The long-awaited reboot of The Toxic Avenger is finally set to hit theaters on August 29, and it’s already making franchise history. The film currently holds a 90% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest rating in the series’ four-decade run.
The reboot, directed by Macon Blair, premiered in 2023 at Fantastic Fest but faced delays in securing a distributor. Now, as it approaches its theatrical debut, early reviews suggest it could be the strongest entry yet. The score is based on 30 critic reviews, most from festival screenings, with a handful of new reviews continuing the positive trend.
Franchise Background
The original The Toxic Avenger debuted in 1984, quickly becoming a cult classic despite its campy tone. That film holds a 70% critics’ score but only a 64% audience score from over 10,000 ratings. The sequels fared far worse: The Toxic Avenger Part II (1989) has a 0% critics’ score and just 32% audience approval, while Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie (1989) lacks enough reviews for a critics’ rating and sits at 25% with audiences.
The fourth installment, Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV (2000), managed a modest comeback with 64% approval from both critics and audiences. Still, the reboot appears to be outpacing them all.
Also Read: Fallout Resurges On Streaming Charts Ahead Of Season 2 Release
About the Reboot
The new film retells the original story of janitor Melvin, reimagined as Winston, who transforms into the vigilante “Toxie” after a toxic accident. The cast is led by Peter Dinklage in the titular role, alongside Jacob Tremblay, Kevin Bacon, Elijah Wood, Taylour Paige, Sarah Niles, Julia Davis, and Julian Kostov. Original creators Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz of Troma Entertainment return as producers, joined by Mary Parent and Alex Garcia.
Critical Reception
Early reviews highlight the film’s mix of chaos, gore, and heartfelt homage to the original. Collider’s Perri Nemiroff praised it as a “bonkers & bloody delight. Macon Blair’s Toxic Avenger is a hugely enjoyable & rowdy escape that also feels like a celebration of movie magic, especially the wild things one can create with ingenuity, practical effects & a lot of passion for the genre.”
HeyUGuys’ Ben Robins described it as “A lovingly crafted, extremely niche, surprisingly expensive-looking cult comedy with a totally killer gag-rate — the best possible new big screen outing for one of the weirdest and most nonsensical characters around.”
Vicky Lawrence of Starburst noted that the film “stays true to the Troma-tastic chaos, gore and campiness from the original, while bringing us a new and improved look that gives it a sleek finish in a weird sludge-soaked way.”
Not all feedback has been glowing. Book & Film Globe’s Neal Pollack argued, “The Toxic Avenger isn’t for everyone, or even for anyone. It’s not great. It isn’t even really very good. But it’s definitely something else.” Guy at the Movies’ Jeff Nelson criticized its storytelling, saying, “The Toxic Avenger is a remake that foolishly tries to reimagine Toxie’s story by grounding the story’s ridiculousness in an underbaked father-son story, while concocting lesser versions of scenes from the original.”
The Skinny’s Ross McIndoe added a more recent negative review, writing, “There’s nothing particularly daring or dangerous about the film, and while the largely practical effects are enjoyably old-school, the action sequences they’re deployed in service of aren’t all that inspired.”
With mostly positive reviews and its franchise-best 90% Rotten Tomatoes score, The Toxic Avenger is positioned for a strong reception when it opens in theaters on August 29.
Source: CBR