THE Scandinavian answer to Hollywood blockbusters King Kong and Godzilla is back, and appears to be as baffled about its very existence as audiences are sure to be.
Troll 2, a sequel to the family-friendly Norwegian creature feature from 2022, is a total misfire, lacking in action, monster-mashing drama, comedy, or pep in its step.
Directed once again by the perfectly-named Roar Uthaug, this mythical Norse adventure sees a dangerous new troll woken from its mountainy slumber to unleash devastation across the fjords.
Now streaming on Netflix, Uthaug manages to keep the charming authenticity of the previous film in place. He even brings all the old team back together to protect Norway from this new leviathan force with an axe to grind with its ancient sovereign, King Olaf.
Professor Nora Tidemann (Ine Marie Wilmann) known to her motley crew as “the troll whisper”, again leads the charge alongside old pals Andreas (Kim Faick) and Captain Kris (Mads Sjegard Pettersen) in their most perilous mission yet.
To stop the creature’s ruthless rampage, they must enlist new allies and delve into the country’s ancient history, searching for answers. As the clock ticks and the troll’s path of destruction grows wider, our heroes face impossible odds in their fight to save their homeland from falling into darkness.
Troll 2 is pure bubblegum for the eyes. Alluring yet uninspired it comes across as a rather bizarre mix of The Da Vinci Code and The Hobbit. The whole thing is an absolute muddle, and even the cantankerous troll is more a repressed subplot than the big and bellowing main attraction.
But then again, that’s what will make this such a draw for the little ones and those turkey-coma induced Christmas family gatherings.
Troll 2 does exude a certain charm that is hard to resist, even if it doesn’t have its giant ogres in a row.
(3/5)