FILM REVIEW: The Toxic Avenger (2023)

The Toxic Avenger - New Release Review

Director: Macon Blair

Starring: Peter Dinklage, Luisa Guerreiro, Elijah Wood, Jacob Tremblay, Taylour Paige, Kevin Bacon

Written by: Macon Blair

Produced by: Alex Garcia, Michael Herz, Lloyd Kaufman, Mary Parent

Cinematography by: Dana Gonzales

Original Score by: Brooke Blair, Will Blair

Synopsis:

A horrible toxic accident transforms downtrodden janitor, Winston Gooze into a new evolution of hero: The Toxic Avenger.

Thoughts:

B-movie madness and Grindhouse collide in a head exploding, rollercoaster ride/morality play on the effects of fighting against your shady employers. Before the film's long awaited release, actor turned horror trailer editor, Wilson Cleveland released a Grindhouse style promotional teaser inspired by the 1984 original, which perfectly sets the stage for one of the most absurd, satirical and graphic films of recent memory. Welcome to the hell scape that is Chudhaven.

Starring Peter Dinklage as Winston, a janitor who retaliates against evil mega-corp CEO Robert Garbinger, played by Kevin Bacon. Dodgy salesmen and hack entrepreneur, front of BT Healthstyle brand (not EE) Bacon, specialises in selling people harmful shit they don’t need. Backed by a group who are a cross between the Insane Clown Posse and Riff Raff, who do all his evil bidding. The group are industry planted henchmen and fascist vigilantes, working as corporate agents to fight against environmental activists and anyone who dares speak out against the toxic company.

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Dinklage and Bacon battle it out to see who can ham it up the most for the cameras, supported by Elijah Wood who is hilariously bald and Penguin-esque. Alongside Jane Levy, Jacob Tremblay and Julian Kostov, who plays the leader of the vigilante clown entourage. Julian was also on-hand at the screening in London and gave a short introduction to the film.

Though the real star of the show is Luisa Guerreiro, who plays our unlikely antihero and newly anointed working class icon, Toxie. Trashy, tasteless, baby of Verhoeven. Guerreiro brings great physicality to her dynamic performance as Toxie, with Dinklage providing the voice of the character. Her stunt work inside the suit should be applauded and is without a doubt what keeps the momentum going in this one with all the crazy action sequences. It’s been great to read all the praise and recognition from the fans for her performance, with plenty of buzz across social media after the Edinburgh and FrightFest premieres.

Oozing with gore and comic book ultra violence, the film's modest runtime of 102 minutes along with frequent quick cuts make for a frantically paced, feast for the senses. Unapologetically self-aware and a throwback to exploitation movies. Filled with not just fowl, grotesque, blood spurting, head exploding public rampages, there’s also social commentary in there too, concerning the harm being done to local agriculture from big corporations and the illegal dumping of toxic waste and harmful chemicals. As well as providing a parody of the current news cycles, joke public office figures and mob rules sanctioned by cops.

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A lot of fun on the visuals side with some scenes plucked straight from 'Vertigo'. Shots bathed in red/green hues, light flooded noir sequences as well as fun titles and chapter notes cards. Dinklage is fantastic, as a stand in widowed step dad, both as a presence onscreen and in his voice acting, though no moment is more noteworthy than the transformation. The motion in this, with the use of colours and textures, topped off with beautiful overlays made for some memorable visuals. There’s a lot of work and craft that has gone into this film especially on the art department side, not to mention the eye popping monster makeup.

There is no heroic voiceover but sometimes you just gotta do something in the fight against high tech corporations/low life. Loud noises mask any mention of a diagnosis, like something out of 'The Naked Gun'. Outstanding. To quote the film “It’s a hat on a hat”. Supported with a strong "People Before Profit" message, wrapped up in bio-punk mayhem, culminating in a rock opera toxic monster showdown. Overkill, right?

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Gary McIlhagga

'The Toxic Avenger' is released in Irish/UK cinemas on August 29th