Review for Troll Hunter

Troll Hunter

Dir: André Øvredal (2010)

"They concluded that it was authentic…"

 
The aesthetically rough, intentionally illusory mock documentary is no longer a fresh addition to the cinematic cannon. It's become a staple, a familiar occurrence and to some, comforting approach. For others, it remains both lazy, and an excuse for wobbly, vomit-inducing camerawork. Nowadays, applying this approach to a good old fashioned genre film is simply a means of dressing it up, and often, pretending one is above such simple, classically dismissed fare.

At its best, this shaky-cam sub-genre spurts up scintillating snippets of film. "Monsters" was an exhilarating low-budget treat, which followed in the wake of the equally cleverly assembled "Cloverfield". and while "Paranormal Activity" was a success in itself, the franchise has become a worthless self-parody. In 1999, it was of course "The Blair Witch Project" that properly brought the format into vogue, with it's relentless realism and naturalistic storytelling. However, these works all owe a debt to Ruggero Deodato's sickening 1980 opus, "Cannibal Holocaust".

Deodato's film utterly plundered the senses, delivering a visceral, bold, and at times hypocritical mediation on humanity and the notion of civilisation. Most importantly, it was a cracking horror film. It ushered in the genre's use of the "film-within-a-film" framework utilised by it's later relations, albeit with a wraparound framework. What these all share in terms of a common identity is, style over substance. They are artificially manufactured "found footage". Ironic really, given that their fundamental approach is to be devoid of style or flashy filmmaking technique. But he very nature of being stripped down, natural and raw is of course, a style in itself.

It's a relief then to report that "Troll Hunter" is a success, and not one of the legion of modern horror flicks attempting to cash in on new-fangled techniques.

Øvredal's film follows the documentary filmmaking attempts of a trio of college students, who are pursuing a sinister figure in the Norwegian mountains. Said person is Hans, who most believe to be a poacher, currently involved in a growing area of public concern thanks to a number of deaths at the hands of bears. Except of course, it turns out that he is not a poacher at all, nor are the murders the result of any regular wildlife attacks. Hans is a Troll Hunter, employed by a government wing known as Troll Security Service to monitor and contain Troll threats in the wild. Tired of his thankless job, and the hazards and politics that come with it, Hans elects to partake in their project, as he sets about taking down numerous members of the Troll community,

There is an inherent ridiculousness to a film about trolls and that certainly manifests in the tone of the piece. At the same time, this is not the stuff of fairytales. Yes, there's a troll under a bridge, and yes they have giant honkers disfiguring their facial features, but "Troll Hunter" is a very modern take on some old-fashioned themes. The scares are largely straightforward, and the filmmakers refuse to shy away from the ugliness of having hairy, three-headed monsters attacking people. It's not exploitative in the slightest though, nor is it gory or flowing with claret. There's also more than a hint of self-awareness, without it being overtly exploited. The unlikely students are dismissive of Hans and his clearly preposterous claims, until they encounter the fabled beasts. They fancy themselves as filmmakers, but are an ignorant bunch who struggle to approach their subjects with good etiquette. It's a very contemporary failing, but one that the film overcomes, thanks to the overwhelming charisma of Otto Jespersen as Hans. He's a sensational one, who successful marries a jaded old-world knowledge, with a cynicism that matches that of his young charges. His performance is also extremely physical, as he battles with behemoths many times the size of himself, in harsh terrain. The film looks like it was every inch the struggle to complete as Hans' mission itself.

The Scandinavian sense of humour will no doubt alienate some viewers though, it is absolutely as dry as a bone. Nothing is played for laughs, yet the film delivers them in spades. When Hans decimates one of his gonzo-snouted beasts, he's seen filling in his T.S.S forms, which comes complete with troll diagrams in which to properly identity one's victim for posterity's sake. Hans' stories and anecdotes are indeed the source of any laughs to be found, but they're delivered in such a deadpan, humourless fashion, becoming almost invisible. When the viewer stumbles across one, it feels as if they're in on a secretive in-joke.

Momentum's Blu-Ray release looks pretty spectacular, and while the palette of the film is hardly the stuff of sensory ecstasy, the stark mountain- and valleys look suitably grand. The FX on some of the trolls is a little ropey, but at times it's genuinely fantastic and competes favourably with it's higher budgeted cousins. Much like with "Monsters", it's difficult to imagine a film shot in such a rugged fashion looking better than it does here.

Extras are hardly plentiful, and only reasonably entertaining. The best of these is a Behind the Scenes featurette , which is unfortunately broken into chapters. Nonetheless, there's some really curious stuff here, although the revelation that Otto Jespersen sports a false beard throughout the film will disappoint facial hair aficionados the world over.
A HD Net programme is much more organised and professionally put together, as the director and stars discuss the plot and essentially hype up their work. It all looks good, but is a rather shallow extended TV plug, rather than a satisfying watch for anyone who has already seen the movie.
A handful of deleted scenes are intriguing, but not much more, but an improv/blooper reel feels like complete filler. A selection of extended scenes confirms this notion, as it adds little to the set, other than as pointless padding. Elsewhere a feature on the special effects within the film contains some fascinating footage, but needs a voiceover. Without it, this is essentially a moving gallery, and worse, one that lasts a dismal duration. The disc also includes galleries, and the trailer.
In terms of bonus material, certainly, this is a let-down of a package that could have done with having one decent "making of", rather than so many unsatisfying pieces.
  
"Troll Hunter" does not break new ground in the manner in which "The Blair Witch Project" and "Monsters" did. However, it does not need to. It evokes a degree of the same sense of wonder and enchantment provided by the latter, and also compares to "Cloverfield" in terms of it's tone, and the threat of the unseen, giant force. "Troll Hunter" stands head and shoulders above the majority of films that have attempted to cash in on the popularity of the "mockumentary" format, and emerges as a dignified, modern take on the time-tested concept of simply entertaining through providing something that one does not see in everyday life (at least hopefully…).