The Hero America Needs: ‘The Toxic Avenger’ Reviewed
by Rachel Bellwoar
Talk about upsetting. What do you mean New Jersey had a superhero this whole time and I’m only just learning about him now? It’s the truth, though: while I’d heard of the Toxic Avenger, I was completely unaware of his Garden State origins, and while New Jersey doesn’t exactly play a big role in Macon Blair‘s new re-imagining of the franchise, this Blu-ray is all about showing respect for Toxie’s legacy as well as celebrating his return to the big screen in The Toxic Avenger.
The good news is you don’t have to know anything about Toxie or the Troma universe he is a part of to enjoy The Toxic Avenger but, thanks to the bonus features included on this Blu-ray, you might walk away wanting to check out his other movies and shows, starting with 1984’s The Toxic Avenger and extending to the present day (and even comics, with Ahoy Comics being in charge of the IP currently).
Every hero needs an origin story and, before he was the Toxic Avenger, Winston Gooze (Peter Dinklage) was a dad — a stepdad to be exact, working as a janitor at BTH, a major pharmaceutical company, when not trying to connect with his stepson, Wade (Room‘s Jacob Tremblay). When Winston gets told he has only months to live, he misguidedly thinks he can go to BTH head Bob Garbinger (Kevin Bacon) for help since the company’s insurance policy won’t cover his treatment. As Winston will come to realize, it’s likely because of BTH’s unsafe practices that he’s sick in the first place but, needless to say things get worse, and then they get submerged in toxic waste, as Winston is transformed into the Toxic Avenger.
Impervious to bullets and able to pull people’s arms out of their sockets, all while wielding a toxic mop, Winston winds up joining forces with J.J. (Taylour Paige), a journalist who’s trying to expose BTH but needs hard proof of their crimes. The result is a darkly humorous, bloody good time and while the “unrated” label on the cover might stir up ideas of debauchery, the reason The Toxic Avenger works is because it never punches low. Yes, some of the jokes may be juvenile but that’s because the film isn’t snobby and has a sense of humor about itself. It’s also unapologetic when it comes to gore and doesn’t get caught up in the moral quandaries of violence, as a late-in-the-film conversation with Wade acknowledges but then glosses over.
All of the performances in this film are amazing, but special credit should be given to creature actor Luisa Guerreiro, whose physical performance works seamlessly in tandem with Dinklage’s voice acting. Elijah Wood‘s sad eyes are wonderfully employed as well in the role of Bob Garbinger’s band manager brother, Fritz. Fans of the TV show Gotham should definitely vibe with this film’s aesthetic, if the tone is less dark than the DC series.
Included on Cineverse’s Blu-ray is a director’s commentary by Blair where he goes over inspirations, talks about specific scenes (like the voiceover narration at the beginning which was added after test screenings), and ends the commentary by giving Troma co-founder Lloyd Kaufman a call (Kaufman has a cameo in the movie and also appears in the 13-minute behind the scenes video).
There’s also a 10-minute featurette narrated by film professor Will Dodson and featuring Troma actress Tiffany Shepsis about why Toxie is the hero America needs right now that manages to quote Chumbawamba and also show how far Toxie has come with clips and a 15-minute 40th anniversary special hosted by Dr. AC in which he and some puppets share their appreciation for the franchise and look back at its history. While Blair alludes to some deleted scenes in the commentary those appear to be absent here but, thanks to the bonus features, I came away with a greater awareness of Blair’s nods to the originals, like having Winston sport a tutu or naming the town Saint Roma’s Village after Troma.
The Toxic Avenger is available on 4K, Blu-ray, DVD, and Steelbook from Cineverse. The 4K and Blu-ray Collector’s Edition comes with a limited edition lenticular slipcover that flips between Peter Dinklage as Winston and Toxie.
