You may have slept on it back in December of 2022, but Roar Uthaug’s Norwegian monster blockbuster Troll quietly found its way into Netflix history by becoming the most-watched non-English original film to ever debut on the service. Three years later, Uthaug and his whole team are returning to Netflix with the highly anticipated Troll 2, and fans have been anxious to find out if they can somehow re-create the magic this time around. The answer really comes down to how you define that magic.
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If you’re hoping for Troll 2 to be as good as the first Troll, or even surpass it like some kind of Dark Knight situation, you’ll be disappointed. The Troll follow-up doesn’t hit the same highs as its predecessor, and visually, it feels like a step down. But to say Troll 2 drops the ball or falls on its face wouldn’t be fair either. Uthaug is a solid storyteller, the returning cast comes ready to play, and the actual troll action is as good as ever.
This is a good movie that will not disappoint fans of the original. Unfortunately, it also doesn’t find many ways to feel necessary in the shadow of the first Troll.
Rating: 3 out of 5
| PROS | CONS |
| Exciting worldbuilding that furthers the saga | Feels less urgent and more “here we go again” |
| Solid action between well-designed monsters | A glossed-over, made for streaming appearance |
| A great cast that picks up where they left off | Choppy, inconsistent writing |
Picking Up Where Troll Left Off
Troll 2 continues the story of the first film, with the trio of main characters all getting back into the action. Getting them all back together isn’t exactly the most creative affair, but the story is at least effective enough to keep rolling through the dull first act.
Nora (Ine Marie Wilmann) is brought out of hiding by Andreas (Kim Falck), who presents to her a new opportunity to study the larger-than-life trolls. A new underground operation has found a new troll and is keeping him sedated and “under control” as they try to study everything they can. Of course, things go a little sideways and the troll breaks free, beginning a path of vengeful destruction across Norway.
The duo, along with their military pal Kris (Mads Sjøgård Pettersen), set off to stop the troll from wreaking too much havoc, and they begin to uncover a centuries-old conspiracy along the way.
When Troll 2 is at its best, the film basically pulling off its own version of National Treasure. Nora and the gang venture across the country to learn about the history of not just the trolls, but also the historical figure that has always been charged with driving those trolls out in the first place. They discover ancient manuscripts and dive deep into long-dormant tombs. It’s a blast when it’s mixing the historical with the monstrous, but there isn’t nearly as much of that as there needs to be.
In the moments where Troll 2 could use more action or more history, the cast is at least keeping things moving. Wilmann and Falck are the backbones of the ensemble, but Petterson once again emerges as the unexpected MVP.
Troll Deserves Better Than Netflix’s Drab Visuals
There’s a highly digitized, almost glossy look that often covers movies released by Netflix, Prime Video, and a lot of streamers. There have been countless videos and breakdowns online about the how and the why behind this frustrating visual “style,” but it seems to only be getting worse. It’s especially frustrating when you see it in movies from great filmmakers like Uthaug.
The Troll films are deeply rooted in the beautiful mythology, history, and nature of Norway. These trolls are a part of the country itself and the locales depicted in the film are stunning, and they should be a focal point of the movie. But through this digital streaming lens, Norway isn’t able to give off any of the spectacle that it deserves to.
There’s a chance that putting Troll 2 in theaters, or even on a Blu-ray, that the visuals would show a legitimate improvement. The compression that takes place on services like Netflix always makes things look worse than they actually do (talk to anyone who saw Frankenstein in theaters before watching it again on Netflix). Either way, Troll 2 is a dull, almost gray affair that should be bursting with life.
At least, with Uthaug in charge, Troll 2 is kept from being a complete visual nightmare. He’s got a great eye and knows where the camera needs to be. The natural beauty of Norway can’t be completely brought down, either. When you factor in the great ensemble and some fantastic worldbuilding moments, there’s still plenty to enjoy with this Troll sequel.
If the final moments of the film are to be believed, there is definitely another one on the way, and there’s enough in Troll 2 to bring fans back for Round 3.
Troll 2 debuts hits Netflix everywhere on December 1st. What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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