Troll
Troll
Starring Ine Marie Wilmann, Kim Falck, Mads Pettersen, Gard Eidsvold
Directed by Roar Uthang
Growing up with her eccentric father Tobias (Gard Eidswold), Nora Tidemann (Ine Marie Wilmann) didn't believe his wild fairy tales about trolls, but she did acquire her sense of adventure and love of nature from him. Now an adult, Nora is a paleontologist who is brought in by the Prime Minister to investigate something strange - a mysterious event occurred when a construction crew was trying to build a highway through the Dovre Mountains. While she doesn't necessarily believe it's a troll of her father's stories, she thinks it's something that's been awakened and is angry for being disturbed. She travels with the Prime Minister's advisor Andreas (Kim Falck) and Captain Kristoffer Holm (Mads Pettersen) to investigate, which leads her to visiting her reclusive father after decades of estrangement. They learn that the creature is indeed a troll who was awakened, and is making his way to Oslo. While the government wants it dead, Nora wants to learn about it and why it's doing what it's doing, all the while questioning her own presuppositions and skepticism even though what she's trying to deny is staring at her literally in the face.
In 2010 Norwegian director Andre Ovredal directed the found footage mockumentary "Trollhunter" about a group of students in search of an elusive and mysterious troll, and the film was a wonderful blend of dark fantasy and horror, with stunning visuals and effective computer generated effects despite the smaller budget. 2022 saw another Norwegian troll film, simply named "Troll," by the director of Alicia Vikander's "Tomb Raider" and the oft-underappreciated horror film "Cold Prey." This time, the troll in question is a mountain troll who is awakened by man-made intervention and embarks on a journey back home, all the while being hunted by a relentless government that wants nothing more than to see it dead.
"Troll" is a big-budget spectacle akin to other disaster movies like "Godzilla" or "Independence Day," and in some respects the storyline is hindered by that. Aside from the fantastical story of the troll itself, everything happening around him is mundane and stereotypical. There's the government official that wants nothing more than to blow it to bits no matter the cost (cue the "nuclear option"), the ragtag group of people on the outskirts who are at first brought in to investigate but once they reveal the truth they're thrown aside for the sake of making things go "boom," aforementioned ragtag group banding together to come up with a more plausible solution, and the typical debate as to who the real enemy is.
Technically, the troll has been living a comfortable existence for centuries, resting in his mountain and not causing any harm, but once humanity interferes with the natural order of things, he's awakened. Yet he doesn't seek revenge or to destroy the world, but rather is lost and alone, trying to find his way home. His hulking nature obviously causes panic in the eyes of humans, and he does leave carnage in his wake even though it's unintentional, but he never meant any harm. He only turns violent when humanity attacks it in a rather humorous way - with bullets and tanks, which is about as effective as trying to kill someone by forcefully blowing on him. So while the troll may seem to be the monster, like in the case of King Kong or Godzilla, it's really not a monster, but something that we don't understand - and if we don't understand something, we need to eliminate it with extreme prejudice.
The ragtag group fits the generic mold of the genre as well. Ine Marie Wilmann's Nora is a practical professor who was brought up with the belief of trolls, but is unable to comprehend that they're real. Although the hero of the story, she also hinders the story by constantly denying what the troll really is, resulting in runarounds with recycled conversations. Gard Eidsvold is the eccentric recluse who of course was right all along about the unnatural event happening, the man no one believed until it finally comes to light. Kim Falck's Andreas is the constantly upbeat assistant who is always available to lend a helping hand, while Mads Pettersen's Captain Kristoffer goes against the rules in order to find a more practical solution than nuking the entirety of Oslo.
Yet what makes this film special is the troll itself, which is a beautifully rendered CGI creature that is quite intimidating, despite my earlier statement about it not being a violent monster. If I saw that in real life, no matter how friendly I think it would be, I'd be terrified as well. The troll is crafted wonderfully, and it doesn't feel out of place like other CGI-rendered creations, but rather a part of the natural element. It's massive and intimidating, but also you sense its own brand of humanity in its eyes. You feel for it and you realize you're rooting for it more than those trying to take it down just because of its existence, making it a very tragic character. The visuals and effects of the film are impressive to say the least, as the troll traverses the wild mountainside to the crowded populous of Oslo, and how it wreaks havoc in the process. While doing it accidentally at first, it gets agitated by the numerous attacks from the military, causing it to lash out in violent ways. It's intense and exciting, and helps the viewer draw away from the generic storyline behind it.
Offering up another fascinating story about the Nordic tradition of trolls, "Troll" is an epic action adventure that blends the fantastical with the typical, providing a uniquely terrifying and also emotionally moving troll creature that only wants to find its way home.
The Score: A
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