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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The Norwegian comedy-fantasy Troll Hunter, a surprise art-house hit across the globe, posits an intriguing question--what if monsters of folklore and popular culture existed, but were kept hidden by the government?--and delivers the results in a clever, faux-documentary format that underscores both the special effects and the satire. Controversial comedian Otto Jespersen is the title character, a world-weary, working-class stiff assigned by a bureaucratic agency to track and eliminate dangerous trolls from the Scandinavian countryside. The lack of respect and notoriety afforded by his job convinces Jespersen to allow a naive collegiate film crew to follow him on his hunts, which nicely balance quirky humor with genuine moments of suspense and some impressive CGI special effects for the trolls. Genre fans' appreciation for the "shaky-cam" subgenre (The Blair Witch Project, [REC], Cloverfield) will undoubtedly affect how they feel about Troll Hunter--the film's light comedy will certainly be lost on those unwilling to either believe or tolerate the idea of another film comprised of "found footage." But more forgiving viewers will be thankful for the rather seamless incorporation of the CGI trolls, all imaginatively rendered as part fairy-tale image and part biological specimen, into live-action scenes, as well as the dryly humorous satire of government "special projects." Pacing is also occasionally an issue--though beautiful, the Norwegian landscape receives far too much coverage--but for the patient, Troll Hunter is a unique and clever experience. --Paul Gaita
Product Description
The government says there's nothing to worry about it's just a problem with bears making trouble in the mountains and forests of Norway. But local hunters don't believe it and neither do a trio of college students who want to find out the truth. Armed with a video camera, they trail a mysterious poacher, who wants nothing to do with them. However, their persistence lands them straight in the path of the objects of his pursuits: trolls. They soon find themselves documenting every move of this grizzled, unlikely hero the trollhunter risking their lives to uncover the secrets of creatures only thought to exist in fairy tales.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
79 of 84 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This film demonstrates how mockumentaries should be made. The film never takes itself too serious and is just plain fun. The trolls look like doofy monsters from the Grimms Fairy-Tales and are not like the monsters you see in animated kid flicks. As Troll Hunter explains, fairy-tales and real life are not the same. Trolls are just dumb animals and as animals they act on their instinctive behavior. And why are the trolls in the movie being hunted down? Well, you will see if you watch the movie.
Now even though this movie is just for fun, do not think it is all people trying to kill trolls. There are some clever elements thrown in for people that pay attention. I found the way things were explained how trolls are affected differently by sunlight interesting (hey, for a fake movie the logic made sense). I also like the way some classic fairy-tale elements (think of some goats and a bridge) and Norwegian folklore were brought in to explain troll behavior. I also like the fact there are different kinds of trolls instead of the same CGI creature reappearing over and over again. Each troll has a distinctive personality and level of danger. I also liked the way natural occurrences people take for granted throughout the film are explained cleverly as troll behavior.
The action scenes are well worth the wait and the acting is good for a low budget independent film about hunting down trolls. Is the film an Academy Award winner? By no means! Is it a fun movie to sit back to and enjoy? Absolutely! I would recommend at least finding a way to rent this movie. It's well worth 1 hr and 44 minutes of your time.
Now even though this movie is just for fun, do not think it is all people trying to kill trolls. There are some clever elements thrown in for people that pay attention. I found the way things were explained how trolls are affected differently by sunlight interesting (hey, for a fake movie the logic made sense). I also like the way some classic fairy-tale elements (think of some goats and a bridge) and Norwegian folklore were brought in to explain troll behavior. I also like the fact there are different kinds of trolls instead of the same CGI creature reappearing over and over again. Each troll has a distinctive personality and level of danger. I also liked the way natural occurrences people take for granted throughout the film are explained cleverly as troll behavior.
The action scenes are well worth the wait and the acting is good for a low budget independent film about hunting down trolls. Is the film an Academy Award winner? By no means! Is it a fun movie to sit back to and enjoy? Absolutely! I would recommend at least finding a way to rent this movie. It's well worth 1 hr and 44 minutes of your time.
39 of 41 people found the following review helpful
By Brian Sweet
Format:Amazon Instant Video
I had heard of this film from MovieBob over at the Escapistmagazine.com and rented it on his recommendation. And I can see why he loved this movie so much. Possible spoilers, but I'll try to keep them to a minimum.
