TrollHunter (2010) [Blu-ray]
Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy

Tagline: You'll believe it when you see it

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. But 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 Troll Hunter, risking their lives to uncover the secrets of creatures only thought to exist in fairy tales.

User Comment: knutsindre from Norway, 31 October 2010 • This movie deserves allot of praise, simply for how well it plays on the Norwegian cultural memes. Visually it is also quite good, as it show of the landscapes and places in which the folklore of trolls actually arose, and of course spices it with lovely computer graphics when needed. The graphics merge very well with the mockumentary style, and the movie itself falls between categories, mixing comedy, action and fake amateur documentary style.

The bad sides are simply that it lacks a bit of flow at times, and of course, the biggest drawback of them all, one which only applies for foreigners: it's a very very Norwegian story. I saw it with my Portuguese girlfriend, and she thought it was okay. I briefed her on our fairy tales before seeing it, but jokes like the three sheep on the bridge are hard to catch, or appreciate, without being marinated in our culture for a long time. One other issue for me was actually the cameo appearance of two Norwegian comedians, something which slightly spoils the illusion. Others might disagree.

I suspect this movie would be a seven or six of ten if I was not Norwegian, simply for its concepts, but because it is so rich to me, I give it a ten despite its flaws. You'll love this movie for its visual side, and some of the drama is also great. For Norwegians, this is a must see. For everyone else, it might be exotic and neat, and offer you some relief from classical Hollywood monster depictions.

And should you get curious after seeing it, Google for "Theodor Kittelsen", and "Asbjornsen and Moe" (: Enjoy!

Summary: A ten of ten, but maybe not for foreigners?

[CSW] -1- *** Possible Spoilers *** Like the The Blair Witch Project this was all shot with a hand held camera in "reality mode." Although the "Trolls" were mostly believable I have an intrinsic dislike for shaky blurry in-and-out of focus hand held camera shots especially when used for the whole movie. These reality type movies tend to cause me to not only not be able to suspend my disbelief but instead actually make me not believe. I have seen several reality type movies all done with hand held camera and I have never enjoyed any of them. It may just be my own personal bias but it has an effect similar to a used car salesman saying "Trust me." Some people might enjoy this type of movie but I don't.
[V4.0-4.5A] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.

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