The Toxic Avenger

The Toxic Avenger
Starring Peter Dinklage, Jacob Tremblay, Taylour Paige, Kevin Bacon
Directed by Macon Blair

The original 1984 movie "The Toxic Avenger" has become an iconic cult classic (it even spawned its own children's animated show) about a mild-mannered janitor who falls into a vat of toxic waste and becoming the Toxic Avenger - a deformed mutant with superhuman size and strength who go on to protect the innocent. The movie is best known for its ultra violence and grindhouse feel, and rightfully earned its place in the cult classic cinematic landscape. Now, instead of a direct remake, "The Toxic Avenger" pays homage to the original while forging its own path - a path paved with blood, guts, and delicious puns delivered by a surprising A-list cast that throw themselves wholeheartedly into the outlandish nature of the movie.

In the poverty-stricken town of St. Roma, Winston Gooze (Peter Dinklage) works as a mild-mannered janitor for pharmaceutical company BTH and its founder, Bob Garbinger (Kevin Bacon). For years, BTH has been polluting the town to tend to their bottom line without a care in the world, as Garbinger also controls the crime ring in town with his brother Fritz (Elijah Wood) managing the Killer Nutz, a heavy metal band who also serves as Bob's hired goons. When Winston comes down with an incurable brain disorder, he's worried about leaving his stepson Wade (Jacob Tremblay) alone since his mother died, and goes to Bob to get some medical aid. Instead, he's laughed out of the company and returns one night to get revenge when he runs into whistleblower J.J. Doherty (Taylour Paige) who's out to prove BTH is poisoning the town. They're chased by the Killer Nutz and Winston is shot dead and thrown into a vat of toxic waste, where he emerges as the Toxic Avenger. At first seen as a monster, Toxie proves himself a hero by stopping a terrorist cell at a local diner and sets out to take down BTH by any means necessary, with J.J.'s aid.

"The Toxic Avenger" is a fun, carefree romp filled with deliciously gory CGI violence and the grindhouse feel of the original, even if it feels a bit more polished. It doesn't take itself seriously and honors the original while treading its own path, even though I don't think it'll spawn the sequels or children's animated show as the original. It touches on surprisingly adult themes about family, doing the right thing, and the importance of the environment and how it affects our health in a way that's disarming (sometimes literally) due to its over-the-top violence and comedic nature, with a star-studded cast who treated the movie probably better than it deserved. 

You can't have "The Toxic Avenger" without a mild-mannered janitor, and this time it's Peter Dinklage's Winston Gooze. He's a stepfather to the outcast Wade, he just lost his wife, and his health is failing. He's the everyman we either are or know, and easy to root for, especially when he becomes Toxie. This movie shows how we see others and how sometimes the nastiest people can be the nicest on the inside, as Toxie sets out to right the wrongs done to the town and his stepson, avenging those who don't have a voice of their own (albeit in violent ways, but sometimes it does justify the means). Casting Dinklage was an inspired choice, as the original Toxic Avenger was a mountain of a man, and casting Hollywood's most well-known little person didn't seem to make sense, but it works because it gives a physical manifestation of how we oftentimes feel small compared to the giants in our lives. 

The story behind the casting itself is really fascinating. When Winston becomes Toxie, Dinklage doesn't physically play the role. British actress and stuntwoman Luisa Guerreiro took on the physical role of Toxie, but Dinklage still played his part. According to director Macon Blair, Peter performed the whole movie on videotape as Toxie as himself, while Luisa took the tapes home and memorized them. She studied everything he did and put it into her physical performance, with Dinklage reinterpreting the voice based on what she did. It seems like a lot of work but it really pays off, as you don't think it's not Dinklage under the extensive (and wonderfully practical) makeup and prosthetics.

If there's a flaw with the movie it's that it relies too much on CGI for its gore rather than practical effects, but even that elevates the movie to future cult classic status. Unlike other movies that are more serious with lame CGI effects, you expect that here, and you get it - but it doesn't take away from the laughter, only elevates it. I found myself laughing out loud more than I thought I would, and while not a perfect movie, it's got an emotional heart and humor that excels against its outlandish premise and gives the film its own voice.

The Score: B+