As with many trash cult films, the pleasure of the original “Toxic Avenger” (1984) is as much in the concept of its fandom than anything else. A gory, sex-filled parody about a toxic waste cretin-turned-superhero: Seems kind of fun to be a devotee of something that sounds so bad that it’s good, right? Actually watching it, though, at least not when couch-locked and under the influence, is somewhat of a different story.
Granted, the 1984 film — a hallmark of blood-soaked, B-movie splatter films — wasn’t terrible; in some ways, it wasn’t terrible enough to make up its mind between kitsch or camp. The new revival of the same name has a far more assured hold on its sensibility, offering a modernized gonzo spoof that is a bit bloodier, a bit funnier and far more confident in its silliness.
Written and directed by Macon Blair, “The Toxic Avenger” is a retread mostly in name. It keeps the general structure of the original — a loser who becomes a monstrous hero — but embodies its own tone and story. Instead of a nerd helpless with girls, its protagonist is Winston Gooze (Peter Dinklage), a widower who struggles to connect with his son (Jacob Tremblay) and works as a janitor for BTH, a pseudo-health care company that is poisoning the town and run by a sleazy chief executive (Kevin Bacon) in cahoots with the mob.
When Winston finds out he is terminally ill and tries to rob his employer to fund his treatment, he gets caught up in a shootout and falls into a pool of toxic waste. He emerges a disfigured monster with superhuman abilities that he uses to fight the town’s corrupt villains.
Soon, heads are halved, limbs dismembered, bottoms disemboweled. In other words, the outrageous violence, a core allure of the original, remains, but the gross-out is situated in a more colorfully pulpy universe and has a more smartly self-conscious touch to its comedy.
Still, it’s all an undoubtedly niche appeal that has, somewhat predictably, come to theaters belatedly. The movie first premiered at festivals in 2023 but has only recently found distribution after a long struggle. (That delay inadvertently lends an unintended edge to its satire about the corporate evil of health care companies: At one point, a sick Winston, in a mask, approaches the BTH exec as if to attack him, a precursor to their eventual showdown.)
In reality, “The Toxic Avenger” is far less button-pushing than its delayed release might suggest. That could also mean it’s not as vile or clunky as the audience for whom it’s made might hope, but it’s a boisterous entry to the B-movie subgenre at a time when none are really being made. After all, the appeal to those movies is in part the vintage cinematic limitations of the past; in that sense, it’s remarkable that a revival of this putrid protagonist arrives now and works in its own way (while boasting such a sturdy cast). Somehow, like a creature emerging from radioactive sludge, it lives.
The Toxic Avenger
Not Rated. Running time: 1 hour 42 minutes. In theaters.
The post ‘The Toxic Avenger’ Review: More Ooze and Aahs appeared first on New York Times.
