The Troll Hunter (2010)

Warning: This film is spoken in Norwegian.

The found footage trend is hitting an all-time high right now. It really seems as of late that there are at least two to three films out every year that try and use this tactic to create a unique perspective for their film. In 2010, it may have hit its peak; The Last Exorcism came first, then Paranormal Activity 2 after that, and then finished with this little gem. Out of the three, I enjoyed them all, but I can say confidently that I thought The Troll Hunter offers a lot more than the other two.

This films central subject matter is why it is such an intriguing watch in the first place. I have heard of trolls in stories and have seen pictures of them in books, but never have the ever been show in this light before. In this universe, they are shown as creatures roaming the mountains of Europe that range from tall human size to massive ones that could crush your vehicle with its foot. Surprisingly, they are shown quite often. Normally in these types of films, they are hidden and kept in the grey, keeping the big reveal towards the end in a massive Hollywood appearance, but almost from the start you are given sightings of these beasts. They all look different, but act the same. As the film moves forward, little bits of information are revealed about them; why they come out at night; what gets them salivating; how the government has kept them hidden all these years. It is all very fascinating to hear. The trolls themselves also looked fantastic. It always boggles my mind watching kick-ass CGI enhancements with the smaller budgeted films. How that get them to look so good on screen when blockbusters fail drastically in this department will always be a mystery.

The crew filming has an expected fate, but it does stray a little different than normal. Normally found footage ends with an unquestionable fate, but here the footage is abruptly ended. You can develop ideas that heavily support what may have happened to them, but you will never truly know. The fact that you are watching the film supports a whole nother theory in itself. One of the wrongs with the film is the troll secrecy itself. It seems very hard to believe that trolls have been hidden this entire time when there are some the size of tall buildings. Throw in that this Troll Hunter himself allowed them to film him at all, makes it all very film-like. If you can work yourself past that little discrepancy, you should found yourself very entertained.

The Troll Hunter will be a very popular film to those that do end up watching it. The foreign language and handheld camera style may cause you to be turned off by it, by as long as you know how to read, you should find yourself being entertained all the way through. It is an original film that strives to be great and accomplishes that. It comes to the states later in 2011, so when it finally hits, don’t forget about it because it will be worth your time.

Overall Score: 8/10