The Toxic Avenger ‘23

• Directed by Macon Blair
• September 21, 2023 (Fantastic Fest) / August 29, 2025 (US and UK)
• Based on the 1984 film The Toxic Avenger directed by Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman

A janitor after a chemical accident transforms into the Toxic Avenger.

I recall the height of Troma Entertainment, Inc and The Toxic Avenger series. It was definitely a cult film that crossed over into enough mainstream popularity that there was even a kid friendly toy line and environmentally themed animated series for it. Given the day and age it came out when so many other not kids properties got the kid treatment, it wasn’t unusual.

The originals were masterpieces of bad taste that held your attention because they were guilty pleasures. All were crass and crude. Would a reboot with a winning cast recapture the magic? In the hope of reliving that buzz I got from watching the original from a dusty shelf in my local video store, I decided to stream The Toxic Crusader ’23. With some involvement by those who did the first ones I thought chances of quality were high.

Peter Dinklage stars in this as Winston Gooze who is the titular Avenger (but not in the suit for the character transformed). He has excellent comedic sensibilities. Not just mildly comedic, but just he can really do absurd and over the top very well. I’ve seen clips of his SNL stuff and it is hilarious. And his role in the otherwise disappointing Knights of Badassdom was the best thing in the movie.

Given this and some other films, Dinklage clearly communicates he wants to be in a zany comedy. Like Jared Leto with blockbusters, he just has no ability to pick good ones. This movie is like a YouTube or cheap Tubi production of The Toxic Avenger. It cannot update or expand on the concept.

This dives much more into environmentalism and elements of heart than any of the others ever did. Director Macon Blair in his screenplay makes Toxie a dedicated stepfather with a difficult relationship with stepson Wade (Jacob Tremblay) while taking swipes at healthcare/insurance and employer indifference or even corporations loving to pollute. It is a bit of a message movie but with a message delivered in the same ham-fisted way as the humor.

Some of the dialogue and jokes are funny. There’s plenty of wordplay and confusion humor, but it’s completely undone by poorly choreographed bad taste. This bad taste that Troma once did well has either aged out of fashion or Troma has lost those skills.

Besides Peter Dinklage this movie boasts Jonny Coyne, Elijah Wood, and Kevin Bacon in a scene stealing villainous role. Bacon and Wood both appear to be having a blast. Bacon is unhinged as CEO Bob Garbinger while Wood channels an entertaining strangeness as his brother Fritz. Dinklage performs his material a little to straight.

Bacon steals many of his moments on screen. Those come when he’s playing straight up evil even if it’s with a bit of a comedic spin. Woods has a few stand out moments. Most of the other actors present just go through the motions leading to an uneven tone.

Is this a parody of the superhero genre? Is it a badly done message movie? Is this a reboot of The Toxic Avenger? Maybe yes to all three (definitely the third) but it certainly doesn’t know what it wants to be mainly. It takes aim at just about everything from right wing culture and concerns to polluting corporations to whatever. It is like a stream of consciousness series of targets. 

With no decision on the focus, you just get bored with your mind questioning the life choices that placed you where to are watching a movie that tries so hard. You think how maybe you can never recapture those good times. This thinks stupid is funny and they are not the same. One can be the other but not always the other.

I really went in wanting something that was crass and crude and funny. While The Toxic Avenger ‘23 is crass and crude it never gets to consistently funny. I don’t think I’ve necessarily grown up but the skills to create good examples of what I wanted don’t exist anymore. If you enjoyed the original don’t try to relive them with this.