Netflix has unveiled a new trailer for director Roar Uthaug's upcoming Norwegian action-fantasy film Troll. Inspired by local folklore, Troll tells an epic tale of human survival in the face of literally gigantic odds. When a mythical troll awakens from his 1,000-year slumber, a diverse cast of characters must find a way to understand him, survive him and, almost foolishly, fight him.
To be fair, the trailer doesn't immediately reveal the source of the devastation. The opening seconds may remind viewers of classic Roland Emmerich disaster movies, as we see the destruction the troll leaves behind. But when archaeologist Nora Tidemann is appointed special adviser to the desperate prime minister, history begins to take shape. “Something came out of the mountain,” Nora says, as we see an aerial shot of her walking on a huge footprint the size of an Olympic-size swimming pool, with “In the Hall of the Mountain King” playing in the background. The musical piece perfectly sums up the vibe of the trailer: apprehensive, but also a little playful.
Director: Roar Uthaug
Writers: Espen Aukan, Roar Uthaug
Stars: Ine Marie Wilmann, Kim Falck, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen
Large-scale action reminiscent of the MonsterVerse movies, coupled with some light-hearted banter between characters and impressive creature design, makes for a kaiju movie that looks like a lot of fun.
Uthaug broke out with the epic Norwegian disaster film The Wave, but American audiences would probably know him as the director of the 2018 Tomb Raider remake starring Alicia Vikander. While the film was moderately well received (and quite successful commercially), efforts to produce a sequel just didn't take off. Uthaug never joined, but Ben Wheatley and Misha Green were hired to direct at different stages, before MGM lost the rights after failing to greenlight the film in the allotted time frame.
Troll feels like a return to the roots for Uthaug, and not just because he's back working in his home country after a brief Hollywood detour. The ominous tone, sweeping landscape views, and ensemble focus we see glimpses of in the trailer are very reminiscent of The Wave. The natural disaster from that movie has been replaced with a more fantastical one this time, though it could, like the original Godzilla, be read as an allegory.
Troll stars Ine Marie Wilmann, Kim S. Falck-Jørgensen, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen and Gard B. Eidsvold. The film will arrive on Netflix on December 1.