Troll is like a lot of monster movies and knows it. If you love Kaiju films or anything with giant monsters, you’ll be treated to an abundance of easter eggs and references. However, the film isn’t just a greatest hits montage of monster cinema. The plot and characters are derivative but its Scandinavian setting and basis on Troll mythology make the film a standout in the current Kaiju renaissance.

An ancient troll awakens from a mountain and leaves a trail of destruction as it rampages through Norway. The Norwegian government assemble a team of specialists to formulate a plan to stop the creature before it reaches more populated areas.

The Characters

Troll’s cast consists of archetypes you may be familiar with if you’ve seen enough Hollywood actioners. We’ve got our intelligent scientist protagonist in the form of paleontologist Nora, our mentor in the form of her father Tobias, a troll expert, and the comic relief in Prime Minister’s advisor Andreas.

Nora and Tobias are very much like Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Bryan Cranston in 2014’s Godzilla. Both lost a mother and a wife and have become distant from each other since the loss. You’re familiar with these types of characters and can probably predict their fates but that doesn’t make them boring to watch. Tobias is constantly mocked and looked down upon for his belief in Trolls, which is painful for Nora and us to watch.

Andreas is with us throughout. He’s Brian Tyree Henry in Godzilla Vs Kong or Chris O’Dowd in The Cloverfield Paradox. A character that could’ve easily been annoying but fortunately isn’t, he’s a comic relief who provides some genuine comic relief.

If the characters were all American and the story took place in San Francisco or New York I would not be speaking so favourably of the cast. The change of language and region is such a minor change yet the results are so significant. Hearing the Norwegian tongue as a Norwegian monster storms through a Norwegian valley and eventually a Norwegian city creates a much more memorable experience than that you’d get from a Hollywood monster flick.

The References

All the nods Troll gives to kaiju and monster cinema are visual, there are shots and images that’ll jump out to any giant monster enthusiast. Of the films Troll pays homage to, Kong: Skull Island, Jurassic Park, Troll Hunter and 98’s Godzilla get the most tributes.

The Troll itself is reminiscent of many Hollywood giants, especially King Kong. He’s a force of nature that causes as much damage as a Godzilla or a T-Rex but he’s also sentient and, like Kong, is the last of his kind, making him quite sympathetic.

There’s sequel bait at the end (surprise surprise) and seeing this film’s rendition of the Troll legend, I’m all for seeing where they take this mythology. Bring on the sequels. It may have the components of your average American Kaiju film but its Norwegianness makes it feel totally new. Troll’s another pleasant surprise of 2022, I highly recommend it.

I give Troll a lovable 7 out of 10.