Troll Hunter Review (Pitched towards Total Film Magazine)

You have your mountain trolls and you have your forest trolls. The subgroups are ‘Raflegant’, ‘Tusseladd’, ‘Rimtusse’, ‘Dovregubben’ and ‘Harding.’ These pesky giant critters are the subject of André Øvredal’s Troll Hunter (Trolljegeren), a found-footage thriller given a cool Nordic touch.

Through ‘Michael Moore’ perseverance, journalism students Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud) and Johanna (Johanna Mørck) uncover the most shocking story to ever hit the fjords. While investigating a spate of bear killings they discover the ‘Trolljegeren’ (Otto Jespersen), a government-hired ex-marine whose sole mission it is to cull and contain the ‘stuff of fairytale’ tree-sized trolls and keep their existence a secret.

Weary of his unsung hero status the hunter agrees to let his new teammates film in the hope that the exposure will revolutionise the game. As we venture into his magical world, the troll encounters are delivered with a gathering pace – each time more flabbergasting than the next, our hero rains down death on any of the once mythical beasties who dare to stray beyond government imposed boundaries. It’s not quite all so gung-ho – although quintessentially a mercenary, the hunter could not seem any more an unlikely hero than he does – bearing more resemblance to Ray Mears than Rambo.

To fathom this odd treat consider the duck and dive action of Jurassic Park and the nosy visceral camera-play of The Blair Witch Project. Add a slice of Best In Show humour and you will have a fairly sure concept of what to expect. Seeing spectacular CGI on a shoestring budget fused with such a timely and wry comic glance is such a rarity that it’s a joy to witness. Some cack-handed plot inclusions, such as a conveniently inept power-line technician who struggles to explain a circular supply, are minor gripes that detract little from an otherwise precise humour. It’s blockbuster science fiction – Norwegian style.

Verdict: The happy marital bond of Øvredal’s Norsk humour and shaky-cam antics with old-fashioned Hollywood action thrills ensure this journey into the land of the troll is far from… droll.