Review - Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before... (Troll Hunter)

Troll Hunter (2010)

Yes, I know Harry reviewed this film as part of our coverage of this year's San Francisco International Film Festival, and yes, I know he liked it. I just thought I'd give you all a second chance to consider watching it now that it's out on DVD. So here's my take...

The Norwegians have nothing on us when it comes to making mockumentaries. What would happen if you were to combine “The Blair Witch Project” and “Cloverfield”, but throw in a classic Norwegian fairy tale at the same time?

Well, that’s what you get in “Troll Hunter”, an offbeat, quirky, and lovably silly “documentary” filmed entirely in breathtakingly beautiful Norway. Ripping from “The Blair Witch Project”, this "found footage" was ‘discovered’ and brought to light by the Norwegian government who, not wanting to voice an opinion about it (cheeky!), allowed this footage to be shown.

Just like “T.B.W.P.”, the story begins with three college students who make a guerilla documentary on bear poachers up in the mountains. They zero in on who they think is a poacher named Hans. But what they don't know is Hans is actually a sanctioned troll hunter paid by the Norwegian government! Hans lets the kids tag along to film after they ingratiate themselves with him. Using a shaky night-vision camera, clever CGI mammoth trolls, and tongues placed firmly in cheeks, this ‘documentary’ is played for real. What makes this offbeat movie a kick to watch is the fact that it takes itself SO seriously. You learn troll lore and ‘facts’ (did you know that a troll, amongst its other attributes, can have several heads, can be turned to stone with any sunlight-emitting beam, or can get about 10 stories tall? I didn’t know that!)

Like “Cloverfield," the camera is continuously rolling and capturing the moment-by-moment hunt for giant trolls who apparently have a taste for animals and people but only come out at night. Wildly imaginative and as hokey as it gets, I couldn’t help but smile as the movie came to its abrupt conclusion (just like “T.B.W.P.”) What's even kitschier is that the recovered footage is shown with a plea at the end asking "if you see any these teenagers alive, please contact the Norwegian police." Pretty damn cool.

Available on Netflix DVD and Blu-ray.