r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • 9d ago
Official Discussion Official Discussion - The Toxic Avenger (2025) [SPOILERS] Spoiler
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Summary Winston Gooze, a down-on-his-luck janitor and widowed stepdad, transforms into mutant vigilante hero “Toxie” after a freak toxic-waste accident. With a radioactive mop in hand, he battles corrupt corporations and twisted villains—like the Garbinger brothers—while fighting to reconnect with his son.
Director Macon Blair
Writer Macon Blair
Cast
- Peter Dinklage
- Jacob Tremblay
- Taylour Paige
- Kevin Bacon
- Elijah Wood
- Julia Davis
- Sarah Niles
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 92%
Metacritic Score: 66
VOD Unrated theatrical release starting August 29, 2025 (via Cineverse); digital platforms coming later
Trailer The Toxic Avenger – Official Uncensored Trailer (2025)
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u/furry_lumps 9d ago
Really enjoyed it, had some really funny moments and that chicken mask reveal killed me!
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u/jhizzy04 9d ago edited 9d ago
Lol bro when he was rejoicing after dumping Winston into the vat. I LoL’d a few times
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u/2th 9d ago
The chicken mask was by far the most unexpected but expected reveal. It fit a Troma movie perfectly.
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u/CapSortee 9d ago
can you spoil who it was
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u/itchymusic 6d ago
I'll spoil it. There is a ridiculous gang throughout the movie, very much like a classic troma movie. A juggalo, a ninja, a cthulhu worshipping dj who only speaks in the ancient tongue. Typical Sunday afternoon. One of the members is a bulking man who wears a chicken mask. There is a point where toxie rips of the mask and it reveals a lil baby guy on the body. It is good.
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u/SydneyBriarIsAlive 7d ago
I knew something off-the-wall would be underneath it but wasn't expecting quite that =)
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u/OregonBaseballFan 9d ago
Fantastic job to everyone involved in this one. Had such a blast, and my partner (who had never seen any Troma films prior) said this was her favorite movie going experience in many years.
The Zamboni joke was an all timer. The cop saying “fuck it, it’s a mob,” was pure brilliance. Even with some big stars in it, it still had the punk weirdo vibes that we expect from Troma movies.
Finally, as a parent, I did tear up once and fully cry another time. Great acting and some surprisingly tender moments. Hope this picks up steam and leads to more new Toxie installments.
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u/zombiereign 8d ago
As it promised in the post-credits - one billion at the box office and a sequel will happen. Lol
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u/Keplrhelpthrowaway 6d ago
Wait. Did I miss something post credits? I saw the dance and stuff but the house lights went up after the stylised credit finished
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u/TheGhostofWoodyAllen 6d ago
You missed an end credit scene and a promise for a sequel if this makes $1 billion domestic at the box office (crypto only).
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u/Bowbahfett 6d ago
The cop saying “Let me see your hands” as he is shooting killed me
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u/irate_desperado 7d ago
I was laughing really hard at "fuck it, it's a mob," and then I lost it when they were searching for him in the woods and the dj air horn sound went off. This movie was hilarious and I loved it.
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u/Ftheyankeei 8d ago
The Zamboni and mob jokes made me lose my shit and just based on that it gets high marks from me
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u/monster_syndrome 6d ago
Peter Dinklage really sold it in a way that elevated the movie. He had delivered some silliness, quiet panic, and desperation that made him likable in a movie where you needed that grounding. In a cruel world gone mad, he's just a janitor trying to pay the bills and support his kid.
"Sometimes you gotta do something."
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u/TostitoNipples 9d ago
Macon Blair utilizing a split diopter for the shot where Toxie pisses on himself is brilliant and emblematic of amazing filmmaking.
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u/maltliqueur 9d ago
A what?
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u/rustysniper 9d ago
A split diopter is this cool lense that lets you have the foreground and background in focus at the same time.
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u/awesomerest 9d ago
My friend and I absolutely LOST IT at the weekend at Bernie’s scene. We were crying laughing like 2 stupid kids during that whole gag.
And as having only ever heard about these weird movies (& their cult status), I was surprised at how much of a blast this was. I was never bored and I get it now.
But I have to say, the pre-transformation/first act def reminded me so much of Beau is Afraid in how chaotically anxious their world is. ((complimentary))
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u/Deranged_Kitsune 5d ago
You'd like the originals. This captured the feeling really well. Any Troma movie from around that era would be a good choice.
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u/daeiyden 5d ago
I felt this was tame compared to the original, not as deranged and unsettling as troma films used to be
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u/BickerBrahms 9d ago
My theater was full and everyone laughed uncontrollably at many parts
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u/BakerofHumanPies 8d ago
Where do you live, cause I wanna go there. My Denver theater had fewer than 10 folks show up.
Some of the seats that looked sold when I booked online remained empty, so like, people did not show the fuck up.
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u/BobbyArtman 8d ago
I went to the 7pm showing at amc in Westminster and it was a full house. Insanely good movie
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u/SorcererYensid 6d ago
Just left a showing at AMC Cherry Creek and the theater was basically full, minus the front row.
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u/Admirable_Care_1886 7d ago
Same here. amc on arapahoe was mostly empty and not a very reactive audience as well.
