Horror Movie Review: The Toxic Avenger (2025)

Initially premiering in 2023, The Toxic Avenger remake couldn’t find a distributor due to its violent content, until 2025 when Cineverse stepped up and decided to get it out there, unrated. Was it worth the wait?

Hell bloody yes, it was worth the wait.

Written and directed by Macon Blair, The Toxic Avenger stars Peter Dinklage, Jacob Tremblay, Taylour Paige, Julia Davis, Jonny Coyne, Elijah Wood, and Kevin Bacon. The Toxic Avenger is a blast from beginning to end. An over the top, silly, funny, gorefest that pays loving tribute to the original film, the series as a whole, and the universe that Troma created.

Peter Dinklage plays Winston Gooze, a mild-mannered man working as a janitor for the corrupt pharmaceutical company BTH (Body Talk Healthstyle) in St. Roma’s Village. He just wants to make the best life he can for his stepson, Wade (Jacob Tremblay) but when he gets diagnosed with a terminal disease, he gets desperate. Seeking out the head of BTH, Bob (Kevin Bacon) hoping that he will help. Alas, he ends up humiliated as Bob isn’t a good guy, so decides to rob the company.

It’s here he runs (literally) into J.J. (Taylour Paige) who is trying to blow the whistle on BTH’s illegal activities, including their toxic waste dumping ways. Unfortunately, she is begin hunted by The Killer Nutz, a gang working for BTH, and Winston is killed by them.

That should be that, except they dump his body in toxic waste. Which doesn’t just bring him back to life, it makes him stronger, faster, and almost indestructible. The draw back? He has been transformed into a grotesque looking being, which terrifies all who see him.

That is until he (accidentally) rips the arm off a mob boss’ son proving to St. Roma’s Village that he is willing to stand up to the bad guys of this world. A mob boss’ son is one thing though, but will The Toxic Avenger be able to take on the might and power of the mob boss himself and BTH?

I had so much fun with this film, and as a big fan of the original, I can say wholeheartedly that this is its own thing too. The Toxic Avenger isn’t supposed to be a film you take seriously, not just because the premise is so absurd, but because Troma has always been proud of that kind of absurdity. The spirit of that thinking is here, and in many ways, more expressive than ever. All because we don’t get films like this anymore.

A strong, energised story with engaging, wacky characters is one thing, but The Toxic Avenger goes that little but further by having heart. The story of Toxie and Winston is one and the same, and the combo of Dinklage and Luisa Guerreiro (who wore the full-body suit and makeup) bring the lovable creature to life. While I do think some of Dinklage’s line reads can be a little wooden when he’s doing the voiceover stuff, he is still such an accomplished actor that it hardly matters. Sharing screen time with a bunch of accomplished actors. I particularly loved Elijah Wood and Julia Davis, but would have liked to see the former do a bit more (it did feel like editing might have got him here).

While it is fun to watch these actors ham it up, have fun, and lean into the madness of the world. It’s also a lot of fun to see arms ripped off, heads crushed, jaws removed, and more with an array of exciting and good-looking practical effects. The Toxic Avenger looks good and not just when splashing the red stuff about. The world is so vibrant and colourful!

It’s another positive in a film filled with them, and while what it offers continues to be as polarising as ever, I think everyone who does give it the time it needs, will enjoy the hell out of it too.