🇳🇴 TROLL 🇳🇴
Troll (2022) is a Norwegian Netflix Original action/adventure/drama/fantasy/thriller film. 1 hour 41 minutes in length. In Norwegian with subtitles and dubbing available. Rated 12 U.K.
Premise:
Deep in the Dovre mountain, something gigantic wakes up after a thousand years in captivity. The creature destroys everything in its path and quickly approaches Oslo.
Cast:
Ine Marie Wilmann as Nora Tidemann
Kim Falck as Andreas Isaksen
Mads Sjøgård Pettersen as Captain Kristoffer Holm
Gard B. Eidsvold as Tobias Tidemann
Anneke von der Lippe as Prime Minister Berit Moberg
Fridtjov Såheim as Defense Minister Frederick Markussen
Karoline Viktoria Sletteng Garvang as Sigrid Hodne
Yusuf Toosh Ibra as Amir
Crew:
Writers: Espen Aukan, Roar Uthaug
Director: Roar Uthaug
Composer: Johannes Ringen
Cinematographer: Jallo Faber
Editors: Christoffer Heie, Jens Peder Hertzberg
Production Designer: Koja
Art Director: Vilius Vanagas
Costume Designer: Karen Fabritius Gram
Makeup Designer: Dorte Pedersen
Special Effects: Pål Morten Hverven, Alexander Solem, Ragnhild Bjoerge
Visual Effects: 174 People
Stunts: 23 People
Notes:
About Trolls in Norse Mythology ~ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll
Locations:
Oslo, Norway
Åndalsnes, Rauma, Møre og Romsdal, Norway
Review:
Recently I watched the Norwegian found footage horror film Troll Hunter and very much enjoyed it. Horror is a genre that I am generally drawn to. I did not expect Troll to be like Troll Hunter. For starters, it’s rated 12 in the U.K. so it’s obviously geared at a different audience than Troll Hunter. From the trailer alone I could sense there would likely be strong similarities to other, older monster movies such as King Kong, Godzilla and Jurassic Park. I decided to imagine that I had my 13-year-old sitting next to me watching (in reality my kids are much older than that folks) and us watching as a family. Obviously, as an adult who has seen the forerunners of this film, I would recognise where it copies them (or has a homage, if you prefer).
The storyline itself isn’t exactly innovative except, and, for me, this is a big except, this has Norse beliefs in Trolls woven through it along with Christianisation and effects of “fairy tales” that took away much of the true nature of these Norse creatures and others.
The characters we meet in Troll aren’t the most in-depth but I did like the father-daughter dynamic and the klutzy political aide. The captain was certainly soldiery enough as were the other military – although a little less gung-ho than many an American action movie I have seen. The Defense Minister was stereotypically blessed with a dangerous combination of stubbornness and foolishness in equal proportions. It would be easy to criticise the character development but hey, this is principally a family action thriller adventure movie after all. The major downside for me regarding the characters is that this film didn’t make me FEEL enough. In truth though, the one I felt most sorry for was the troll — and that’s the way it should be (King Kong anyone?)
I liked the way this was directed for the most part. I felt that some scenes could have been done with a bit more immediacy. The landscape, locations, and scenery were often stunning. Some great aerial shots made good use of these.
The special and visual effects in this are excellent and I loved the nods to Jurassic Park and King Kong. I kept in mind that many a younger teenager (and even those older) will never have seen some of the biggest films in this genre. The stunts were impressive and I enjoyed the shoot-out and helicopter scenes. I would have loved more precision driving (I’m a total sucker for it) so longer and faster and closer shots of driving backwards… During one scene where there are a lot of people running away within a relatively confined area… I was thinking it could have been done by taking a leaf out of the Korean’s book for mass scenes of panic.
The music was a strong point of Troll for me. It worked well to help create atmosphere and tension. The sound design is extremely good and this is a film that’s worth watching with a decent pair of headphones or sound system.
Troll isn’t a film that I didn’t find myself saying “Wow!” when watching, although I did find myself saying “Good stuntwork!” more than once. Irrespective of how derivative Troll is, how much like a Hollywood blockbuster, what I appreciated (and applaud) is that Norwegians like Roar Uthaug are making films like this. It’s a billion miles from Nordic Noir and that’s not automatically a bad thing. I wouldn’t shy away from recommending this as a family watch to friends with kids of the right age and I would watch a sequel if there is one. Overall then, flawed but ambitious and expansive. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
Trailer:
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Good review Davina. We watched it when it was first aired and agree with you especially about feeling so sorry for the poor Troll. We’d certainly watch S2 if it appears 👍🏻