The Toxic Avenger (2025)

After over a decade of development diversions and distribution troubles, the reboot of much-loved 1980s midnight movie The Toxic Avenger is finally splattering onto screens — and while it’s had a contemporary update in its core themes and special effects, it still retains the gory, spoofy silliness that made the original a cult hit.

Game Of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage steps into the starring role as Winston Gooze, janitor at behemoth pharmaceutical factory BTH and widower stepdad to young Wade (Room’s Jacob Tremblay). When Winston is diagnosed with a terminal brain condition, he’s dismayed to find his health insurance doesn’t cover the treatment. After a series of events involving a pink tutu, a glowing green mop and a half-arsed robbery, Winston ends up chucked into a vat of BTH’s goopy industrial waste — and emerges as the green-skinned, super-strong ‘Toxic Avenger’, set to seek vengeance on those who’ve wronged him.

The tone here is endlessly goofy, heightened and self-aware, with every inch of the film packed with Easter eggs nodding to the 1984 film, and lots of fun details — from the literal place names (‘Depressing Outskirts’, ‘Yonder Spooky Woods’) to the throwaway gags (a reference to syphilis instead of Sisyphus) and cartoonish costume design. Writer-director Macon Blair conjures a hellish, off-kilter vision of America; one that’s drowning in inequality, soundtracked by ‘monster-core’ rap metal and pushing back against corporate negligence. Bizarre as it sounds, think Deadpool meets Dark Waters, and you’re kinda halfway there.

As juvenile and gonzo as the humour is, just like Toxie himself, this movie has a kind heart

Dinklage is convincing as Winston, the grieving, well-meaning loser trying to connect with his stepson, and movement artist Luisa Guerreiro is great as the physical body underneath the pile of prosthetics after he transforms into ‘Toxie’. Zola’s Taylour Paige is strong as straight-faced BTH whistleblower J.J., Elijah Wood is weirdly empathetic as stringy-haired fixer Fritz, and Kevin Bacon and Brit comedy icon Julia Davis are clearly having fun as unhinged villains Bob Garbinger and assistant Kissy.

As schlocky as The Toxic Avenger is, the entire cast appear to be on exactly the same page as Blair in knowing the parodic but sincere vibe they’re going for, and it’s their commitment to the bit that makes it work. The violence is eye-poppingly gory, but the super-stylised execution makes it more comedic than harrowing, and the 102-minute runtime zips by. There’s basically zero character depth, the plot manages to be both barely-there and overstuffed, and the sheer weirdness of it all might be a turn-off for some. But, as juvenile and gonzo as the humour is, just like Toxie himself, this movie has a kind heart, and that’s more than enough to win over original fans and TA newbies alike.