kevin Bacon, Jacob Tremblay,
Director:
Macon Blair
Format: Movie
Country: USA
Release: 01 September 2025
