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Re: The Wing Kong Exchange
After several bears are found dead in Norway, some local students decide to investigate. Armed with microphones and cameras, they soon come across a mysterious hunter named Hans. Initially reluctant to deal with them, Hans soon decides to bring them along on his hunt. Soon however, the students learn that Hans is actually an employee of a secret government agency that hunts and kills trolls. Even though they're skeptical, the students accompany Hans as he heads out on his most recent assignment, to eliminate several dangerous trolls in the area.
So yeah, um, apparently they've got trolls in Norway and the rest of the world just hasn't figured it out yet. Seriously. Ok, maybe not, but what they do have in Norway is a healthy dose of folklore and mythology, something that should make most of us western folk jealous. We've got nothing on the Scandinavians, who's culture has practically been born into existence from the legends of vikings, goblins, trolls and other assorted mythical creatures. Realizing this unique part of their ethnicity, some ambitious filmmakers from Norway decided to take these myths one step further and purport that they were in fact reality. Using the found footage style popularized by films such as The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield, these filmmakers churned out Trolljegeren (Troll Hunter), one of the most bizarre films in recent memory. A "mockumentary" unlike any that have come before it, Troll Hunter is a unique experience that rewards a viewer with the patience to understand its hilariously dark comedy and whimsical nature.
"This dude's got one hell of a nasty heroin habit."
The film is written and directed by Andre Ovredal, though its shot in the usual found footage style so as to make us think its all been done by the amateurs that also star. This style, at least in my opinion, is starting to get old at an accelerated rate, so the fact that I enjoyed it here so much is nothing short of a miracle. Unlike other films of its type, Troll Hunter chooses to shoot in the style while still retaining some semblance of film and lightning techniques. This helps to give it a slight sense of professionalism while still maintaining the kitcsh value that we've come to expect from found footage films. The decision to shoot the film this way also allowed a lot of leeway in the design of the trolls themselves, as they could appear obscured or distant most of the time. This serves a functional purpose of leaving a lot of things up to the viewers imagination and while we DO see the trolls we start to wonder just what it is we're looking at. I went into the film expecting to see next to nothing (as some other found footage films have done in the past) so it was certainly a pleasant surprise to see these trolls so fully realized several times throughout. Considering the entire film is based around them, it was important to make sure they came across as believable as possible, something I felt the filmmakers did an excellent job on.
"Farewell and adieu to you fair Norwegian trolls...."
The central character of the film (outside of the trolls of course) is Hans, the titular "hero" and all around bad ass of the forest. Hans, played very well by controversial Norwegian comedian Otto Jespersen, is a rough and ready hunter who seems to be cut from the same cloth as Quint from Jaws. He's a veteran in his business, and though his business may not be the most normal thing he is nothing short of a consummate professional once the work begins. Jespersen really does wonders with this character and brings a lot of charisma to the part. You literally cannot take your eyes off of him regardless of the bizarre dialogue he's spouting out about trolls trying to eat their own tails. His performance is easily the best in the film, which makes sense because he's the only one who isn't running and screaming all the time, something that the other actors were obviously hired for. Along with that screaming, they also help to flesh out some of the more interesting tidbits of troll folklore, so they are functional even if they aren't very convincing actors. Outside of them, its the trolls that take center stage here, and while the effects are sometimes cheesy they still work quite well. Of particular note is the "boss" or final troll, which is over 50 feet tall and genuinely comes across as pants-soiling when you first see it on screen.
"Strike a pose, there's nothing to it."
The most interesting thing about Troll Hunter is the way that it turns a lot of the established troll folklore on its ear in an attempt to freshen things up. In the film, the trolls are real, but they aren't the clothes-wearing, storytelling creatures you grew up hearing about. Rather, these are near-sympathetic creatures that come across more like confused animals than anything else. Their function is simply to eat and pro-create and when they overstep their boundaries they are killed, just like any other animal in the food chain. They're also incapable of producing proper amounts of Vitamin D, which is a nifty way of explaining why they turn to stone in intensified light. This of course allows Hans the opportunity to walk around with a UV gun, petrifying several trolls before hacking the stone to pieces. We also learn that trolls can smell Christian blood, something that becomes a bit of a running joke throughout the film. The only thing that I didn't quite grasp was the whole government cover-up subplot, and not because it didn't make any sense but more because it didn't actually go anywhere and was subsequently negated in the closing credits. That small little detail wasn't enough to detract from my enjoyment of the film though, and I'd think anyone who loves a good monster movie would certainly get a lot out of Troll Hunter.
"We're going to need a bigger pair of pants to crap in."
Troll Hunter was shot on a budget of about $3.5 million and has grossed close to $5 million in limited theatrical releases since its release in 2010. It has also enjoyed an extensive home video release and has developed a loyal, if small, cult following. Even if you aren't the biggest fan of the found footage genre, Troll Hunter has enough unique elements to it that you should definitely give it a chance. Besides, you don't often get an opportunity to see a dude petrify trolls and then smash them to bits with a hammer while waxing philosophical about government conspiracies and the benefits of concentrated troll stench. 7/10.
"Next...what's up with Robert Englund's face?"
