Troll
review by Bobby Blakey
While most US audiences will know Norwegian director Roar Uthaug for his 2018 reboot of Tomb Raider, I have been a fan since his debut film Cold Prey in 2006. Now he is stepping into the world of the giant monster with his latest film Troll starring Ine Marie Wilmann, Kim Falck, Mads Sjogard Petterson and Gard B. Eidsvold. Could this take on the Norwegian fairy tales bring something new to the kaiju style genre or will it stay buried in the Earth?
Troll follows deep inside the mountain of Dovre, Norway where something gigantic awakens after being trapped for a thousand years. Destroying everything in its path, the creature is fast approaching the capital of Norway, with city-dweller struggling to stop something they thought existed only in Norwegian folklore.
I love anything that brings a giant monster of some sort to wreak havoc on the masses and add to the mix the vision of Uthaug and I was all in. While I knew it dealt with this giant troll I wasn’t sure the direction of the whole thing so kind of went in blind and was glad I did. First know that this is a Norwegian film so the majority of the film is subtitled for those that complain about that, but I love hearing the native language to these kinds of movies.
The story is pretty simple and reminiscent of others like it such as Kong or Godzilla, but still brings its own unique voice and is really good. I didn’t know how they were going to introduce the troll or explain its story and was glad they kept it simple and played up the kid’s fairytale nature of it all while still making it something of truth in its storytelling.
For a story like this to work you have to have a believable creature and this one delivers. The look and movements of the troll is awesome. It reminded me of ones from when I played D&D and Warhammer fantasy while still being something all its own. The use of the Earth alongside the troll itself is really
cool and seamless. They have really knocked this thing out the park on all counts.
They spend just enough time teasing us to build up the story before fully unveiling the full visual and it’s a perfect execution. The only noise it makes are roars and howls, but it speaks so much through its visuals and mannerisms making it a compelling creature to watch.
I was hoping for something that delivered and ended up loving this flick. I know there is talk of possible more should this one do well and it does leave the possibility open and I am here for it. No matter what the film stands well on its own and worth checking out.
Decide for yourself and check out Troll streaming now on Netflix.