‘The Toxic Avenger’ Oozes With Grossly Fun Antics and Environmental Messaging 

Alci Rengifo

There is a clear difference between what one could call “good trash” and “bad trash” in movies. The former usually falls into the category of B flicks or schlock that nonetheless had sincere aims and wacky artistry. Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz’s 1984 “The Toxic Avenger” undoubtedly falls into that category. It is a cult classic straight out of the days of authentic grindhouse, where the point was the absurd makeup, goofball dialogue and nudity. The plot was about a scrawny nerd picked on by the jocks and blondes hanging out at the gym where he mops the floor. After getting tossed into a barrel of radioactive waste, he emerges as the muscular and deformed Toxic Avenger, bloodily taking down bullies and criminals. Macon Blair now releases a remake that is all fun in bad taste. This “The Toxic Avenger” is a true summer geekfest.

Blair’s screenplay updates the material with more of an environmentalist edge. Now the setting is a city called Tromaville surrounded by rivers clearly contaminated by BTH, a shady health-centric corporation run by Bob Garbinger (Kevin Bacon). Kind janitor Winston Gooze (Peter Dinklage) sweeps the floors at BTH and cares for stepson Wade (Jacob Tremblay). Winston then gets the awful news that he has a terminal brain condition. Unfortunately, his insurance won’t cover the necessary procedure so he sneaks into a gala to beg Garbinger for help. The snarky corporate jerk ignores the suffering employee, so Winston decides to rob the BTH factory. He pulls off his stunt at the same time as a whistleblower, J.J. (Taylour Paige), is also sneaking in to take evidence proving the company is poisoning the city. Garbinger’s goons arrive and toss poor Winston into a toxic river along with a mop he dipped into glowing radioactive sludge. Out of the stew he emerges transformed into the Toxic Avenger or Toxie, as his admirers lovingly dub him.

Like its predecessor, “The Toxic Avenger” does not care at all about good taste. That’s the point. Audiences have become so accustomed to slick, ultra-expensive superhero movies that this one struggled for two years to find a distributor despite inspiring glee at festivals. Back in the day, the ’84 movie was the product of sleaze factory Troma (hence the name of the city in the new movie), now the gore of this film apparently turned off potential backers. Now Cineverse is thankfully putting out there and it’s a worthy heir to classic counterculture filmmaking. It even has a clearer, direct political message than the original about how the world is run by greedy capitalists who don’t care if their products poison the natural world. A toxic little mutant bird keeps appearing as a side joke, its feathers nearly gone as it barely chirps away near lakes no one should ever go near. Towns and roads are given absurd names and Garbinger’s goons are a monstercore rock band who look like imbecile rejects from “The Purge” franchise. Overseeing them is Fritz (Elijah Wood), Garbinger’s younger brother with Igor vibes out of a bad horror film.

The gory violence of the first movie is back and enhanced with modern CGI. Toxie saves a kind grandmother from a ruthless mobster by ripping out his arm. A restaurant takeover by a bizarre militia gets stopped by Toxie brutally annihilating them (including ripping out someone’s entrails through their posterior). Yet, it’s not as graphic as one would think. Blair, known for indie films like “Blue Ruin” and “I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore,” is still focused on making us laugh more than squirm. Toxie killing opponents with his radioactive mop is genuinely funny in a geek show way. He’s also likeable as a truly vulnerable hero, played by Peter Dinklage with the insecurity of a nice guy transformed into a mutant. As in the original, the movie starts with one actor, Dinklage, and uses another, here Luisa Guerreiro, to play Toxie. Dinklage still voices the green hero with eloquent rage. The makeup work is also superb, feeling real enough even when Toxie’s eyeball dangles out and he plops it back in.

While the original “Toxic Avenger” is a low brow classic, it’s not far-fetched to say this is actually a better movie. The sexism is replaced by a stronger storyline involving Winston trying to reconnect with a confused stepson. There’s no absurd romance involving a blind blonde Toxie saves from a crude rape scene. The script instead goes for more social satire, like a newscast where one reporter tries to stick to the facts while another shamelessly lavishes praise on Garbinger. Everyone gives their all by playing the material shamelessly, as they must go into a third act that becomes a monster standoff with Kevin Bacon allowed to fully indulge in the craziness. “The Toxic Avenger” is made for a specific kind of audience that loves a particular experience. It’s gross and thoughtful, stylishly shot with a wardrobe that could have been taken out of the Spirit Halloween store. The point is it’s done with genuine heart and a keen sense of the absurd. Though, it’s not far-fetched to compare corporate goons with toxic waste. This piece of artful trash is worth taking a chance on.

“The Toxic Avenger” releases Aug. 29 in theaters nationwide.