The monster movie as we know it today owes itself to the kaiju movie, the Japanese genre that gave us Godzilla. Since then, the monster movie has usually been the domain of Japan and Hollywood, with recent years giving us both Godzilla X Kong stateside and Godzilla Minus One on the other side of the Pacific.
But these countries do not have a duopoly on the monster movie. In fact, one of the most surprising countries has made a monster flick that is now becoming a veritable franchise. And its next entry is full of classic tropes with some deep mythology.
Troll 2 is the most expensive Nordic film production ever, and it looks like it. The sequel to 2022’s Troll, Norwegian filmmaker Roar Uthaug attempts to bring his story of giant stone men to new heights by introducing new characters and a fascinating historical mystery. It should be noted, however, that this movie has no relation to the 1990 so-bad-it’s-good movie Troll 2. I hate to disappoint, but this movie is so good it’s good.
The story follows Nora Tidemann (Ine Marie Wilmann), who is wrestling with her conscience after defeating a troll in the first film. Was that truly the right choice? For better or for worse, she gets another chance when another troll threatens a Norwegian town. This time, she and the rest of her crew befriend a different troll and prove that there’s a path beyond destruction.
So much of this movie is familiar: the redemption plot, the guilt, the Act 1 casualty that inspires another crew member to get involved, and the noble last-minute sacrifice. However, what makes Troll 2 different is just how it approaches these familiar tropes. The trolls are imbued with Norse mythology, dating back to when Christianity took over the region. What’s more, the secret to defeating the trolls is revealed when Nora goes on a quest underneath an ancient church to exhume an old king, lending the film a tone that lands somewhere between Indiana Jones and National Treasure.
Even if you haven’t seen Troll, Troll 2 is a rollicking good time, a completely fresh take on the monster movie that definitely has the potential to become one of Netflix’s most impressive imports. At the very least, it’s the best movie ever made entitled Troll 2, which is an achievement just in itself.