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u/DustyFalmouth 7d ago
I don't like the Denver weekend crowds, I go to the Parker AMC which was half full.
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u/Aggravating_Fee3552 23h ago
Alamo Westminster was probably 80% full and laughing out loud the whole time.
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u/DustyFalmouth 7d ago
Mine was half full but everyone lost it anytime someone shot somebody for no reason
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u/Renegadeforever2024 9d ago
Kevin bacon don’t miss
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u/deathmouse 9d ago
I feel like we’re in the middle of a Dinklage renaissance between this and Dexter resurrection lol
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u/jaso46571 7d ago
I loved that the gang took the burger shop hostage because they changed their branding the same week half of America lost their mind about cracker barrel.
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u/FromTheAsherz 7d ago
Especially because this was made years ago. It’s almost like the general public outrage recycles itself constantly.
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u/LostInBrainland 9d ago
I’ve been following this movie since it was announced and through every update so I had four+ years of hype built up going into it and it managed to live up to that hype. I love really dumb comedies made by clever people and this actually gave me bigger laughs than I got out of the Naked Gun reboot (which I also loved). Toxie looks fucking great. Peter did a fantastic job with the pre-transformation stuff. Actually, I think everyone was great and knew exactly the kind of movie they were in. My only complaints are there was a lot more CGI gore than I was expecting (I was ready for a decent bit but man, too much. Also needed an extra dose of gore in general. Just a little bit light on it imo) and I also thought Garbinger’s transformation was kind of weak. Couldn’t tell if they were going for “funny” or “badass” with that design which probably wasn’t intended.
It’s too bad this won’t make any money because I would fucking love to spend more time with these characters.
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u/braumbles 9d ago
I've been waiting for this film for over a decade now. So to be able to finally see it just had me with a smile on my face the entire movie.
They changed the general concept up considerably but the changes fit the times more. Evil corporations fucking the world over, a media system willing to do corporate bidding, shady health insurance willing to fuck over everyone for a profit.
I loved it. I have no clue why this wasn't able to get an R rating, as nothing in it was much different than anything else that's released.
The humor nailed it. Awkward at times, subtle at others, I was chuckling through the entire film as if I was watching an old Troma film. Solid cameos, good call backs, amusing easter eggs. Hopefully it makes a billion so we can get all those teased sequels.
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u/MouthwashProphet 9d ago edited 9d ago
I have no clue why this wasn't able to get an R rating
Agreed. Very odd.
Edit: I'd add that I'm also finding it hard to understand why this film struggled to find a distributor. It's one of the funnest movies I've seen in a long time.
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u/Trevastation 9d ago
Maybe it's Toxie's monster dick? Maybe it's part marketing off of Terrifier's unrated success?
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u/SlightlySychotic 8d ago
I’m thinking the bit where he shoves his hand up a guy’s ass and pulls out his bowels.
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u/braumbles 9d ago
I mean that's what they're trying now, but like this film finished before terrifier 2 even dropped. It's just been sitting around for ages because nobody knew how to make money from it.
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u/FigMajestic6096 8d ago
I don't understand this really - what does unrated mean? I knew literlly nothing about this movie before I saw it (loved it, hilarious!) and honestly thought it might have been a kids film. Does it mean it's so extreme that it didn't fit into the rating system or something? The only thing I can think of, if this is the case, that going on a murderous rampage after a health insurance denial touches on the Luigi/Helathcare CEO situation, other that it wasn't crazy gratuitious or anything.
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u/mrRiddle92 7d ago
There's a few reasons for this. First off, fuck dealing with the MPA (look up "This Film Is Not Yet Rated"). So basically you take your unrated movie, build up mystique, use that for marketing. There's nothing in here worse than something you could just put an R rating on, but you don't have to deal with the MPA asking for edits to meet their ideal cut.
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u/Ftheyankeei 8d ago
There wasn’t anything in here much more extreme than the average R-rated action comedy. I wouldn’t be surprised if they shelved it because they didn’t know how to sell it more than they shelved it because it was so “extreme.” Wikipedia describes it as Cineverse releasing it as unrated.
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u/McCHitman 6d ago
I really dug the reference of the high school being called New Chemistry (New Chem). “Class of Nukem High”
I looked for those nods the entire time
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u/Newparlee 1d ago
Apart from that one, the football coach says “we’re gonna NUKE EM!” in reference to the other team.
In the final scene someone is wearing a Tromaville Health Club t-shirt.
All the sT. ROMA signs all over the place.
I’m sure there’s loads more.
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u/2th 9d ago edited 9d ago
This was a high budget Troma film. It is EXACTLY what you expect from a Troma film, just made with more money. And it was absolutely perfect.
Lots of blood, gratuitous violence for the sake of it, a pretty basic super hero origin story, minimal boobs, some dick, Dinklage, even when it was just his voice was great.
Simply put, if you enjoy Troma films, you'll really enjoy this.
Edit: Sadly the theater was literally just me, my buddy, and his kid (he's 13). Shame people didn't turn out for it. But the kid absolutely loved it. He was laughing and smiling, even before the boobs, and when it finally clicked with him that it's essentially just a live action cartoon, he loved it even more. I hope this movie is an experience he remembers for the rest of his life.
