So, TrollHunter. Awesome. Totally worth watching. Did you see that rating? They don't just give that to anyone. I didn't know what to expect going in and I was a little surprised that it turned out to be more of a comedy than a horror movie. That actually worked to its favor though because it could've very easily gone very badly. If you've seen enough of these POV fake documentaries then you know what I'm talking about. The basic premise is that a group of college students are trying to snag an interview with a person they think is a bear poacher, but who turns out to be a....you guessed it, a Troll Hunter. The rest of the movie revolves around the college students joining the guy who's suddenly waaaayyyy more bad ass than a bear poacher as he goes about his job. It turns out he's more of a TrollGameWarden than a TrollHunter. It's complicated.
In addition to underused monsters, I'm also a total sucker for movies that throw in mythology. In between scenes of nocturnal troll hunts, Hans, the titular Troll Hunter, fills the students in on the various species, habits, and habitats of trolls. He even wears a cardigan while he does it so you know it's official. Since the film doesn't take itself too seriously these scenes don't take you out of the mood like they could. Like I said earlier, it's definitely more of a comedy than an actual horror movie. The CGI trolls look good, if ridiculous, and there are a few tense moments, but this ain't Quarantine. I'm not up on my Norwegian politics, but it also seemed like there was a lot of allegory going on.
The other thing that helps is the gorgeous setting. I could've watched these assholes drive around filming nothing but the scenery for an hour and a half and been just as happy. It was beautiful mountain range after beautiful lake after beautiful forest. If trolls were real and actually lived somewhere, I'd totally buy that this is the place.
I'm not going to give away the "twist" ending, but I will say that it was fucking awesome and not some M. Night Shyamalan bullshit.
It should be out on DVD soon (if not already) and I'd say it's at least worth a rental or a netflix viewing. As much as I enjoyed it, I don't see myself going back and watching it over and over, but depending on the special features I might pick it up. I'm definitely glad I caught it in the theater and if it's still playing anywhere near you, you'll be missing out if you don't go.
There. Now I'm going the fuck to sleep.
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