After years in distributional limbo. The Toxic Avenger remake has finally arrived in theatres. After seeing Toxie in action here’s five things that made it an awesome reimagining of the Troma original.
5. The fleshed out plot
While the original is a slimy fun time. I had to admire the expansive and more elaborate plot. The story and world seems bigger creating the opportunity for more action, carnage & gory moments.
4. The Callbacks
Whilst here we do get a different Toxie origin story. The movie does a fine job in referencing the source material. When watching I was becoming afraid that we were not going to recieve a homage to the original’s pink tutu scene. Fortunately Peter Dinklage does suit up for a scene involving the pink ballet gear. There’s some more callbacks including a new vision for Toxie’s base.
3. The Gore
Some scenes are CGI heavy when Toxie is kicking ass with his radioactive mop. However there’s so many insanely gruesome moments. The fight scene on stage with the killer punk band baddies stands out. The diner scene is a gory delight also.
2. The Acting
The acting is over the top and hammed up in areas. This is how it should be and I applaud it. Kevin Bacon’s villain character, Bob Garbinger, is especially a standout. Bacon brings an arrogant charisma to the villain that dominates every scene he’s apart of. Elijah Wood Plays his hunchback brother who carries out Bob’s dirty work. Elijah looks like Quasimodo crossed with the penguin and also brings a presence whenever he’s on screen. Overall all of the cast perform well and it’s a compliment to the film.
1. It does its own thing!
No one wants a rehash of the original scene by scene. I like my remakes to bear the source material in my mind, then head off in their own direction. The Toxic Avenger Remake does this competently. With a new look to Tromaville and the addition of new characters. The origin story is switched up completely.
I had a blast with this remake and as a Toxic Avenger and Troma fan. This was the chaotic gory fun time I needed. I would love to see a sequel however I don’t think we will. Still this is a wonderfully crazy homage for Toxie fans all over Tromaville.
Movie score 4/5