Troll 2 Review – Legendary Scandi Kaiju run amok in chaos-filled parody | film

‘W“We’re going to need more wallpaper” Turns out that’s the Scandinavian response to “We’re going to need a bigger boat”, after a 50-metre-long dwarf swept its leg through someone’s soon-to-be-renovated house. When the joke is on about interior design, you know that big-budget Norwegian filmmaking takes a softer tack than its brash American inspirations.

This is Netflix’s sequel to the Norwegian horror comedy Troll with original director Roar Uthaug returning, and it’s clear that home is a theme close to the series’ heart. The film’s first Scandi-kaiju were returning to their roots, on a mission to destroy Oslo. But the new “Megatrol” – who looks like Danny McBride in the throes of a full-body fungal infection – is heading to Trondheim, intent on taking revenge on the nation’s founding father and head of the troll’s scourge, King Olaf. Dwarf scientist Nora (Ene-Marie Wellman) and ministerial advisor Andreas (Kim Falk) return, once again trying to stop the authorities from even gaslighting the angry giant after he escapes from a government black site.

With much talk about the country’s Christian ancestors enforcing monotheism by eliminating trolls, Uthog may be pointing to some corruption in Norway’s current state. The cast is clearly diverse as well, with Sarah Khourami joining as a scientist. But if “Troll 2” serves as a kind of metaphor for immigration or multiculturalism, it treats it lightly. Widescreen mayhem is the main concern here, most notable when a thief opens the top of a nightclub and helps himself to an ice skate.

But the problem is that Troll 2 dresses everything lightly. It moves between elements of Spielbergian wonder, Indiana Jones-style treasure hunting, and Arrival-style communication with aliens, without specializing in any of them. The characterization is tokenistic (Nora quickly goes from troll-whispering to shooting them with grenades filled with holy water), and the satirical embellishment is weak. Norse mythology is an unusual starting point for monster movies, but when deployed in such a perfunctory manner, the film has little chance of standing out against the background of more ridiculous films.