Troll Hunter-review

Seriously? How does Norway keep these things hidden?

            “Troll Hunter” is a 2010 Norwegian film that has a distinct dark comedy feel with a “Blair Witch Project” look.  A group of college students set out to make a documentary about a supposed bear poacher. They confront him only to discover a vast bureaucratic conspiracy which he is part of involving the hunting of Trolls to keep them from the general public.  The students join him on the hunt in the hopes to reveal their new footage upon their return.

They have a cave troll.

            For the most part it’s an okay movie.  The Trolls look pretty cool when you can see them.  They follow interesting folklore where they can smell Christian blood and they explode or turn to stone in the sun.  There are some funny scenes here and there and the action is alright.  The acting is pretty lackluster with the exception of Otto Jespersen playing Hans, the hunter. I appreciated the fairly decent POV camerawork at least. 

Who's that clip clop clipping over my bridge?

            On the other hand the movie seemed to drag on way too long sometimes. There is a subplot involving a character getting rabies that goes NOWHERE!  Because it’s a found footage movie we get lots of shots of creatures in areas that are too dark that make the Trolls out of focus.  Finally, how can they really make this about a big cover-up conspiracy?  The Trolls are giants that roam the countryside at night.  This is the age of iPhones and YouTube and you are telling me nobody has EVER seen creatures over 200 ft tall flying by in a helicopter or small plane? 

To make a long Troll movie really enjoyable. Try a big dose of heroin.

            Okay let’s say the airspace was blocked off to civilians.  They aren’t exactly the Coelacanth (a fish thought to be extinct then found still alive in 1938) that live underwater.  They are huge mammals that really people would probably benefit to know about and stay the hell away from.  But I am over-analyzing this.    All in all this is an okay movie.  The satire of bureaucracy is amusing at least.  I read on Wikipedia that the rights to a remake have been sold.  So I’d advise that if you have any interest at all you see the original first.