Toxic Avenger (2025)

The Toxic Avenger understands something that I think is essential to this particular corner of horror: if you're going to remake a Troma property, you have to embrace how ridiculous it is. I didn't need a serious superhero origin story or a polished franchise setup. I wanted something messy, over the top, and a little offensive to good taste, and this movie largely delivers that spirit while giving it more professional production values.

Peter Dinklage is a smart choice for the lead. He's a terrific actor, and he brings some weight to the character before things get completely out of control. I liked that there was a real person underneath the outrageous premise. Once the movie moves into the more recognizable Toxic Avenger territory, his performance still helps hold it together, even through the makeup and effects.

The effects and violence are part of the fun. The movie knows it is absurd, and it doesn't apologize for that. Some of the gags are intentionally gross, and the whole thing has that Troma attitude where the filmmakers seem delighted by how far they can push a ridiculous idea. If someone walks into this expecting realistic action or carefully restrained horror, I don't know what to tell them. That's not what this series is for.

At the same time, I appreciate that this version isn't just trying to repeat the original on a larger budget. There is enough of the familiar spirit to feel like The Toxic Avenger, but the cast and production give it their own personality. I enjoyed seeing a recognizable actor take the material seriously enough to make the character work without treating the movie itself as serious.

I had a great time with it. Part of that was the nostalgia of going out to see a movie connected to something I've known for years, and part of it was simply enjoying a horror-comedy that knows exactly what it wants to be. It isn't going to appeal to everybody, and that's fine. For people who enjoy Troma-style chaos, gross effects, and a deliberately silly superhero, I think there's plenty here to appreciate.

The Toxic Avenger is a very silly movie, and I mean that in a good way. I wasn't sitting there thinking it was the scariest thing I'd ever seen, because that clearly isn't what the movie is trying to do. It's gross, ridiculous, and over the top, but I actually had fun watching it. Sometimes that's exactly what I want from a horror movie.

Peter Dinklage was a big reason I was interested. I like him in just about everything I've seen him in, whether it's something serious or a comedy. He has a way of making even an unusual character fun to watch. I liked seeing him here, and I appreciated that the movie gave him a little bit of a story before everything got completely crazy. It made me care more about what was happening than I would have if the whole thing had just started with nonstop disgusting jokes.

Once the movie really gets going, it certainly doesn't hold back. There are gross things happening, people getting into absurd situations, and plenty of moments where you just have to accept that this is the kind of movie you're watching. I wasn't expecting it to be realistic. I was expecting it to entertain me, and for the most part it did.

I also enjoyed that it wasn't taking itself too seriously. Some horror movies are so dark that I feel exhausted when they're over. This one let me laugh and enjoy how ridiculous the situations were. I don't need every movie to be serious or emotionally devastating to be worthwhile. There is room for a movie that just wants to be weird and entertaining.

That doesn't mean I'm suddenly going to become somebody who watches the original Troma movies all the time. There are definitely things about this style of horror that won't work for everyone, especially if you're sensitive to gross-out humor. But I could appreciate what this movie was doing without feeling miserable while I watched it.

I came out of it thinking we'd had a fun time at the theater. I liked the lead, I liked the humor, and I liked that the movie knew what it was. It's certainly not something I would recommend to someone looking for a serious scary movie, but if you're in the mood for ridiculous horror comedy, I thought it worked.