Troll Hunter
After several bears are found dead in Norway, some local students decide to investigate. Armed with microphones and cameras, they soon come across a mysterious hunter named Hans. Initially reluctant to deal with them, Hans soon decides to bring them along on his hunt. Soon however, the students learn that Hans is actually an employee of a secret government agency that hunts and kills trolls. Even though they're skeptical, the students accompany Hans as he heads out on his most recent assignment, to eliminate several dangerous trolls in the area.
So yeah, um, apparently they've got trolls in Norway and the rest of the world just hasn't figured it out yet. Seriously. Ok, maybe not, but what they do have in Norway is a healthy dose of folklore and mythology, something that should make most of us western folk jealous. We've got nothing on the Scandinavians, who's culture has practically been born into existence from the legends of vikings, goblins, trolls and other assorted mythical creatures. Realizing this unique part of their ethnicity, some ambitious filmmakers from Norway decided to take these myths one step further and purport that they were in fact reality. Using the found footage style popularized by films such as The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield, these filmmakers churned out Trolljegeren (Troll Hunter), one of the most bizarre films in recent memory. A "mockumentary" unlike any that have come before it, Troll Hunter is a unique experience that rewards a viewer with the patience to understand its hilariously dark comedy and whimsical nature.
"This dude's got one hell of a nasty heroin habit."
The film is written and directed by Andre Ovredal, though its shot in the usual found footage style so as to make us think its all been done by the amateurs that also star. This style, at least in my opinion, is starting to get old at an accelerated rate, so the fact that I enjoyed it here so much is nothing short of a miracle. Unlike other films of its type, Troll Hunter chooses to shoot in the style while still retaining some semblance of film and lightning techniques. This helps to give it a slight sense of professionalism while still maintaining the kitcsh value that we've come to expect from found footage films. The decision to shoot the film this way also allowed a lot of leeway in the design of the trolls themselves, as they could appear obscured or distant most of the time. This serves a functional purpose of leaving a lot of things up to the viewers imagination and while we DO see the trolls we start to wonder just what it is we're looking at. I went into the film expecting to see next to nothing (as some other found footage films have done in the past) so it was certainly a pleasant surprise to see these trolls so fully realized several times throughout. Considering the entire film is based around them, it was important to make sure they came across as believable as possible, something I felt the filmmakers did an excellent job on.
"Farewell and adieu to you fair Norwegian trolls...."
The central character of the film (outside of the trolls of course) is Hans, the titular "hero" and all around bad ass of the forest. Hans, played very well by controversial Norwegian comedian Otto Jespersen, is a rough and ready hunter who seems to be cut from the same cloth as Quint from Jaws. He's a veteran in his business, and though his business may not be the most normal thing he is nothing short of a consummate professional once the work begins. Jespersen really does wonders with this character and brings a lot of charisma to the part. You literally cannot take your eyes off of him regardless of the bizarre dialogue he's spouting out about trolls trying to eat their own tails. His performance is easily the best in the film, which makes sense because he's the only one who isn't running and screaming all the time, something that the other actors were obviously hired for. Along with that screaming, they also help to flesh out some of the more interesting tidbits of troll folklore, so they are functional even if they aren't very convincing actors. Outside of them, its the trolls that take center stage here, and while the effects are sometimes cheesy they still work quite well. Of particular note is the "boss" or final troll, which is over 50 feet tall and genuinely comes across as pants-soiling when you first see it on screen.
"Strike a pose, there's nothing to it."
The most interesting thing about Troll Hunter is the way that it turns a lot of the established troll folklore on its ear in an attempt to freshen things up. In the film, the trolls are real, but they aren't the clothes-wearing, storytelling creatures you grew up hearing about. Rather, these are near-sympathetic creatures that come across more like confused animals than anything else. Their function is simply to eat and pro-create and when they overstep their boundaries they are killed, just like any other animal in the food chain. They're also incapable of producing proper amounts of Vitamin D, which is a nifty way of explaining why they turn to stone in intensified light. This of course allows Hans the opportunity to walk around with a UV gun, petrifying several trolls before hacking the stone to pieces. We also learn that trolls can smell Christian blood, something that becomes a bit of a running joke throughout the film. The only thing that I didn't quite grasp was the whole government cover-up subplot, and not because it didn't make any sense but more because it didn't actually go anywhere and was subsequently negated in the closing credits. That small little detail wasn't enough to detract from my enjoyment of the film though, and I'd think anyone who loves a good monster movie would certainly get a lot out of Troll Hunter.
"We're going to need a bigger pair of pants to crap in."
Troll Hunter was shot on a budget of about $3.5 million and has grossed close to $5 million in limited theatrical releases since its release in 2010. It has also enjoyed an extensive home video release and has developed a loyal, if small, cult following. Even if you aren't the biggest fan of the found footage genre, Troll Hunter has enough unique elements to it that you should definitely give it a chance. Besides, you don't often get an opportunity to see a dude petrify trolls and then smash them to bits with a hammer while waxing philosophical about government conspiracies and the benefits of concentrated troll stench. 7/10.
"Next...what's up with Robert Englund's face?"