Jaden Jordan
- Aug 17, 2019
- 3 min read

Trollhunter (2011)

Updated: Aug 2, 2021

The Breakdown: A film crew stumbles upon a professional troll hunter, and decide to document his dangerous and unconventional exploits.

Watch If: You want an interesting, humorous little original piece of work.

Not If: You think trolls can't be cool looking.

Similar To: Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark (Same Director)

SECONDARY FACTS

Overall Rating: 4.4

Length: 1:43

Country: Norway

Language: Norwegian

Scare Factor: 2/5

Gore Factor: 3/5

Gross Factor: 3/5

REVIEW

THE QUICK AND DIRTY

I fully admit that I did not expect this movie to be any good. I expected a bile-fueled, plot less mess only made worse by amateurish CGI. I am happy to say that I instead got a witty, fun-filled adventure horror with effect that had no right to be as well done as they were.

PREMISE: 4

Ever region has its creatures, and few things give me the same amount of joy as experiencing other cultures and their monsters. A Norwegian film about trolls is both classic and novel, both something that I've seen plenty of times, and never seen before, at least, not like this.

It's risky to make something that relies so heavily on CGI for the effect of the creature in your film, but let me tell you, in this one, it paid off. The trolls were fun to look at, and the actors and artists did an amazing job bringing the creatures to life., which were integral to the success of the film.

ACTING: 4

With any film that tries to juggle horror, action, and comedy, the actors themselves are definitely going to be the make-or-break factor, Too often, the way an actor portrays a character can push the tone of the entire film so far into one genre that it wrenches it out of another. I am pleased to say that Trollhunter did not have this problem. In fact, the acting was crisp and well done, and managed to deliver characters that were realistic enough to be compelling, but not so over the top as to take away from the film itself.

AUDIO AND VISUALS: 5

The sound work in this film is phenomenal, and there's a simplicity to the special and practical effects that just make the entire film into a seamless masterpiece. The trolls are more realistic than most horror creatures these days, and if they happen to look stupid, well, they're trolls. Aren't they supposed to look stupid?

The decision to incorporate the aesthetic of more than one type of troll was ambitious, and is, to be honest, one of the best risks taken by a horror film since. It lends a seriousness to the filmmakers that forces you to respect their craft.

ATMOSPHERE: 4

Trollhunter is an instant classic. It's not going to change lives, but it's the most fun film I've encountered in a while. It's entertaining, humorous and original.The characters are believable, and the general pacing of the film ensures that there is constantly something happening on screen to keep you invested.

DELIVERY: 5

Trollhunter is, at its core, a joy to watch. It is adventurous and funny, and definitely worth the watch for anyone who might have the time. There's something magical about it that leaves the viewer with the same sort of feeling imposed by classics akin to The Goonies. The visuals are well done, and one more than one occasion, the thought occurred that this film would be epic in Virtual Reality.