Troll is a Norwegian fantasy action-adventure film released on Netflix on 1st December 2022. It is directed by internationally acclaimed Roar Uthaug and produced by Espen Horn and Kristian Strand Sinkerud at Motion Blur. The film has a runtime of about 1 hour and 43 minutes.
The cast of the film includes Ine Marie Wilmann as Nora Tidemann, Kim Falck as Andreas Isaksen, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen as Kaptein Kristoffer Holm, Gard B. Eidsvold as Tobias Tidemann, Karoline Viktoria Sletteng Garvang as Sigrid Hodne, Yusuf Toosh Ibra as Amir, Bjarne Hjelde as Hoffsjef Rikard Sinding, Anneke von der Lippe as Statsminister Berit Moberg, Dennis Storhøi and Fridtjov Såheim.
-Troll Review Does Not Contain Any Spoilers-
Deep inside the mountain of Dovre, something gigantic awakens after being trapped for a thousand years. Destroying everything in its path, the creature is fast approaching the capital of Norway. But how do you stop something you thought only existed in Norwegian folklore?
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The film starts with a father and daughter climbing mountains and unveils the Troll Peaks in Romsdalen. The daughter doesn’t really believe in folklore but we get to know about the story behind the peaks and the mountain trolls in general. That they turn into stone when coming in contact with direct sunlight.
It goes something like this, “in the darkness they rose and in the sunlight, they froze.” If I heard rhymes like these in a movie, then I would expect some magical/fantasy stuff to come up. But it’s more like a disaster film, mixed with an animal/monster movie, where we must kill the unknown gigantic animal who is destroying everything.
The daughter grows up to become the Professor of Paleontology – Nora Tidemann and one of the key people, who is called upon to examine and help with whatever impending doom is upon them. The character of the father, Tobius is the one that leads everyone in the direction, they should be looking. But creators make him take a back seat as soon as he sows the seeds.
I wish the role of Tobius was much bigger than portrayed in the film and should have been there till the last moment, to make everyone realise – I told you so!. He is somewhat of a madman, who everyone thinks is talking random shit. Until you actually listen to what he says and the pieces of the puzzle fit perfectly.
There were some funny moments here and there, in between, which doesn’t make you go haha, but enough to give a chuckle and keep you entertained. Such one scene is also there in the trailer, where Andreas is talking to Captain Kristoffer Holm and Captain asks him if he has some military experience. To which he replies – “yes, Call of Duty.”
Talking about Captain Kristoffer, there was certainly something going on between him and Professor Nora Tidemann. Right off the bat, Kris is trying to get in her good books and I wish there was something more shown between them. Like working together in the same vicinity for more screentime or helping each other out from deadly situations, which creates a deeper connection between them. Alas, there’s no love story in the film.
Summing Up: Troll
The film is definitely a quick and entertaining watch. It gets into action without wasting much time in drama building and being overly mysterious. However, the ending feels a bit anti-climactic, until you get to the mid-credit scene. This film certainly isn’t the end and there could be more in the coming future. If that does happen, then it would be interesting to see the same set of characters interacting with each other more.
Troll is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
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