The Toxic Avenger (2025) Review

Peter Dinklage on a vendetta with a toxic mop? Elijah Wood rocking the Gollum look? These crazy ideas come to life in the new action-splatter comedy "The Toxic Avenger". Find out how we liked it in our new KinoCheck film review.

What is The Toxic Avenger about?

"The Toxic Avenger" is a reboot of the trash classic of the same name from the 80s. Like the original films, the reboot was also made by the cult low-budget studio Troma. For a long time, it wasn't even clear if the film would get a theatrical release. "The Toxic Avenger" was shown at several festivals as early as 2023. It wasn't until nearly two years later that the film finally made its way to theaters.

At the center of the story is janitor Winston Gooze, played by Peter Dinklage. After the death of his wife, he takes care of his stepson Wade (Jacob Tremblay) as a single father. But Winston is seriously ill, broke and can't count on any financial help. So he takes matters into his own hands – with far-reaching consequences. Through a chain of circumstances, he comes into contact with radioactive waste and is transformed into a hero with a difference – he is the Toxic Avenger! In the fight for justice, he now takes on gangsters, a corporate boss and a metal band made up of hitmen.

An extraordinary mix

Sounds like a crazy mix? It is! The mix of splatter action, trashy comedy and father-son story is quite extraordinary. It's rare to see a movie of this kind in the cinema. The comedy part of the movie worked well for us. The jokes work, and the movie is especially funny because of its grotesque and exaggerated situations. As a trashy action comedy, the movie is convincing in our opinion. This makes "Toxic Avenger" one thing above all: entertaining. One or two scenes may drag on at times, but overall the movie is pretty entertaining.

At the same time, it remains thematically true to the original. As in the 80s film, "The Toxic Avenger" satirically criticizes environmental pollution and social ills. Unscrupulous greed and carelessness in dealing with hazardous waste become the corrupt corporate boss's downfall in the form of Toxie.

The cast of characters

The cast of characters is also thoroughly entertaining. Kevin Bacon as the self-absorbed, arrogant corporate boss and main antagonist is delightfully over the top. Elijah Wood also takes on a villainous role, though unfortunately, he's a bit underused overall. Peter Dinklage, meanwhile, is convincing in his leading role as a toxic superhero. On his quest for revenge, Toxie also meets whistleblower J.J. (Taylour Paige). The two form a duo that's genuinely fun to watch on their wild missions.

The disadvantages of the genre mix

This also brings us to a point of criticism. As crazy as the genre mix may be, it also comes with its downsides. Overall, the movie is a little overloaded. Sometimes a fun action comedy, sometimes a serious father-son drama, sometimes an exaggerated splatter-fest.

All in all, the movie takes on a lot. Do we really need to see that Kevin Bacon not only has problems with Toxie, but also with a local mafia boss? Doubtful. The film would have benefited from trimming down one or two characters or storylines. The mafia plot in particular is a bit too much.

Father-son drama and trashy splatter film

The father-son relationship is given a lot of time towards the beginning of the movie. But since "The Toxic Avenger" has so much else to tell, it ultimately struggles to make the audience emotionally invested in it. Splatter fans in particular will have to be patient for the first half hour. After that, however, the movie gets rolling. "The Toxic Avenger" is indeed extremely bloody and brutal. In this respect, it remains true to the original films. However, the mix of genres means that there is no non-stop splatter-fest.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the movie was largely convincing despite a few flaws. "The Toxic Avenger" presents a wild mix of genres and is entertaining. The ensemble of characters does a mostly solid job and the movie is especially fun as a trashy action comedy. Nevertheless, "The Toxic Avenger" remains overloaded – especially in terms of the characters and storylines. Overall we can give it a recommendation. See for yourself: "The Toxic Avenger" was released in theaters on August 29, 2025. We hope you enjoy it!