Troll (2022)

Troll is that rare creature feature that feels both satisfyingly old-school and freshly rooted in place, using Norway’s stark mountains and deep folklore to give its giant-monster thrills a mythic pulse. Director Roar Uthaug stages destruction with crisp, confident spectacle, but he also lets the film breathe through a grounded, likable lead in Ine Marie Wilmann, whose scientific stubbornness makes the fantasy feel oddly plausible. The vibe is tense, brisk, and occasionally darkly playful—more “smart popcorn adventure” than self-serious apocalypse—while still delivering some genuinely scary, awe-sized moments. If you’re allergic to big-city-smash mayhem or monster-movie logic, it won’t convert you, but if you want a well-made, high-energy ride with a distinctly Norwegian soul, this one earns the watch.

Troll wants to be a Norwegian folk-myth creature feature with big-scale destruction, a likable scientist lead, and a dash of national history baked into the monster lore. The problem is it often plays like a checklist of familiar giant-monster beats, with a serviceable-but-thin story and not much wit to make the formula feel fresh. If you’re hoping for sharp writing, surprising twists, or a monster movie that meaningfully reinvents the genre, this may feel like a competent imitation rather than an event. But if you just want solid scenery, a straightforward adventure, and a few satisfying “oh no” set pieces without any sexual content, it can still be an easy, undemanding watch.