I Watch Films: The Toxic Avenger (2023)

 

The Toxic Avenger (2023)

In St Roma’s Village* the pharmaceutical company BTH pollutes everything while projecting an aura of health. Bob Garbinger (Kevin Bacon) owes a lot of money to local crime boss Thad Barkabus. J J Doherty (Taylour Paige), an employee, tries to whistleblow, but the reporter she goes to is killed by the Killer Nutz, a band/gang who work for Fritz Garbinger (Elijah Wood).

Winston Gooze (Peter Dinklage) is a janitor at BTH who is bringing up his stepson Wade; when Spence Barkabus, Thad’s son, bullies their neighbour to buy out her property. Wade is disappointed Winston does not intervene. Winston is diagnosed with brain disease his insurance doesn’t cover. He begs Bob Garbinger for help, but is thrown out. He breaks into BTH to steal money, creating a weapon from his mop and caustic toxic sludge. He runs into J J, who is stealing toxic waste to expose BTH, the money is destroyed, J J escapes and the Killer Nutz shoot Winston, dumping him in the toxic sludge. Inevitably he is mutated into the Toxic Avenger and flees into the woods.

He comes across terrorists holding hostages and fights them, appearing on the news. Wade recognises him, but so do Bob and Fritz; Bob then orders the Killer Nutz to kidnap him so he can make super soldiers. They kidnap Wade, and shoot J J. Winston arrives, heals J J with his toxic blood, then hunts down the Killer Nutz at their outdoor concert, learning where Wade is. He then goes to the Garbinger compound but is captured and has his blood used to make a serum.

Thad Barkabus and his mobsters come for their money; Bob drinks the serum and kills them. Kissy, Bob’s assistant, also drinks the serum. Winston escapes and there is a final complex, gruesome and ludicrous confrontation.

This is by turns violent, stupid, amazing, ludicrous, grotesque and very funny. I say by turns, actually these all jam into one another. If it has taste it’s bad taste, and it revels in it, making all these horrid things slapstick, and sometimes joyful.

Watch This: Gruesomely fun action film
Don’t Watch This: Toxic waste isn’t fun

 

* The sign reads Troma, a reference to Troma films who made the original version