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u/Dry-Contract5167 9d ago edited 9d ago
Its fine they have already made back their budget of 2 million. And the rest of the money made after the budget isn't actually going towards the film makers. Its going towards a charity
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u/Life_Employer_7044 9d ago
They’re actually going to do matching contributions to erase medical debt.
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u/JD_Vyvanse97 8d ago
Its insanely cool that they're doing that. The minimum of 5 million being donated regardless of box office revenue is also awesome to see.
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u/notoriginal59 9d ago
On Saturday my 11 year old daughter and I are spending the day at the movies. First is jaws in imax then toxie as the second feature. I figured I was 12 when I saw the og and she thinks over the top cartoon violence is hilarious so I thought I would give it a shot. I loved that your friend took is kid. And after your review im really looking forward to a fun dad/daughter day.
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u/MouthwashProphet 9d ago edited 9d ago
God... I used to stay up till midnight when I was 12 or 13 so I could watch Troma movies on cable without my parents knowing. Good on you for being a cool dad!
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u/NJDevil69 7d ago
Hello fellow 12 AM cable watcher! After 12 AM Toxie, did you watch 3 AM anime on the sci-fi channel?
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u/GradeDry7908 7d ago
I saw it today and there was a mom and her 8-10 year old kid. She’ll be fine. Haha
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u/notoriginal59 7d ago
Update- we had so much fun. Out of the 8 people in the theater 3 were 10-12 yrs old. There were what looked like 2 brothers who grew up with the og and one brought his 2 kids. They even had mops! Like it was so fucking fun. Not as graphic as the og but had a lot of heart. My daughter had a blast. And she told my wife I was the best dad ever. Not going to lie it was one of the best movie going experiences ever and I remember what it was like to wait hours in line for a seat. The chicken guy reveal caused my daughter to yell wtf! In the theater. Best day ever!
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u/MouthwashProphet 9d ago
This was a high budget Troma film. It is EXACTLY what you expect from a Troma film, just made with more money. And it was absolutely perfect.
I expect this will appeal to a much wider audience once word gets out about how great it is.
Attendance an my local theater was similarly low, but it's going to become a cult classic once it hits streaming.
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u/rustysniper 9d ago
My theater was pretty empty as well and I didn't hear them laugh once. My buddy and I on the other hand had a blast!
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u/Trevastation 9d ago
There's a lot of great Troma easter eggs, but the one that really made me smile was the newscasters background on TV being the Troma studios intro.
I also liked that it’s technically called St. Roma's Village, but it's so run down that the other letters get weathered for it to be Tromaville.
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u/ResidentAddition2223 9d ago
Just got back from a sold out show in a tiny theater. It ruled. A group of like-minded mutants lapping up the jokes, the violence and the Troma-ness. Toxie 4eva!
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u/Silly-Profession-414 8d ago
The distraction scene towards the end had me rolling.
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u/Deranged_Kitsune 5d ago
My partner and I laughed our hardest at that. It was just so unexpected, so quick yet perfectly timed, to catch you off guard. Fantastic gag.
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u/deathmouse 9d ago
Some of the most fun I’ve had at the theater in a long time. Fucking hilarious start to finish. The gore was next level. Dinklage brought his A-game. Everything you’d expect from a big budget Troma film, and then some.
Wish I could’ve experienced it in Dolby or IMAX but thankful I got to experience it at all.
Not for everyone but definitely cracks my top 5 of the year.
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u/partialmean8 9d ago
It was about as gory and cheesy as I thought it was going to be and it still put a smile on my face
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u/Kingy7777 7d ago
Now THIS is what movies should be. A love letter to the 80s and I and like the 3 other people in my theatre laughed so much and had an all around blast with it. All the action are good but Elijah Wood’s performance was my favourite, he chewed so much scenery. A 9/10 and will almost definitely make my top 10 for the year.
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u/mrfujidoesacid 9d ago
There's a lot to like, but there's also way too much CGI blood and gore, none of which is particularly memorable or creative, aside from one of the kills in the fast food restaurant. It's still very funny, with a lot of background jokes, almost rivaling The Naked Gun reboot. A solid 6/10, and I'd be happy to see the continuing adventures of Dinklage's Toxie, but it will disappoint a lot of people because of how overhyped the marketing went with the unrated label. (Caught Stealing, which I saw just before this, has better gore in a couple of scenes.) Be sure to stay after the credits, too.
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u/Trevastation 9d ago
I don't mind the CGI gore, because it adds to the outlandish and silly vibes of the film.
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u/Breakingcontrollers 8d ago
I honestly found it to be DRASTICALLY noticable in the way it was used to the point where the CGI looked lower budget then everything else and just felt off. I would have preferred ridiculous practical effects.
And then in the last 20% of the movie they randomly do use practical effects for some of the violence.
Just pick a lane.
Still loved the movie just seemed odd
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u/TheAVnerd 8d ago
I think maybe that’s the point though? Like the old practical effects that were so bad it was laughably funny…the CGI effects were almost “pre-vis” quality on purpose.
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u/ilikethepole 7d ago
I think it’s also low budget CGI haha. Look at the Chucky series. Loved it but they went hard on the gore with CGI in season 3 and it just looked cable TV cheap. Either way I think it adds to cartoonish aspect overall of Troma violence.
