Trolljegeren

Incredibly playful inanity, inventively linking proven formulas with unexpected elements, the world of reality with that of fantasy, resulting in an entertaining and original adventure. (27.07.2011)

Three students go to the Norwegian mountains and forests to make a documentary about the illegal killing of bears. They run into a mysterious hirsute bloke in a shabby car who at first refuses to speak to them, but then agrees to let the group join him in his hunt. They won’t be hunting for bears, though, but for trolls. A Blair Witch Project-like adventure documentary about troll hunters – that should attract everyone. The untraditional premise (how many serious films about trolls do you know?) is the main reason why this film is so much fun, otherwise, it doesn’t deliver any big dose of tension or fear (though the scene in the mines is a little scary), and the story is not built very originally, either. What you get, though, is the trendy found-footage format with lots of atmospheric images of the Norwegian wilderness and many observations on the lives of trolls, and that should be enough. 7/10 (05.02.2011)

Sure, I like these types of movies. I mean, the camera might be shaking with such vigor that I got nothing out of three fourths of the movie, but on the other hand, it was so authentic that if Guy Fieri was in the lead role along with his chicken wings, I’d even believe him. In any case, Trollhunter is a very interesting movie that took a piece of its environment and made the absolute most out of it, right besides Blair Witch, Cloverfield and Rec. It’s basically a completely classic story of documentary filmmakers who are trying to find a troll on the north of Norway. But in reality, it’s an incredibly ironic and brutally funny comedy that can be forever engraved in your memory if you pay enough attention to it. I will personally view Norway as the land of trolls from now on. And just because of a movie? That’s definitely worth something. (11.04.2014)

Superb. Another in a row of POV spooky movies enters the world of Norse mythology. Solid effects and excellent (fear inducing) audio make Trollhunter great fun, obviously also enjoyed by the authors themselves. They spiced up the entire troll-chasing deal with juicy details, poking fun at creators of stories and tales starring these hairy monsters. Also, the hero in the title role, Hans, is fantastic. A tough guy, tired of it all already, because to him, all this is just a plain old job. And those wicked bureaucrats (who buy the dead bears from the Polish guys) liven it up nicely and thanks to them, the finale is really impactful. Cute movie. "So I’m sitting on a mine? Are you crazy?" (18.02.2011)

A very pleasant surprise, a thousand times better and more entertaining than the famous Blair Witch. (21.10.2011)

The problem with Trollhunter is that it doesn't offer the viewer any initial choice of how to approach the film. After thirty minutes or so, you haven't had a single joke, a single suspenseful scene, and you pretty much hate the characters, but you have a three-headed troll in front of you, with exactly the look you'd find in any Norwegian souvenir shop. Hm, so what now, then? Either you lay down your cards or you trust in what the film can deliver. The ensuing rating of the film corresponds to how much you want to have fun and how much you want to poke around in it, because there are more logical fallacies here than in the speeches of Czech trade unionists (well, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit now). Personally, I enjoyed everything about the trolls and making the viewer aware of the whole issue. The portrayal of these cute little animals as utterly dumb creatures, padding around the Norwegian landscape, destroying everything around them is funny in itself. The jokes in themselves are terribly promising – the bucket of Christian blood, the explanation of the electrical arc, the Christian theme song from the amp as troll bait, and a number of lines ("I'm a Christian, we're all going to die here!") have the makings of a cult hit, but Trollhunter can't sell them. Just like the subject. By the end of the film, you don't know how to actually watch it. The silent moments where the characters are waiting for something or running around the woods with absolutely incomprehensible camerawork and no light whatsoever take longer than they should and are also quite repetitive. The backdrop of the national conspiracy doesn't work because it's represented by a dude who threatens the heroes not to film it, but they just keep on filming and the guy walks away without giving any weight to his words. But the director does bite on a pretty interesting theme with the Muslim camerawoman, who the trolls let go, while its the Christians they hate. It may be that the trolls are just paving the way, but Muslim integration into Europe has another powerful weapon in its arsenal. If they hate Christianity and have lived for several thousand years, that hatred must have been bred in them. But let's not forget that trolls are utterly stupid and, from the portrayal in the film, dumber than most animals. Who instilled in them this iconoclasm that they relate only to the European majority religion? And can they be dressaged with black metal? Weren't the trolls what Breivik should have focused on in his persistent efforts in the first place? I will have to go to Norway with my camera and continue my quest for the truth. If anyone is interested, you can get in touch. I take Christians as bait, and personally I hope I don't find God face to face with a 20-storey stinking troll. (05.01.2012)