‘Troll’: Netflix creates its own Scandinavian kaiju

Although monster movies have often been associated with major Hollywood productions, thanks to that jewel of the seventh art which is ‘King Kong’, to Japanese kaijus movies, with ‘Godzilla. Japan Under the Terror of Monsters’ as the first feature film that created a school; occasionally there are attempts from other international markets to break through into a sub-genre that continues to win over audiencesa recent proof of this was simply ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’, which pitted these two great titans of celluloid against each other.

With fewer artistic and commercial pretensions, Netflix has launched “Trol”, one of its latest international hits. Norwegian productionhas Roar Uthaug, known for rebooting Alicia Vikander’s ‘Tomb Raider’ director, who tried to make a project inspired by an idea rejected from the film starring Lara Croft, in which he intended to bring part of his own culture into the film. Thus, a troll is the main monster that will cause terror in Norway.

Really, the premise is very classic and reminiscent of 90’s disaster movies, like ‘Twister’ or ‘Volcano’, only by changing a great natural catastrophe for the irruption of a monster, recalling, in fact, the aforementioned ‘Godzilla’. Uthaug, who directs from a screenplay by Espen Aukan, uses the folklore of his country to create a decent enough production, which He knows how to exploit the conventions of the subgenre to create a new monster who aspires to continue fighting on the streaming platform.

A troll king willing to face other giants like King Kong or Godzilla

now what the kaiju being a giant troll trying to destroy Oslo is, perhaps, the most interesting element of this production, which does not go beyond what is foreseeable. The film has a protagonist, played by Ine Marie Wilmann, who tries to stop the beast, while understanding it and who has a complicated relationship with her father. Secondly, there is a series of secondaries that try to give more charisma to the story, which is only half achieved. Yes, Kim Falck does it with his character, right-hand man to the Norwegian prime minister and whose wit ensures that the role strikes the right balance between highbrow character and comic relief. Mads Sjøgård Pettersen has less background as the soldier who ends up being the more physical part of the story, serving only as a mere vector for the plot.

With With special effects right for a TV production, ‘Trol’ manages to far surpass disaster and monster cinema meant for the small screen, but it is far from being at the level of large productions designed for cinema. Of course, the pacing of its story is well done, so much so that it is a fun proposition to enjoy at home on a rainy day and which, in addition, leaves the door open for a possible saga.

A new low-cost success for Netflix, which with ‘Trol’ demonstrates that the international gamble just works Stories with ambitions to win international audiences don’t have to come from Hollywood.

Note: 6

The best: Getting to know Scandinavian folklore from another point of view.

Worse: It’s a tremendously conventional and predictable story.