Under the presumption of a bear poacher, a trio of college students set out to find out whats going on with a rash of dead bears across the country side. By the name of the title, you can see what they end up uncovering. Very soon they come to find out that not only are trolls real, the fairy tales behind them aren't all lies, nor truths.
What I love most about this movie is the camera work. That may sound a bit weird, but after watching "Cloverfield," you'll like the camera work too. The camera is steady nearly all the time, with realistic small bounces as the camera person runs, but only shakes terribly when dropped, which makes sense. It lets you really get a look at the trolls when they have their fleeting moments on camera. Just long enough to get a true sense of what they look like, but scarce enough to still leave you with a sense of wonder in the world's forgotten creatures.
The characters are nicely done too. The Trollhunter himself is nicely portrayed as a man sick of the secrecy, and terrible conditions of his job. The college kids do a nice job of being just some naive people who get in over their heads once the reality of the situations set in. And the trolls are nicely characterized by their actions, and reactions.
The CG is pretty good, nothing to make your jaw drop in disbelief, but used to do what is needed to be done. Plus the beautiful countryside makes for some nice scenery as their journey progresses, from the fogged in shorelines, to the plains of snow up in the mountains.
The last thing of note is explanations. I loved how they took some time to explain how the trolls live, and thrive. Why they react the way they do to sunlight, and other things that set them off. The ending does leave a possible opening, I suppose, for more movies. But I for one would rather that not happen. I feel the filmmakers gave just enough of a taste of this parallel world, to leave us satisfied while wanting more, which is where they should leave it. I highly recommend it for those who want a good thriller, with some light humor, and a great finale reminiscent of the game "Shadow of the Colossus."
Under the presumption of a bear poacher, a trio of college students set out to find out whats going on with a rash of dead bears across the country side. By the name of the title, you can see what they end up uncovering. Very soon they come to find out that not only are trolls real, the fairy tales behind them aren't all lies, nor truths.
What I love most about this movie is the camera work. That may sound a bit weird, but after watching "Cloverfield," you'll like the camera work too. The camera is steady nearly all the time, with realistic small bounces as the camera person runs, but only shakes terribly when dropped, which makes sense. It lets you really get a look at the trolls when they have their fleeting moments on camera. Just long enough to get a true sense of what they look like, but scarce enough to still leave you with a sense of wonder in the world's forgotten creatures.
The characters are nicely done too. The Trollhunter himself is nicely portrayed as a man sick of the secrecy, and terrible conditions of his job. The college kids do a nice job of being just some naive people who get in over their heads once the reality of the situations set in. And the trolls are nicely characterized by their actions, and reactions.
The CG is pretty good, nothing to make your jaw drop in disbelief, but used to do what is needed to be done. Plus the beautiful countryside makes for some nice scenery as their journey progresses, from the fogged in shorelines, to the plains of snow up in the mountains.
The last thing of note is explanations. I loved how they took some time to explain how the trolls live, and thrive. Why they react the way they do to sunlight, and other things that set them off. The ending does leave a possible opening, I suppose, for more movies. But I for one would rather that not happen. I feel the filmmakers gave just enough of a taste of this parallel world, to leave us satisfied while wanting more, which is where they should leave it. I highly recommend it for those who want a good thriller, with some light humor, and a great finale reminiscent of the game "Shadow of the Colossus."
39 of 46 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The Troll Hunter or Trolljegeren is a Norwegian monster movie portrayed as if it is real recovered footage of a man who hunts trolls and the student journalists who follow him. It is written and directed by André Øvredal, a name to keep an eye on for sure. Here is a film that works with a modest budget and takes an absolutely absurd concept and somehow forces it through as realistic a lens as possible. Sure, it's easy now to just brush off these mokumentary movies as gimmicks, because there have been quite a few of them from Man Bites Dog to The Blair Witch Project and to the more recent Quarantine (or the superior movie [Rec] that it was based on). There have been misses of course with this method but more often than not its use has been effective in making a scenario seem more authentic and the horror of it all the more compelling and enjoyable. I'm past believing the mokumentary set-up is hackneyed now. It seems to me a very legitimate way of making movies seem more real, especially in an age where computerized images dominate big budget Hollywood pictures and unwittingly request that real cinephiles stretch our suspension of disbelief well beyond at least my own comfort zone. So I'm a proponent of the possibilities of the mokumentary horror film after watching this little gem that contains all the elements to make every frame fun and believable. It is particularly highlighted by Otto Jespersen's Hans; the film's title role. His dead pan demeanor and casual actions in bizarrely twisted situations bring a welcome dry humor that had me chuckling regularly as I enjoyed The Troll Hunter. Jespersen offers up a Bill Murray-like performance in a role that is clearly not written for a comedian, but is most definitely and quite potently delivered by one. He is terrific in this movie.
