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.
Review of Toxin