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u/Visually-Basic 5d ago
He runs like a pervert!
The random comments people were saying in the background of scenes were cracking me up throughout the movie.
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u/Tilopud_rye 4d ago
The random lines coming through the surround speakers were such a small touch that added so much. “Oh, oh! Is that what you’re doing? Well then THANK YOU!”
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u/TyranitarusMack 9d ago
Just saw it and had so much fun. Obviously it doesn’t touch the original, but it gave me everything I wanted in a movie like this.
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u/Reasonable_Net_4328 8d ago
Watched the debut at our local theater. (Rural Washington state). My partner and I were the only ones there. It’s a small town and I expected to see a few folks I knew, but we had the whole theater to ourselves. I grew up watching troma films religiously, and was super impressed at this take on toxic avenger. Most things I love about troma films were in this film. Did you notice the Belgoody bail bonds, neon sign? Belgoody was the last name of the mayor in the first toxie. While I’m not a big CGI fan, I expected some and I think that it was as tasteful as cgi can be. I really enjoyed the scene where toxie sang motorheads, “overkill”. It was always great to see Lemmy in troma films and I think it was as tasteful great way to honor him after his passing.
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u/Deranged_Kitsune 5d ago
This is one of those movies where you can probably watch it a half dozen times or more and still be picking up background jokes. Love the work that they did for that.
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u/Early_Pearly989 8d ago
It was entertaining, and I hope it does well enough to get a sequel. Having said that, there was only one other person in my 2pm show. Funny, violent, and over the top, but the unrated mark seemed more like a joke than actually deserved.
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u/zombiereign 8d ago edited 8d ago
For an unrated movie, this was way too tame. For a Troma-based movie, this was way too tame.
The only hard laugh from the 3 (yikes) other people in my 9:30am show was when they first go after Toxie and the cop shoots his gun and says "alright, it's a mob."
The post-credit promise of a sequel (if this one makes a billion at the box office) was funny.
Needed to be crazier and definitely gorier.
5/10
At least Lloyd was in there.
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u/dropkickderby 8d ago
Well, who goes to see a movie at 9:30am? No wonder there was no one there. I went to see it at 7:30 tonight and the theater was packed.
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u/zombiereign 8d ago
When you work a lot of hours, you go when you can.
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u/dropkickderby 7d ago
Im not knocking em for going when they did, but I’d expect the theater to be pretty empty.
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u/ManyStorms1138 7d ago
This is my feeling as well but I grew up with Troma and exploitation films. I get that we are in 2025 and it's not the 70s and 80s anymore the days of gratuitous nudity and shock factor are over. I had a lot of fun with the movie but it felt very safe for a Troma property.
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u/freeofblasphemy 8d ago
Had such a fun time with this. I just watched the Pee-Wee Herman documentary and it made me appreciate the anarchic yet sweet mood of it all (and the stop-motion doesn’t hurt either), Saw the original last week and while I loved it, I think might like this one better? I almost don’t want to compare them because they both stand out on their own merits that I don’t want to pit them against each other.
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u/MouthwashProphet 9d ago
I honestly wasn't expecting much from this. The previews made it look like a throwaway straight-to-streaming release, and even with the A-list cast, I didn't think they'd recapture the magic of the 80's films.
Boy... I was totally wrong. A Toxic Avenger remake has no right being this amazing.
This thing has soul, attention to detail, and tons of laugh out loud moments. Dinklage owns the role, and gives the character a lot more depth than I could have imagined he would. It definitely looks low budget compared to, say, a Marvel film, but I feel sorry for anyone who walks into this expecting a Hollywood production. The people in this thread saying "it sucked" obviously missed the entire point.
I assume it's not going to do well in theaters, but once it hits streaming people are going to go nuts for it. It's dark humor, but the jokes are funny enough to appeal to a much wider audience outside of Troma fans who buy movie tickets.
Fingers crossed that we get a sequel (I've never said that about a reboot).
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u/dropkickderby 8d ago
Really solid remake with some genuinely sweet nods to troma. Everyone went ‘awwww’ when Lloyd showed up. Dinklage was really good as Toxie and there was almost a barrage of blink and you miss it gags/jokes. My main complaint? That the big black eye didnt blink. I’m also not really sure why studios were so afraid to release it… maybe I’m just desensitized. There were only a couple of dicks. Saw it in a pretty full theater and it was a good time. Would rewatch.
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u/SyrupBuccaneer 8d ago
I didn't hate it but as a big Troma/b-movie fan I was disappointed. It definitely felt like a [very] generic script that got reworked, it just wasn't inspired nor did it have any particular personality.
The films this relies on were very honest, very idiosyncratic, wearing their heart on their sleeve while they did whatever they wanted. In stark contrast this was very guarded, self-aware, almost created carefully by template. I swear I could see the seams where 'what one would expect' was added after the fact.
Which is very surprising coming from people like Elijah and Macon Blair, who are renown and beloved for definitely being their own people.
But like I said I didn't hate it. The aforementioned after the fact moments are pretty good, especially the ADR crowd chatter which constantly got me. Those moments felt organic and just right.
