“In a world gone mad, only the crazy can be sane.”

he essence of the Netflix creature feature is encapsulated by this quote from Prime Minister Berit’s advisor, Andreas played by Kim Falck. Is the latest Norwegian national emergency another modern-day threat or do answers lie in mythical Norse creatures, long forgotten yet close at hand?

We follow a child gazing upon The Troll Wall, as she reminisces over her childhood favourite fairytale of thirteen trolls who lost track of time at a wedding and turned to stone at daybreak. Nora Tidemann, brought up by her father Tobias Tidemann, is no stranger to folktales but has always had a sceptical approach towards them. This has driven a wedge in their relationship.

Years later, she is working as a palaeontologist near the Atlantic coast in northwestern Norway, unaware of the tampering of nature occurring deep in Dovre, Norway, and the protestors lining up for fulmination to stop aggression against the mountains. Little does anyone know that this can awaken a beast that will kill them before advancing on the capital, Oslo, and raze everything in its path.

The military and the government try to whitewash the damage until a plausible excuse for the deaths of those in the mountains can be concocted. They face scrutiny by national and international media after the troll is seen rampaging in an amusement park.

Nora is flown in for her expert opinion on the matter. From dinosaurs to gigantic sinkholes, palaeontologists, geologists, scientists, the military and the government try their best to gauge the reasons until a video shows the silhouette of the troll and images reveal footprints strewn over the scenic Dovre. When everyone other than Andreas fails to believe that they are battling an over one-fifty-foot tall mound of solid rock that has been skipping across the country camouflaged and untouchable, she decides to pay a visit to an old acquaintance. In a whirlwind of twists and turns, Nora has to decide whether to be blinded by the government’s lacking discernment or to believe in her father’s nutty as a fruitcake, twenty-year research on trolls.

A cascade of stories and perspectives, past, present and even ancient, flow together to unravel why the troll is heading to Oslo; is Tobias a madman or was he framed as one by the government for treading too close to some secrets? How is the Royal Palace involved? Will the troll’s rampage be brought to an end by state-of-the-art weapons or classical Norwegian folklore? 

Folktales stage trolls, witches, beasts and anyone other than human as an embodiment of evil, but Troll has a different take. The troll’s appearance is always marked by a sad melody. The ‘last of its kind troll’ has more than sadness as an overwhelming emotion. Surviving an ambush, the troll saves a child from a crashing helicopter. This baffles Nora.

Following the death of Tobias, Nora, Andreas, Kris and Sigrid – a quartet brought together serendipitously under calamitous conditions – team up despite their initial differences. They realise that out-of-the-box thinking is the only way to resolve the quandary that is beyond the scope of a normal military operation. So, while those in high seats close their eyes to the plain truth, it is up to four individuals to save the capital amidst worries of fleeing residents and an ongoing military manoeuvre to take down the inbound troll.

A cascade of stories and perspectives, past, present and even ancient, flow together to unravel why the troll is heading to Oslo; is Tobias a madman or was he framed as one by the government for treading too close to some secrets? How is the Royal Palace involved? Will the troll’s rampage be brought to an end by state-of-the-art weapons or classical Norwegian folklore?

The concept is not totally out of the ordinary. However, there is a slight comedic twist to it which lightens the mood. Troll has a natural feel to it; the sentiments are guileless. Ina’s realistic and calculating personality as a professor; Kim as an advisor who finally decides to quit; Mads Pettersen as Kristoffer Holms, a stern soldier; and Karoline as Sigrid, the computer genius, mold into their roles effortlessly, bravely and timely, taking the right decisions while risking their jobs and going against authorities.

Troll is directed by Norwegian Roar Uthang, the director of Tomb Raider. It is safe to assert that a blend of Hollywood and Norwegian culture is visible from the Norse knit sweater designs to the floral wall paints. For a monster film, the graphics are subdued yet appealing to the eye. The plot is quite predictable, however, the movie ends on a cliffhanger, indicating a possible sequel, as rocks rumble in a dark cave in presumably the same tunnel where the railway construction was being initiated.

The writer is an undergraduate student of psychology at FC College