The Toxic Avenger

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BadNews R The original Toxic Avenger has its cult following, but if you strip away the nostalgia goggles, it’s not hard to see why this movie is more infamous than impressive. The opening sequence alone feels like a low-rent softcore porno. The camera lingers uncomfortably on characters in the health club, and the behavior of the actors borders on sleazy rather than funny. Right from the start, it’s awkward, exploitative, and sets a bizarre tone that never really finds its footing. The acting at the health club is atrocious across the board. The characters, particularly Julie, are prime examples of 80s “bad acting” at its worst — over-the-top yet completely unconvincing. The cast feels like they were pulled from a pool of extras rather than trained performers. Then there’s the uncomfortable “sex scene” Melvin stumbles into, which is more horrendous than shocking. It’s not edgy, it’s just plain awkward. One of the most baffling creative choices is the infamous hit-and-run subplot. The fact that anyone would allow a child to be outside riding their bike in the middle of the night — in a town supposedly terrorized by child-killing lunatics — is absurd. Even worse, the film casually depicts a child being run over, which is disturbing but handled in such a cartoonishly tasteless way that it loses any impact. It makes you wonder what exactly the director thought he was accomplishing. To give some credit, there are small touches of creativity. The pink tutu that Melvin wears during his transformation carried over into the 2025 remake, and that was at least a clever nod to continuity. Likewise, the toxic waste transformation itself — while incredibly fake-looking — earns a slight pass because it was the 80s, when practical effects were often cheesy but forgivable. The villains, however, are laughably bad. Their exaggerated voices and mannerisms make them feel like rejected Saturday morning cartoon characters. One villain shrieks in a high-pitched voice like he’s permanently been kicked in the groin, while another prances around in drag for no reason other than cheap shock value. It doesn’t come across as intimidating, just ridiculous. And then there’s the problem with Melvin himself: once he transforms into Toxie, it’s clearly a different actor in the suit, with an entirely different voice dubbed in. The disconnect between the two makes the character feel more like a clumsy patchwork than a believable underdog-turned-antihero. Ultimately, the original Toxic Avenger is just as much of a failure as its 2025 reboot, though in different ways. Where the new film is incoherent and soulless, the original is sleazy, tasteless, and painfully amateurish. The acting is horrible, the writing is juvenile, and the attempts at shock value often cross into outright bad taste. Yes, it’s the 80s, so some of its cheap effects and campiness are easier to excuse, but a bad script is still a bad script. At the end of the day, this franchise never should have been resurrected. The 1984 version is a product of its time, but that doesn’t make it a good film. And when both the original and the remake fall flat, it only proves one thing: some cult classics are better left dead. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 08/29/25 Full Review Noel L I'm not sure if it was bad on purpose or not so I'm indecisive about everything in the film Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 08/14/25 Full Review Saul J Didn't take it's self too seriously it's an enjoyable time the effects are good for the time Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/11/25 Full Review Tim S A stunning film made in a culture that doesn't exist in 2025. Watching it feels insane and even the most "bit" characters manage some shockingly offensive and ridiculous outbursts of slurs and violence or some other mind-blowing transgression against good taste or subtlety. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/22/25 Full Review Oaklee D A pure master-class in 80s schlock! Buckets of gore, the hammiest of acting and a story that is completely over the top, what more do you want? You need to see this flick atleast once! Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/20/25 Full Review Jason W Silly, campy, cheesy and awful with bad acting (as it is intended), but has some great special fx and gore. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 06/29/25 Full Review Read all reviews

The Toxic Avenger

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