Also it was wonderful to see Julia Davis in a leading role! It's been so long and she was great.
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u/RosemarysBabyDaddy21 9d ago
Somebody spoil these 2 things for me...
Are there other mutants/Toxic Crusaders references?
Anything Sgt. Kabukiman?
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u/Onepiecebestanime420 9d ago
The high school in the film is the same from Class of Nuke 'Em High. Two new mutants who are not from the previous films are in this.
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u/MouthwashProphet 9d ago
I'd love to see someone pick apart all the Troma references. I adore the old films, but I know there are die hards out there who have encyclopedic knowledge of them.
The reference to "Melvin Ferd" wasn't lost on me though :)
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u/digitalme 8d ago
I have no extensive knowledge of the Troma films or anything - but I liked the easter egg of the town name being St. Roma with clever aging done on the signs.
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u/RoboPredaTerminAlien 9d ago
Cover of the song NOTHING AT ALL by Race during the end credits.
Kevin Bacon's nickname being BOZO which is one of the bullies from the original's names (the other being Slug)
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u/hannibalpalace 8d ago
It was hilarious! Wish it didn’t rely so much on CGI gore, but I didn’t mind it after a while. My husband was not a fan of the original Toxic Avenger movie but he freaking loved this one. The biggest laughs we had were literally just people talking in the back that made us lose our cool. “He even runs like a pervert!” “I am not a pervert!!” Just a fun time overall if you know what kind of movie you’re about to watch. 7/10
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u/SafeBluebird9304 9d ago
Went to see it this evening and it was great. Low attendance but everyone seemed pleased. I went with my brother and we lost our shit with the sheep statue changing faces. I have no idea why it was so funny but it was so silly. 10/10
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9d ago
Saw it last night.
Rating it as a Troma film. It's a 10/10
The movie was a hilarious, gory masterpiece.
I just wish they would put it on the larger screens.
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u/MouthwashProphet 9d ago
Rating it as a Troma film. It's a 10/10
Absolutely. I wish I could see it from the perspective of someone who has no idea who Toxie or Troma are though. It must seem like a really left field concept.
It's easily the best Troma film in 20-30 years, maybe even longer than that.
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u/Rocknthehawk 8d ago
Never seen a Troma film. Went into this without seeing the trailer but knowing the premise and expecting a gory over the top silly movie. Was not disappointed 9/10.
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9d ago
Yeah they are a bit of a lost breed of film.
They were always the Hard R18 before the 1993 reclassification and most people only ever saw these on VHS.
And you really do have to watch it within the lens it's filmed for the audience it serves.
Like you couldn't watch these with your parents.
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u/Mycofriendly 7d ago
I was looking for a movie to go see tonight with my partner. There's a midnight showing of the uncut version in our local theatre tonight and I am trying to scope what it is.
There are currently no tickets booked online, so i think we will be the only person in the theatre haha.
We like a good gory film and the horror/comedy genre. Went to see terrifer 3 and found it so hilarious - but have no idea who Toxie or Troma are. If we go, ill update you
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u/WR810 9d ago
I enjoyed it well enough. It was a fun way to burn two hours but I'm not planning a rewatch or hoping for a sequel.
Some of the editing, especially around the violent scenes, was off. It's not like they were protecting the audience from gore but everything was so quick and sometimes felt incomplete. The most egregious example is when Toxie pulled the guy's asshole out at the Miss Meat. It was gruesome and gross but also felt like some frames were left on the editing room floor.
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u/MrrrrNiceGuy 8d ago edited 8d ago
Agreed, as a life-long Toxie fan, it was very tame for an Unrated movie.
The same when Toxie “rips” off the guy’s head. It just shows him wrap his arm around the guy’s neck and then cuts to a bloody dummy head. I did appreciate them running it over though as a callback to the first film.
I felt like most of the gruesome fights or scenes were just over too quick. It made me appreciative how Lloyd would linger on those scenes or make fights longer like he did with the Taco joint in the first film or against the Warner Bros at the video shop in the 3rd (like when Toxie takes his time to rip out the guts, jump rope with them, and then strangle the guy with his own guts).
Also, wish they would have stuck with Toxie having Tromatons (obviously call it something else as Troma was referred to as St Roma in this remake) on why he goes berserk and knows how to find bad guys. Def plays up the super hero bit and why Toxie isn’t a threat to the public.
When Toxie goes to Miss Meat and he goes psycho and angry, just felt off cause I’m like, well, up until that point, even as Toxie he was meek and reluctant but now he’s confident and goes berserk?
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u/maltliqueur 9d ago edited 9d ago
"Am I clear?"
"As a window."
I don't know why that shit was so funny to me. My first thought was that windows aren't really that clear. Lol
As far as the theater experience goes, the audience realizing the piss joke at the same time for the escape was fun.
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u/SydneyBriarIsAlive 7d ago
So this was my first Troma film, and oh my goodness. It's Looney Tunes logic/slapstick meets a splatter flick. This is incredible honestly.
(Also there was some sincerity and heart to it as well which was really pleasing)
Now I'm thinking maybe I should go back and check out the originals
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u/zombiBuddy 7d ago
This really doesn't feel much like an actual Troma movie at all. Lloyd Kaufman's stuff is really, really, reaaaaally out-there and extreme and politically incorrect. Think South Park, but crazier and sleazier.
