Troll Hunter (blu ray)

Starring: Otto Jespersen, Glenn Erland Tosterud, Johanna Mørck, Johanna Mørck

Synopsis:

The “found footage” of a team of documentary film-makers who accidentally stumble into the world of Hand the Troll Hunter. It transpires that trolls really exist in Norway, knowledge of their existence is kept from the public by government conspiracy. Hans eventually agrees to allow the film makers to follow him, giving them an insight into his dangerous and outlandish career.

The Troll Hunter is probably the best of the “found footage” genre, in which purportedly real events are captured on film and edited together, but it also highlights one of the main problems of the genre.

Let’s sort out the good stuff first – the story is pretty much fantastic, on every level. The idea that trolls – many different species, at that – actually roam around specialist nature reserves in the wilds of Norway is great in and of itself. What makes it great is the very mundane ways in which the Government keeps it secret.

As our intrepid documentary team discover, Hans (Jespersen) is their country’s sole Troll Hunter, whose job it is to kill any trolls which wander out of their habitat. Anytime a troll kills a civilian, or livestock, the Government tries to make it look like a bear is responsible (the reason the guys stumble onto Hans in the first place is because they think he is a bear poacher).The second thing the film gets bang on is actually showing us some damn trolls. The film’s first encounter begins 15 minutes into the running time, and at first you’d be forgiven for thinking that the movie was going to be all coy and not show anything. The set-up is really good, making excellent use of Johanna’s sound equipment, and we spend a minute with the camera staring at a swaying treeline where something big is thrashing through. And then, we actually see our first troll, a three headed beast which charges towards us! This occurs with each encounter, leading up to one of Jurassic Park proportions for the finale.

The third thing the film gets right is providing a rich mythos. We learn about the various types of trolls, their habits, something of their biology. We meet a vetinarian who helps Hans get to the bottom of why the trolls are currently so active, and we see the remains of a troll battle.

I have two problems with the film. The first is just one of taste, and involves the film’s finale, which kind of comes out of nowhere and leaves a bit of a sour taste. The second problem lies at the heart of the “found footage” genre.

Director André Øvredal basically wants his cake and eat it too. One the one hand, he wants to present a fake-documentary/found footage film. The opening credits tell us that the footage has been edited from hard discs mysteriously sent to the film company’s offices, and hasn’t been enhanced in any way. The footage for the most part is in a “gonzo” style, i.e. these guys are flying by the seat of their pants and have no way of knowing what sort of shape their film will now take, and there is a lot of filmed scenes of the film-makers basically waiting for something to happen. This is all fine, and adds to the flavour of the piece.

However, interspersed with this are establishing shots which just could not have been filmed by the crew. For example, Hans and the film-crew are heading out on a job, and there is a long tracking shot of Hans’ Land Rover heading off up the mountain track into the distance. Considering the nature of the film they are making I find it difficult to believe they convinced Hans to drive off up the hill, then come back and pick up the film crew. It’s little moments such as that which spoil the “reality” of the story. Having said that, it wasn’t something I picked up on until repeat viewings.

Verdict:

The Trollhunter is a lot of fun and technically very accomplished, and never, ever boring, even in it’s quieter moments. As mentioned, there are a couple of niggles but superfluous overall. In addition, there is a minimum of “shakycam”, usually the bane of the “found footage” genre. Recommended viewing.

8 out of 10 (MikeOutWest)

Check out Wayfarer's original review.

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