Three years on the streamer, this film is still making the Netflix Top 10 movies list. It’s already the highest ever watched non-English language film on Netflix, based on its first 90 days after its release. But even before the sequel was dropped, which happened less than a week ago, it picked up another 2.8 million views—racking up those viewership numbers right up to the day before the sequel’s release.
We’re talking about Troll, the Norwegian film that centers around the mountains of Dovre, where something has awakened after a thousand years of imprisonment within the mountain. This creature seems hellbent on destruction as it makes its way toward the capital of Norway, crushing everything in its path. But how can a creature thought only to exist in myths and stories be stopped?
Critics Loved Troll, While Audiences Thought It Was Cheesy
Troll had a lukewarm reception from audiences, but critics loved the film—so much so that it got a 90% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer. It’s a deep cut of Norwegian mythology, weaving that together with beautifully filmed action sequences to become a whole new flavor of kaiju movie. Aaron Phillips of But Why Tho? says, “The film is a large-scale, big-time monster movie that will leave you thoroughly entertained. While it certainly had room for improvement, the debut Netflix film fully grabbed my attention, and now all I want is a sequel or a series of connected films from this studio. With a perfect run time, some superb visuals, and a throughline of some brilliant mythology, Troll deserves to be watched.”
Aaron Neuwirth of We Live Entertainment agrees, saying, “Uthaug seems to have learned the proper lessons from King Kong and Godzilla, as it builds tension well, supplies strong enough effects, and never leans too hard into camp or sincerity.” But casual viewers weren’t as charitable with their reviews, with one describing the film as, “cribbed wholesale from other movies.” “I don’t appreciate the storyline. Lack of empathy from the characters towards the troll despite there being a strong emotional connection. No character development. No lesson learned. Everyone just wanted to get rid of the troll despite the troll clearly having feelings and can understand humans to a certain degree,” said another viewer.
All in all, Troll is a fun addition to the kaiju genre, with an interesting take on man vs nature and the pushback against capitalism in the modern world.
Will you be watching Troll before you check out the sequel that just landed on Netflix? Let us know in the comments. And don’t forget to head over to the ComicBook forums to see what other movie fans are saying.