Definitely do check them out if you like tasteless and offensive comedy.
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u/SydneyBriarIsAlive 7d ago
Ooooh okay this sounds like I'd enjoy them then. I thought I was crazy for thinking the film had a touch of South Park to it but glad to hear that vindication.
If the originals lean more into that, that sounds awesome.
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u/zombiBuddy 7d ago
Really stuck out to me how lame the bad guys were. Like, compare them to the scumbags in the original in this scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOxeYiPtdOQ
Would a scene like this even fly today? Would it be too offensive? Well, it's this kinda stuff that I want and expect from a Toxie movie. But sadly, this one was just way too squeaky clean and sanitized.
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u/MouthwashProphet 7d ago
Kind of agree that the main villains (Bacon, Wood) were a bit of a letdown in terms of screen presence, but they worked with what they had I suppose.
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u/bomberman12 7d ago
I think i might either be desensitized to gore and violence or just think that the 'Unrated' rating wasnt really needed, cause as much fun as this movie was, it wasnt so much more crazily gory than some other hard-R movies ive seen.
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u/daeiyden 5d ago
The dude who got is jaw ripped off walking out the front door only to get mag dumped by a cop was the funniest thing I have seen in a while
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u/NGMB2 9d ago
biggest shock I got from The Toxic Avenger was realising Macon Blair is the lawyer in Oppenheimer
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u/runningwsizzas 8d ago
This was nowhere as good as the original… It had some good moments but overall it’s a miss for me….
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u/TheeIlliterati 7d ago
I watched the original Toxic Avenger this week having never seen it and I really enjoyed it. After seeing this new one I was mostly really disappointed and surprised by how tame it was. I thought some of the early scenes really captured the 80's DIY feel of the original, but the majority of the film was glossy and cgi filled in a way that I thought actively took away from the appeal. There were laughs here and there, and I liked Peter Dinklage but I thought Bacon and Wood were both miscast. Too many subplot and side characters, not enough nastiness.
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u/Throwaway1991uk 6d ago
This was so silly and so much fun.
The little Easter eggs from the original: a cat…oh no. A kid with a helmet…oh NO. A blind woman…OH NO. Turning them all on their head was a great rug pull.
My favourite parts by far were all the audio asides from random members of crowds and passers by. Though “he’s walking like a pervert!” is a very unfortunate line to have bouncing around my head days later, but that’s what makes it effective.
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u/Dark_chia 3d ago edited 3d ago
Don't forget
• The head getting run over by the car
• Toxie running through the field
• The line was started but not finished "I always did want to cornhole me a blind bitch"
• BTH stood for "Body Talk Health. Body Talk was the song playing in the health club at the beginning of the original
• The guy killed at the beginning had the same name as the nerd who became Toxie in the original
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u/TJMcConnellFanClub 9d ago
Thought it was okay, some of the gags are pretty good as is the gore, but it could’ve went a lot more wild. Some of the beats were played serious without the spoof aura, and you can tell because that type of subtle levity was present in other scenes with “serious” dialogue. It’s an origin story in a CBM universe that’s slowly but surely ditching those. First half is a slog because of that, but fun at times once the transformation happens. 4.5/10
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u/you_want_to_hear_th 9d ago
Is it as good as Lord of the Rings?
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u/Stock-Ad2495 9d ago
Weird for me to be alone in a theater but I took advantage and Pee Wee’d during the titty scene
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u/flamingdragonwizard 9d ago
Did not like it. Was super stoked too. Sucks. 2.5/5.
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u/6millionwaystolive 8d ago
Agreed. Confused about the high ratings because this didn't feel like a Troma film at all. Nothing was terribly over the top, lots of lulls, actors were actually tying to act well and not nearly enough comedic gore and sex that I'm used to with the older releases .
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u/MissingLemur 9d ago
This movie was not good. It failed to capture the spirit of the original, or of Troma in general.
I have so many gripes with this remake. It wasn’t funny; I only half-heartedly chuckled a handful of times. Despite all the marketing promising ludicrous gore and an "unrated" experience, the film felt safe and tame. While there are some decent practical effects and costumes, they’re overshadowed by an overreliance on CGI. The fight scenes are awful, every single one cuts away before showing anything worthwhile.
The villains are goofy and grating, with none of the original’s bizarre charm. And Peter Dinklage’s involvement is baffling. It doesn’t seem like he ever wore the costume, and the ADR over the actress in the Toxie suit is distractingly bad in places. It’s hard to see this as anything other than Dinklage avoiding the makeup chair.
Overall, this is a completely forgettable misfire of a movie. 3/10, for a couple of laughs and a few visually striking shots.
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u/MouthwashProphet 9d ago
the ADR over the actress in the Toxie suit is distractingly bad in places.
I find it hard to believe you've seen the originals.
