Review - Troll Hunter

Three students set out to make a documentary about an elusive poacher known solely by the name of Hans (Otto Jespersen), who is suspected of slaughtering a number of bears in Western Norway. After tailing him for a couple of days, the amateur filmmakers soon discover there are bigger, more dangerous creatures wandering the woods and that Hans is in fact a government agent assigned to secretly track down the mythical beasts. In a bid to uncover the truth, the students decide to document the troll hunter’s work firsthand.

The found footage genre has been stripped of all its originality and sensation in recent years, so chances are you will know exactly what to expect from André Øvredal’s movie: minimal dialogue, characters directly addressing the audience, an obligatory night vision sequence and camerawork so shaky it’ll feel like you’re having an epileptic fit. Judged purely on these merits, Troll Hunter is derivative and would have profited significantly had it been released in a pre-Cloverfield market.

Where Øvredal succeeds is in transposing fairytale creatures to a modern setting, before effortlessly using them to generate both chills and laughs. The moment the clueless students first hear monstrous roars and thunderous footsteps coming from the woods is as foreboding as the T-Rex's terrifying entrance in Jurassic Park. The ensuing sight of Hans emerging in full combat gear screaming: “TROLL!” raises an impromptu guffaw. The material works because Øvredal approaches it with his tongue firmly in cheek.

The trolls themselves are an impressive achievement and each one of them boasts distinguishing traits. The three-headed Tosserlad is maniacally erratic, the golem-like Ringlefinch has a penchant for chomping on goats and the mountain king, who delivers the film’s deafening final set-piece, could easily challenge King Kong to an arm-wrestling match.  Not bad for a country whose film industry isn’t particularly renowned for high-quality CGI and blockbuster entertainment.

But the human element isn’t lacking either and Norwegian comedian Otto Jespersen ably carries the film as the titular hunter. He impeccably nails the deadpan humour (Hans’ occasional “I hate this crap” quips have a touch of Lethal Weapon’s Danny Glover), but is also credible in his more poignant moments. At one point the gob smacked students hesitantly call him a hero. “There is nothing heroic about what I do”, is Hans’ quiet response.

Troll Hunter may not bring anything new to the found footage canon but, with its impeccably-rendered creatures and chilling Nordic landscapes, still manages to make a lasting impression. Set to gain cult status (and eventually be remade by Hollywood).

3/5