THE TOXIC AVENGER - UNRATED

**

Directored by Macon Blair.

Starring Peter Dinklage, Jacob Tremblay, Taylour Paige, Elijah Wood, Kevin Bacon.

Comedy, USA, 102 Mins, Certificate 18.

Released in cinemas in the uk on August 29th by Signature Entertainment

Reviewed as part of FrightFest 2025

After sitting on a shelf for two years seemingly without reason, actor and director Macon Blair’s eagerly awaited  re-interpretation of the Troma mascot finally reaches cinema screens. Sadly the reason for the long wait now seems to be one of quality. Now re-edited and presented in an “unrated” cut, the result is choppy and oddly paced with occasional flashes of inspiration.

Peter Dinklage takes on the titular role. It is an inspired piece of casting and he does well as Winston Gooze, a friendly mild-mannered janitor at the chemical plant located in St Roma Village. Struggling to connect with his teenage son after the death of his wife, Winston’s life is further complicated through a set of convoluted events that see him confronting his evil boss played by Kevin Bacon, and end up with Winston being dropped into toxic green slime and emerging as a monstrously deformed figure. Realising he is now invincible, Winston decides to take on Bacon and his younger brother played by Elijah Wood cosplaying as Danny DeVito’s Penguin from BATMAN RETURNS, and the local crime gang they are in cahoots with in gory fashion.

Despite its inventive gore, the film really struggles to live up to its source material. While foul-mouthed, gone is the gleeful and outrageous tone of the original films, replaced with scattershot jokes, most of which fail to raise a smile or elicit a laugh. Aside from Dinklage’s performance, the rest of the cast also struggle with the weak material. Kevin Bacon, who we know can play smarmy and evil in his sleep, has next to nothing to do aside from shouting at Elijah Wood, also struggling to make any impression with his paper thin character, despite his transformative look.

Also taking inspiration from the likes of HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN while dropping in a number of visual nods to other Troma films, this remake fails to elicit much of a reaction, aside from the occasional quiet laugh. Who knows what the original version was like to be condemned to sit in purgatory for all that time, but this version also feels compromised in multiple ways and will struggle to gain the cult following of its predecessor.

Iain MacLeod