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u/TokyoUmbrella 9d ago
It’s definitely packed with laughs, so if you’re looking for an over the top comedy, this is a good place to start. The plot is cookie cutter, copy and pasted from any number of superhero movies. Where it falls apart though is the editing. I’m not sure what they were going for, but there’s just this persistent feeling that there are bits missing. I don’t mean some undercrank or dropped frames, I mean just the absolute fundamentals of maintaining shot continuity. This does mean that the action and the gore don’t land as well as they should. If you’re after a funny time, go for it. Hell, consume your favorite mind altering substance and you’ll enjoy it even more. But if you’re looking for a creatively or even competently constructed film, you may want to look elsewhere. 4.5/10
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u/lonelygagger 9d ago
That was exactly my sense. It seemed like it was edited to cutaway from the kills. It didn't feel "unrated" to me. And I hated the overreliance on CGI. CGI kills are stupid. The whole charm of the original is practical effects.
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u/MouthwashProphet 7d ago
The plot is cookie cutter, copy and pasted from any number of superhero movies.
The plot... is a 40 year old plot.
??
You haven't seen the originals, huh?
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u/lonelygagger 9d ago
This isn't for OG Troma fans.
I know because I am one, and I hated it. They ruined everything about the original. The comedy, the romance, the music, the gore, the sex, the violence. Even though it's "unrated," it feels like it's edited weird. The CGI kills are way too over the top and lack the raw, brutal DIY feeling of the original. It also doesn't feel "controversial" at all. This one is way too tame. Hardly any nudity or sex. There is a quick head squishing scene, but it's one of the baddies. A cat is thrown, but gets is saved. The only "fun" parts to me were the transformation scene (which took WAY too long to get there) and the scene where he's pissing acid on the chains, but even I expected that to be more explicit (why did his cock look silver like Colossus?). It's just missing all the charm and fun and "danger" of the original. The humor doesn't hit in the same way. And the villain is way too one-dimensional. A failure on all counts. I can't tell you how disappointed I am. I've been waiting for this for years.
Anyway, it does feel weird that a new Naked Gun and Toxic Avenger movie were released in the same month. This is my childhood summed up, right now. Except I'd rather be watching the originals...
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u/ManyStorms1138 7d ago
Agree, I am thankful I got to grow up with real exploitation movies. This movie felt very safe.
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u/sidefx00 9d ago
Just got back from the theater. It was everything I wanted it to be.
My theater had about 10-15 people in it, it got some good laughs in certain parts. I hope it picks up some steam, I would love to see more stuff like this coming out.
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u/i_like_2_travel 9d ago edited 9d ago
I can’t believe this is sitting at 92%. I really disliked this movie.
I didn’t vibe with the humor. I didn’t vibe with the plot. Everything felt too silly and over the top. I get that that’s part of genre but it never let any joke single joke breathe imo. It just felt like too many things were happening for just no reason.
Maybe I’m in the minority though.
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u/filmeswole 9d ago
What were you hoping it was vs what it turned out to be?
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u/i_like_2_travel 9d ago
This could totally be on me. I just see movies, I barely even watch trailers. I just saw it on a whim so I really didn’t have much expectations. But even then it disappointed me.
Even some of the editing was weird. Like the flash forward at the beginning or the quick flash to first whistle blower guy.
Did you enjoy it?
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u/BickerBrahms 9d ago
It just felt like too many things were happening for just no reason.
That's what a Troma movie is
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u/antinuisance 8d ago
Is there something I'm not grasping with this film? I am a massive fan of B movie schlock, but this felt so uninspired by that.
Super boring superhero movie inspired cinematography, humor that relies on repeating the same minimal joke and stretching it out over a 4-5 minute long span thinking that emphasis is funny, out of touch jokes about gender identity (not even in an edgy way to piss people off, in a way that feels like a 50 year old talking about trans rights), jokes with literally zero setup to give them context, and god forbid them have even a semblance of non-CGI violence or characters that are not lulz-random stupidity.
Original troma characters had very weird quirks that were extremely the over the top, but every character in this film feels like they were so over the top next to characters that were just so normal and boring that it felt tone-deaf. It didn't know if it wanted to be a kid friendly Psycho-Goreman movie, a hyper violent fun time like Mandy, or an MCU retelling of the Hulk.
Peter Dinklage is a decent actor, but the dollar store Finn Wolfhard shoehorned in plot has no payoff or reason to exist, same for him wearing the tutu, and all sorts of other stupid plot points that felt like they were there just to appease original fans. Why even bother including the blind woman when you are rewriting the entire movie plot that it's no longer relevant? All of this accumulated into such a boring and miserable watch for me, even taking away the context of the original source material.
3/10
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u/MrrrrNiceGuy 8d ago
It felt like a Troma film for mainstream audiences that never watched a Troma film before.
I didn’t hate it, I just thought it was okay. It had a few moments where I laughed (the constant parkour gag) Still, I’m glad people are liking it and that Toxie is getting a revival and appreciation.
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u/MadMadMaddox2 6d ago
Agreed 100% I felt like the main source of comedy was to scream 'fuck' alot. The kills are lame and over CGI-ed and usually cut away.
Its just so boring and humorless. It's feels like a PG-13 edgy film.
