Toxin (2015) Reviews

• Pretty good if you expect a B movie

  misterphilipj2015-02-15

  This movie is really bad, I mean really, really bad. You can see the microphone on a character in one scene, you the budget for the special effects was an after thought, and the acting from a few minor characters is atrociously bad. There are a few scenes that don't fit into American culture, such as a girl committing suicide straight up Japanese Kamikaze style, and a doctor going wacko when he is otherwise sane and logical. However, I watched this knowing it was going to be bad and it was enjoyable. Danny Glover delivers a convincing enough job, Masuka from Dexter as his sidekick makes me think some real science is going on. The story becomes rather silly and the action and suspense becomes more comical than scary, and then it becomes a rather enjoyable B movie, with a dialogue going on between me and my family watching it, guessing which ridiculous thing would happen next. I think the producers knew this would happen to some extent, what with the toxin looking like a beehive pollen floating in midair, and the gas tank to a Tahoe being able to open with no breaking and entering tools. Overall a solid cast, and if you're in the mood for a light and digestible film, watch this. It reminds me of something they would show on cable called "Dinner and a movie" in the late 90's, where they would show OK horror or thriller movies, along with commentary.

  More

• Fun Drama/Sci-Fi Hybrid suitable for all ages

  michellefratis2015-03-09

  When I saw the poster for Toxin, I was expecting a B-horror movie with over the top gore and effects. This film stands out as solid entertainment and is more of a drama/sci-fi hybrid. The storyline with Dean and his grandmother is very endearing. Dean sets out to help his ageing, hoarding grandmother get her place cleaned up. She comes across at first as the typical crazy woman, but soon develops into a wonderful movie stealing performance. Fluctuating between lucid and disoriented she is able to overcome her hoarding with the help of Dean. There's a hint to a spiritual theme of living in the present moment that plays out nicely at the end of the film. A film needs to have a message. This one does and it seems the other reviewers missed it. Dean may seem like the unstoppable protagonist as critics have pointed out, yet he failed to save the most important thing in his life, his grandmother. The loss of her and how he copes with it ties into the loss of his friend during battle. The lesson Dean learns helps him cope with loss. The film ends with a powerful image of a Buddah that Dean leaves on his grandmother's headstone, which was a perfect visual image to seal their journey together. Interspersed throughout is an entertaining sci-fi take on pharmaceutical companies and the dangers they can be to society. If you are expecting actors to make good decisions in a horror movie, then don't see this one. If you don't mind actors making entertaining decisions, see this movie and have fun with it.

  More

• Washed up Glover, slow pace add up for forgettable mush

  musicreporter-12017-12-01

  Familiar faces result in familiar mush. Jones, and especially Glover, show that they are way, waaay, past their prime in this sci-fi would- be thriller with weak effects and it's sleep-inducing soap opera pace. Jones does occasionally shine convincingly as a disciplined soldier tool - he's got that MADman look down pat. Glover though is plain boring as a "doctor scientist"? Like other actor losers, Glover hardly ever changes his voice/accent, tone or look - it's as if he plays himself in every movie. Not as bad as that Machete guy, or Ice T or Ice cube - but Glover is still an all too familiar cardboard stiff popping up in too many movies. Every time Glover appeared I glanced the clock, wondering whether to bail or check email, or see if it got better. It didn't. Weak plot overall but the film does have a few engaging moments. Sadly - they are few and far between. Zzz. There were simple continuity mistakes galore in lighting and several scenes. Initially, Dean the hero is driven by the "urgency" to save his grandma from eviction - from there it gets complicated and whatever heat there that begins to flare up, quickly gets dissipated. There's a toxin in grandma's house and as usual the bad guys are the Evil Government villains who have corrupt designs on that toxin. From there it's the usual body count game - predicting who the next victim will be. Zzzzz. There's a laughable scene when the teen-looking Dean "manhandles" the taller, heavier mercenary soldier character played by Jones - yeah right. Like another reviewer here put it - go in not expecting anything great and you'll pass the time easy! Or you could do laundry or some cooking at the same time and feel productive - you will not miss a beat in this slow moving movie. OR save this movie for a night when you got amnesia! Zzzz.

  More

• Complete Rubbish! 1/10

  leonblackwood2016-04-29

  Review: What a complete load of rubbish! The acting was awful and as soon as the annoying teenagers came on screen, I completely lost interest. All I remember was this stupid virus that was killing everyone but apart from that, I haven't got a clue about the plot. Danny Glover, who was playing a doctor who was making the virus, has really gone downhill lately and Vinnie Jones plays the usual cockney hard man who is working for the baddies. My expectations for this film were pretty low from the get go, so I'm not surprised that it turned out to be so awful. I won't go on about the film anymore because it just not worth the time or effort. Rubbish! Round-Up: This awful movie was written and directed by Jason Dudek, who brought you Open Mic in 2001 and Legacy in 2008. Its not really surprising that his movies are unheard of, because if there anything like this one, I doubt that they will ever get an audience. Maybe he should just stick to watching films except for making them? Same goes for Vinnie Jones!  I recommend this movie to people who are into their drama/sci-fi/horrors starring Taylor Handley, Danny Glover, Vinnie Jones, Margo Harshman, Beverley Mitchell and C.S. Lee. 1/10

  More

• Rarely a movie so lifeless, dull and stupid

  siderite2016-05-30

  For some reason I always enjoy seeing Vinnie Jones. I don't know why. His movies and performance are getting worse every time, but I still watch them. And the movie has Danny Glover, of Lethal Weapon fame. How could this go wrong? Easy. Vinnie is a minor thug of no consequence, Glover acts worse than a wooden plank - not kidding here, there were planks that didn't make me cringe in this film - and the hero of the story is Taylor Handley, from Dawson Creek, playing a bad ass soldier coming from Afghanistan. Yet it goes further than this: the CGI is painfully bad, the dialog is pathetic, the direction is worse than non-existent, it's suicidal and the acting of everyone involved is abysmal. I mean, the best actor of them all by far was C.S. Lee, Vince Masuka from Dexter. That should tell you how bad the whole thing was. And yet, if this would have had an intriguing premise, brought something new to the table, added at least some element of tension, horror, drama or at least comedy, inadvertent or not, I would have been OK with its existence. Instead it is a completely worthless enterprise. More effort has been put into fake comments on IMDb than in any part of the film. Bottom line: avoid it like you would a toxin that is actually a virus that grows spores on the walls of buildings.

  More