When a mockumentary is done right, it's a delight. When it's not, it can be more than a bit of a bore. Add to that the old "found footage" chestnut, and what have you got? The Troll Hunter, a monster movie coming stateside soon from Norway.
Looks like Scandinavia is the new Asia when it comes to the onslaught of horror imports — and thank goodness for that! (Personally I'd much rather watch Let The Right One In, Rare Exports, or The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo ten times each than see The Grudge, The Ring, or One Missed Call even once more.) Not to mention Norway in particular is trending (Thor, anyone?) in Hollywood. (And yes, Virginia, there is an English language remake of The Troll Hunter already in the works.)
The story follows a fresh, curious young camera crew in their pursuit of the titular troll-hunter, a world-weary field operative who dabbles in all-too-realistic folklore as part of his job. On top of doing all the bureaucratic paperwork that must follow, the Troll Hunter first must kill a troll to generate the form-fill-in fun. Played with pathos and humor by comedian Otto Jespersen, Hans -- and the well-wrought monsters -- is one of the few things which save this simple story from being just another cog in the low-budget filmmaking wheel. (Personally, I'm "found footaged" out.) The trolls really are worth a look, especially when the crew and the star of their film encounter a King Kong -like mother of all trolls. That scene is quite well-done, and there are also some rather gross bone-gnawing scenes, troll-stink saturation, etc., for those fans of horror who can't get enough of the visceral stuff.
When it comes to logic and reason, well… there isn't a lot. Somehow, the trolls are all over the place, wreaking havoc night and day and killing and eating people all the time — but they are still believed to be mythical and the Government has tasked two people with putting a halt to the legion of beasts. There's also an assembly line of characters who drop in and out to dispense information, and that becomes tedious after awhile. I would've liked to have felt more mayhem and had less exposition (I say this understanding that it is a low-budget film — however, suspense and tension don't cost a thing).
Writer-director André Øvredal definitely has talent. I appreciated his homage to movies like Jurassic Park and Cloverfield, but I'm holding out for a flashier production with less conversation (three sheep on a bridge? Bet that story won't make it into the Hollywood version).
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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson
- THE TROLL HUNTER is available through Magnolia On-Demand (http://www.magpictures.com/ondemand/) May 6th and in theaters starting June 10th.