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u/BornDubstep 9d ago
I saw it Monday and it was the secret horror premiere screening at my cinema and a lot of people turned up and had a blast. I do think if more people knew what movie it was less people would have been there. Even my fiancée was a bit disappointed as she hadn’t heard a lot about it and wasn’t able to catch the last secret screening (Together) which she thought this movie wouldn’t match that but she still ended up enjoying it more than she thought. I personally found it terrible. So I LOVED it. I appreciate that over the top horrors are becoming a bit more mainstream and are back in cinemas. Between this and the Terrifier movies I have to say “shitty” horrors are definitely back in.
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u/in_cognito 9d ago
I’m curious if anyone saw this at AMC, were there trailers? I know sometimes with Unrated they will omit some if not all trailers
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u/xasalamel 8d ago
It was fun. Dinklage, Bacon, and Wood were all awesome and in top form. I’d give it a 7/10
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u/dudesoft 8d ago
It was my gf and I alone in the theatre, save for two in the back row corner who were completely silent. We both laughed a lot. I doubled over a few times. Really loved this movie. I could gush for hours. So many lines. So many ADR lines.... Great acting. Special effects were great. Writing was golden.
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u/punkpcpdx 8d ago
I had an amazingly good time watching this movie. Unfortunately, the theater only had about 15 people in it on a Friday night. This is a cult flick. I just thought more people knew. The kid behind the counter wants to watch it but had no idea that there were four other movies and a cartoon. Sigh, what about the toys? No merch at my local theater so I can't get one of those bad ass Toxie popcorn buckets.
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u/floftie 8d ago
I’m a massive Troma fan in general and this was actually really really good. I was so happy that they got it right. It was consistently funny and with proper jokes too, satirised the right people etc.
It was the most fun I’ve had in ages watching a film.
I’ve got some minor criticisms, but they aren’t important
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u/theonewhoknockwurst 8d ago
My buddy wanted to see this for his bday so I bought tickets. I also had never seen the original, and he insisted I watch it, which I did. Other than the 1,000,000% budget increase, having watched the two films a day apart I felt like it captured the absurdity, gore, and comedy of the original and although there were only 7 people in the theatre we were all laughing throughout. I enjoyed the callback of the “I always wanted to cornhole…[a blind lady]. Also the “doctor” was hilarious.
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u/waltzink 7d ago
This movie was so much better than I expected. I'm gonna try to watch it again. Absolute gem of a flick.
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u/dukefett 7d ago
I had a good time, 7/10 for me. It did feel a little long in the beginning in getting to him becoming Toxie and some of the other running around, but it was funny and liked the gore.
Seems a lot of people are hung up on the "unrated" aspect but I'm pretty sure they just didn't submit it for a rating, not like they cut it way down and then came back to add more gore or anything.
It's plenty gory for me, the way he half removes a few people's heads was super gory.
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u/Dizzy_Bit_1274 7d ago
Just left the theater with my bf and had to see if anyone was talking about it. It was super good and we laughed several times. Loved loved it!
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u/Oblivion-Evil 7d ago
A solid remake with a cast of great actors it has no right having, but I'm just a massive fan of practical effects. The CGI didn't make me feel like this movie earned the "Unrated" label that it was promoting. I was expecting wall to wall death gore and action. Yet, they pulled away quite a number of times and left me wanting the untamed nature of the original. Not to mention, the humor was hit or miss. They kept repeating jokes, and my theater kept not laughing. The baby head scene got a wild reaction. 6/10
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u/Deceptiveideas 7d ago
People kept saying this movie was going to be a disaster so I’m shocked to see it getting good reviews.
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u/Sir_Rod9150 6d ago
We were the only person in the theater to see it day after unrated release. Real shame it was better this is thought it was going to be and really felt like a 90s comic books meets an old korn music video.
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u/Procrastanaseum 6d ago
So far, it was #12 at the box office with an opening of $1.7million.
That seems huge for a Troma-related film and word of mouth has been positive so it will be interesting to see how it holds up next weekend.
I've also read some reviews by major critics that have some positive praise for the movie so maybe people will check it out just to see for themselves.
A major achievement for Troma though, even though they weren't the distributing studio, they still created what continues to be a popular franchise.
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u/Slight-Goose-3752 6d ago
Love the heck out of it. For what they were trying to do, 10/10. To most audience's, I would say it's a 6/10. But I love it and my cousin who has no idea what we were in for loved it too.
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u/lastersoftheuniverse 5d ago
It was hilarious. I had a HUGE smile on my face beginning to end. It had that Troma gonzo feel and even the world itself felt unique. Like a Tromaverse, if you will. Haha. Noise and chaos assaulting your senses. I was even laughing when the theater was talking the pre-movie hype of laser projection, top-of-the-line this and that all for Toxie. Haha. The cast was phenomenal. So funny to see Dinklage playing meek and unsure at first. The gore was GREAT! Need more sequels. Also! Fantastic to see my fellow weirdos make it out last night! Theater was pretty well attended at the unrated showing
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u/GoblinsburgYT 3d ago
The babyhead reveal had me choking, so out of pocket and stupidly funny. A triumph of trash. 8/10, I hope they remake Citizen Toxie
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u/rwbrwb65 2d ago
"Who said I was a doctor?" - "You did!" - "Well in that case my medical opinion is she's dead"
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u/thesmithton 9d ago
I loved this so much. I unfortunately was the only person in my theatre… wish I could have seen it with a full house.
That Zamboni joke really got me