losthighway
Posts: 3167
Joined: 25/1/2006
From: Manchesterford
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So after almost a year(!!!) i finally sat down and watched it tonight and here's my thoughts in no particular order...
It follows a group of college students who decide to record events surrounding bear attacks/poaching in Norway and in the process they start following a mysterious poacher/tracker who ends up being the Troll Hunter of the title. The film takes ages to get going and when it does it treads a very odd line of mock documentary/National Geographic wildlife programme... and here lies its two main problems. First, the film starts with text stating the footage we are watching was found, eventually decided to be authentic and finally cut into chronological order, however the first thing you notice is how well filmed it is (by these college students!) and how the cineatography beautifully fits in with whoever supposedly edited it all back together, so you never really feel that it is 'discovered footage' but rather a film. Second, once the students start filming the Troll Hunter and discovering more about his job the film essentially becomes a National Geographic wildlife programme which drags as they drive from region to region. We do learn about the various types of trolls, their habitats, how the government has been maintaining their territories over the years, but to put it bluntly about 80% of the film's running time is essentially a troll conservation wildlife programme. It should also be mentioned that the film lifts liberally from Jurassic Park and Blair Witch, which in itself is no bad thing but when you're watching certain scenes and thinking i've seen this in another film, that's not so great.
On the positive side (because I realise i have listed a lot of negatives here!)... the trolls themselves are beautifully realised and CGI effects fit into the natural habitats fairly seamlessly. There is a small sideplot regarding one of the camera crew and i was pretty sure i knew where it was going right up until the last quarter when suddenly it was revealed to not be what i was expecting. There is some observational comedy which raised a chuckle and some of the Troll mythology is played with and grounded more in reality, plus a brilliant scene involving a Christian hymn and a land rover (I'll say no more! ). It is fair to say you do feel sorry for the trolls and one of the stories the hunter tells will only heighten this feeling... In fact, the wildlife programme tone of the whole film will have you believing in trolls but due to some massive gaping plotholes, e.g. how come no one has seen/heard them by now(!?), it's hard to accept some of the scenes where these giants are supposedly quietly tiptoeing through woods or wandering across barren snowscapes. Plus, if it is all about troll conservation, then why do they keep insisting on killing the poor things whilst at the same time preserving their territories!?
As you can probably tell by now, I wanted to like this film more than I have done. Am I a bit disappointed... ultimately yes! Would I recommend it... Yes! Should I wait for the DVD/see it at the cinema... tbh, i'm actually pleased i saw it on DVD - the slow start and odd bit of dragging narrative would have felt worse in the cinema. As long as you lower your expectations (mine were pretty high to be fair), you'll enjoy yourself. However, i should definately reiterate very clear now that Troll Hunter is essentially a National Geographic wildlife programme about troll conservation.
3/5
< Message edited by losthighway -- 5/9/2011 9:35:04 AM >
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