Troll

The movie Troll begins with a little girl named Nora Tidemann hearing her dad, Tobias tell the tale of trolls and the place of origin of mountains in the area. A few years later, when a volcanic eruption is caused by the drill in the Dovre mountains, Nora is a paleontologist who is enlisted to investigate. There were nearly no survivors among the workers and activists caught in the eruption. A part of the Norwegian government calls on the professionals to look into the matter for what caused the tragedy.

At first, it seemed like the methane was the source; however, later, Nora and the Prime Minister's advisor, Andreas Isaksan, make inquiries about the possibility of something darker being at play. And indeed, when they accidentally release a 50-meter-tall troll that had been living hidden on the slope, their suspicions prove factual. The troll, in a fury at the uproar, heads out on a destructive rampage to Oslo.

Breakdown of Troll

Monster movie conventions in addition to the heritage of Norway are represented in the movie's storyline. The mythological tale of a dangerous monster, troll, is a combination of horror and modern-day folklore still prevalent in Norwegian society. There's a rather groggy look on everyone’s face when the story of the first hunt for the troll trying to save a kid from under some rubble is retold in the film. The team then discovers the possibility of the power of the UV tanning salons to capture the creature by light exposure only for it to die of intense sunlight at the end of the film.

When the sun comes up and kills the troll, the figures escape. The uncertainty whether there are still trolls surviving beneath Norway's mountains ciphering back and forth between Naomi and Andreas from awe to fear also following the notion. The film also reveals some of the biological and historical factors driving the troll's hostility, thus turning the monster into a more human character.

Troll Reviews

Opinions of film critics are mostly in favor of Troll. It has earned a grade of 87% from 30 people at Rotten Tomatoes and holds an average score of 6.5/10, whereas the website shares a statement: "Troll doesn't reinvent the rule book of the monster movie genre, but with such great mythological history and such an action-packed story why does it need to?". At its debut on Metacritic, the movie respondents have given a count of 62 out of 100, meaning that it is "generally favorable" considering the opinion of four critics.

Not only the background but the very action scenes giving a sense of thrill like in the old monster movies such as Godzilla and King Kong have also been recognized as high points of the film. Yet, a group of the audience was not able to guess the next scene in the story and they also complained about the performances of the actors. All this points to Troll being a fun, attractive movie—unless we discuss the genre, in that case, no doubt the genre enthusiasts ought to watch it.

For more prospective film reviews, check out our take on Jigra - Jigra

Troll on Netflix

Troll was launched by Netflix on December 1, 2022. The film is available in multiple foreign language subtitled and dubbed versions suitable for a global audience. Since hitting Netflix, the movie has easily crossed boundaries to a vast audience, meeting warm reception, and hence, the product of Troll 2, a sequel, followed it.

Is it Good?

Troll is an example of Norwegian folk stories and a very good representation of the monster genre. The movie’s exploration of mythology, the locales of epic combat, and the lively characters are perfectly united to form a stunning movie. Although the plot is not the most innovative, its execution and visual effects are really impressive. If you are fond of monster movies or want to discover a European production of the genre, then this film would be a very delightful journey for you.

Troll is a fascinating and fun movie that perfectly illustrates the remarkable special effects, which have been derived from the Norwegian folklore. Not simply for the fans of the monster genre, but any of the aficionados of other and often weirder pictures may find Troll equally engaging.

• Director

  : Roar Uthaug

• Casting

  : Ine Marie Wilmann, Kim Falck, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen

• Production

  : Espen Horn, Sanne Glæsel