Film, Fantastic Fest
The Toxic Avenger Reboots “Toxic” Hero
The Toxic Avenger Premieres at Fantastic Fest Starring Peter Dinklage, Kevin Bacon, and Elijah Wood
The word “toxic” has two connotations. One is in terms of toxic waste — an all-too-familiar reality of today’s world struggling with climate change. The other is the idea of something that is psychologically “toxic” — a toxic relationship, a toxic workplace, a toxic culture.
The 2023 reboot of The Toxic Avenger, directed by Macon Blair, explores the line between these two definitions. The cult classic gets new life in a bonkers, gonzo slayfest of a good time.
The original Toxic Avenger came out in 1984 from Troma Entertainment. Troma was well known for making “exploitation films” that aimed to disrupt the sensibilities of any average filmgoer (or New York Times Reviewer) by catering to the prurient curiosity and gore obsession of teenagers. At the time, films were often sold to home video sellers before even making it to the big screen, building on the large group of people who loved to buy or rent weird videos at their local video store. They were also regularly syndicated for TV.
“Sex, comedy, and an acceptable level of violence” was the goal. The original film cost less than $1.5 million to make. As one article of the time put it, the film relied “heavily on raunchy language, gory details, and a bit of soft porn.” (“Savage Movies Don’t Bloody Investors in Troma’s Schlock” by Patrick Reilly, Crains New York Business, 1986).
Troma’s Toxic Avenger was a surprise hit. It even spawned a musical score: The Toxic Avenger: New Jersey’s first superhero. After that, Troma began making films with bigger names. The original film addressed fears of suburbia: Petty criminals preying on little old ladies and kids, making its criminals easy targets.
The 2023 reboot stars Emmy Award winner Peter Dinklage as Winston Gooze, a step-dad struggling to make ends meet and connect with his son after his wife’s death. He has to face off against a cast of goons led by Bob Garbinger (Kevin Bacon) as the head of an evil corporation polluting suburbia.
Dinklage is buried in head-to-toe makeup and costumery that is satisfyingly realistic and clearly draws on Troma’s history of real-life, practical effects. The SFX here seem to be primarily in the slashing of brains with a magical, sludge-infused mop. It’s giving Goonies, and I’m here for it.
A surprising entry is Elijah Wood’s role as the mistreated brother of the big bad corporation exec, Fritz Garbinger. With makeup and mannerisms that are obvious nods to Tim Burton’s Penguin, Wood plays the role charmingly sweet under the uncanny surface.
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The film has a high kill count and is a cheerful gore-fest with a heartfelt ending and a tutu-wearing, mop-wielding hero. It’s kitschy, silly fun, and a blast to watch. What isn’t to love?
For me, the film missed an obvious opportunity to tie the Toxic Avenger’s early climate change message (something people were only just understanding the devastation of in the 80s) to today’s audiences. Taylour Paige is a powerhouse as The Toxic Avenger’s co-lead, bringing much-needed variety to an otherwise heavily white cast. But the satire of the film struggles, peppering what should be a critique of the right with anti-woke culture jokes that aren’t as funny as we’re convinced they should be. After all, it isn’t woke culture that’s killing the planet.
The Toxic Avenger struggles in its jokes — some of which are delightfully perfect, while others rely on tired take-downs. At one point, Toxie turns to his black female sidekick and raises his fist in the black power sign, which she shakes her head at, and Toxie replaces it with a rock-on sign. In another, a clearly right-wing news pundit is told off after making the last of several boring jokes about the left. The film should be making fun of the movement that for years successfully convinced most of the world that climate change wasn’t real. It’s that connection that I was wishing for in the film.
Peter Dinklage has a unique ability to bring another layer of complexity to his roles. In the original Toxic Avenger, there’s a scene where an Asian laundress is killed. The punchline goes, “No ticky, no washy.” Of course, the actress, Norma Pratt, wasn’t Asian. But she was a little person. While B movies often pushed against norms in delightful ways, they also were well-known for perpetuating harmful stereotypes. That history is complex. (If you want a deep dive into little people in Troma films, I hesitantly point you to Lloyd Kaufman’s 2010 article on the topic). Dinklage’s role here is reclaiming that space, which he repeatedly does in his films, most recently the surprise romantic musical Cyrano (2021).
Avenging the toxicity that kills the planet? Maybe. Avenging toxic culture? I’m not entirely sure. Either way, it’s a gory, face-shredding crusade of fun.
This article is part of Interstellar Flight Magazine’s coverage of Fantastic Fest, taking place in Austin, TX, 9/21–9/28, 2023. We thank Fantastic Fest and Alamo Drafthouse for providing access to these films!
Interstellar Flight Magazine publishes essays on what’s new in the world of speculative genres. In the words of Ursula K. Le Guin, we need “writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope.” Visit our Patreon to join our fan community on Discord. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