A group of naive student journalists sets out to track down and document a supposed bear poacher. This is Hans (Jespersen) and he is very reluctant to respond to their inquiries about his activities. They follow Hans all over Western Norway until they finally discover what he is really doing. After they figure this out he lets them follow and film him as he goes about his unique occupation. The moment when the students know for sure what Hans is really up to will test your imagination or make you laugh hysterically, or maybe even a little bit of both. At that moment I wasn't really sure what I was watching but I knew one thing; I loved it.
The natural performances by the rest of the cast are not to be overlooked. These are talented young actors that help make the film much more than a simple one trick monster movie. The Troll Hunter should also be commended for being shot on location in the mountains of Western Norway. It couldn't have been an easy shoot for anyone but again it lends itself in an attempt to make an off-the-wall concept filmmable and compelling. I suspect massive international attention for The Troll Hunter soon enough, and it deserves it. This has cult classic written all over it.
A group of naive student journalists sets out to track down and document a supposed bear poacher. This is Hans (Jespersen) and he is very reluctant to respond to their inquiries about his activities. They follow Hans all over Western Norway until they finally discover what he is really doing. After they figure this out he lets them follow and film him as he goes about his unique occupation. The moment when the students know for sure what Hans is really up to will test your imagination or make you laugh hysterically, or maybe even a little bit of both. At that moment I wasn't really sure what I was watching but I knew one thing; I loved it.
The natural performances by the rest of the cast are not to be overlooked. These are talented young actors that help make the film much more than a simple one trick monster movie. The Troll Hunter should also be commended for being shot on location in the mountains of Western Norway. It couldn't have been an easy shoot for anyone but again it lends itself in an attempt to make an off-the-wall concept filmmable and compelling. I suspect massive international attention for The Troll Hunter soon enough, and it deserves it. This has cult classic written all over it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
I love this movie!
I have watched this movie many items and seems to just keep getting better! But I wish the blu ray had a dubbed track for English.
Published 2 days ago by Kirkja
4.0 out of 5 stars
Super Fun Thrill Ride
I was channel surfing one day and stumbled on Troll Hunter. I couldn't believe what a gem of a movie I had found! I loved it so much I bought it for my mom and sister. Read more
Published 8 days ago by Honest Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Phenomenal movie! Amazing on Blu-Ray!
If you enjoy movies like Cloverfield, you'll love this movie. If you don't enjoy movies like Cloverfield, you'll still love this movie. Very well done, very original.
Published 12 days ago by AvidFilmFreak
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not For Everyone I'm Sure
This is the kind of movie you have to sort of 'get' up front. If you're not into this type of movie you'll probably dislike it. It's shot documentary style with hand held cameras. Read more
Published 13 days ago by sbissell3
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great little movie!
Although this says "English Subtitled", my copy had both English and Norwegian dialogue. In fact, three versions appear on Amazon's website, a DVD and Blu-Ray with... Read more
Published 13 days ago by BD TMPRD
5.0 out of 5 stars
Troll Hunter DVD
Great movie that came in great condition... Love how it was filmed similar to Blair Witch style. Has very Cool effects.
Published 14 days ago by Skexys
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cloverfield Can Bite One
Even after being told what to expect, this film was still not what I'd expected. I was told it was a B horror movie with cheesy effects and a super-low budget. Read more
Published 17 days ago by Doc Steele
4.0 out of 5 stars
A surprise gem
I first came across this movie as an odd recommendation from a friend. I happen to enjoy cheesy horror/sci fi but this one turned out surprisingly good. Read more
Published 25 days ago by Thomas J. Approbato
5.0 out of 5 stars
interesting
I don't usualy like subtitled movies but this one is really good. I forget I'm reading about 15 minutes in. We looked up the info. Read more
Published 1 month ago by ellemay
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good movie
This takes the missing/hidden video log in a completely different direction. These actors and writers, and the whole film crew do so much with so little. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Gary Strombo
