Troll Hunter

Hans down,this is the best movie about hunting trolls

Directed by:Andre Ovredal
Starring: Otto Jespersen, Glenn Erland Tosterud, Johanna Morck, Thomas Alf Larsen

Fairy Tales are not just for kids anymore, especially when there are trolls to deal with. What would you do if one of the world's oldest secrets is shared with you? Would you do what everyone else is doing these days, film it and put it on You Tube? It's not exactly what a trio of Norwegian college students do, but they do find themselves caught up in some Norwegian folk lore and they are only to happy to capture it all on film.
The trio of young film makers are planning to shoot a documentary on bear poaching that has been going on in the area, bear hunting is regulated by the government.  The small film crew which consists of Thomas who is the one in front of the camera and does the reporting,he is also the leader showing his enthusiasm for the project. Johanna is the sound girl and Kalle operates the camera. Believing they have found the poacher they follow him,hoping for an exclusive interview. What they discover to their horror and amazement instead is the stuff found in a child's nightmare. Straight out of a fairy tale the students face the awe inspiring sight of a Tosseldorf, a three headed troll .The C.G.I. effects used in the film are a spectacular sight and for this viewer did not diminish the enjoyment that other C.G.I. driven films can do. You will believe trolls do inhabit our world.The film builds suspense by using the sound of breaking tree trunks and limbs to signify the approaching Trolls. Along with the visual appearance of the tree tops swaying back and forth for the arrival for some kind of behemoth beast also adds to the suspense.
Turns out Hans (Jesperson ) the suspected  bear poacher is actually the titular character,convincingly portrayed by Jesperson. The only one of his kind, who was hired by the government to keep the Trolls from wandering out of their jurisdictions. Hans who was reluctant at first to even talk with the students agrees to allow the students to travel with him to document his work. He schools the trio and the audience on the different kinds of trolls, their habitats, eating habits and even shows us the effects a giant flash bulb will cause if a troll does step out of his boundary.
This could be considered the Blair Witch Project  from Norway, just swap out a witch for a troll, with it's hand held camera techniques but the over all look is one of a more polished product. The acting is nothing too special , but competent which adds to the realism of a supposed story of found footage. But the acting is decent enough not to remove the viewer from the story, but make you feel their fears and anxieties and on numerous occasions I needed to remind myself that it is just a movie and not a real documentary as seen on the Discovery channel. The film works because it takes itself seriously, there is dark humour sprinkled throughout but the over all tone is one of seriousness. One such scene brings memories of the fairy tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff when three sheep are tied to a bridge for bait. Another scene involves a Muslim camera person brought into the group after Hans tells them Trolls can smell the blood of a Christian.
The college students consider Hans a hero for the work he does, but he seems ashamed towards his job, calling it dirty work. He also hates the long hours, lack of benefits and the paper work required after  the slaying of a troll.How about the power workers who have never questioned the power lines that just loop around without supplying power to anywhere, Hans knows  this acts like an electric fence to keep the trolls from wandering just like lost cattle. Hans knows the truth and now you will too.

My Final Thought: I found this to be a very entertaining film with memorable characters.The use of C.G.I. was inevitable considering the subject but looks respectful and not over killed.
My Rating: Four Go Go Girls out of Five