Troll Trailer: Norwegian Kaiju Movie Unleashes A Creature Of Legend

A new kaiju movie is coming to Netflix from Norway, and it looks like a blast. Today we have a trailer for "Troll," and we're not talking about the oh-so-delightful denizens of social media who will argue with and threaten you over even simple statements such as, "I like cheese." No, these are the trolls of folktales and legends, and they're much bigger than you might expect from the beginning of this trailer. 

"Troll" comes to us from director Roar Uthaug (who also has a story by credit for the film). He's responsible for "The Wave" and 2018's "Tomb Raider" starring Alicia Vikander and Dominic West. The script was written by Espen Aukan ("Baby Boom").

When I say this is a kaiju movie, it's because this troll is huge, but also because the human characters discover a giant footprint, leading the dismissive officials to ask if this is King Kong. Later we see a shot of the giant troll swatting away helicopters. We're obviously supposed to lean into the similarities, and I'm here for it. 

Starring in the film are Ine Marie Wilmann ("War Sailor"), Mads Sjøgård Pettersen ("Eddie the Eagle"), Pål Richard Lunderby ("Royalteen"), Pål Anders Nordi ("Blasted"), Kim Falch ("Ammo"), Gard B. Eidsvold ("A Somewhat Gentle Man"), Eric Vorenholt ("The King's Choice"), Veronica Sinclair ("Wisting"), and Hugo Mikal Skår ("Whore").

From the first moments of the trailer, it seems like this is going to be a serious film. Even as discussions happen about what caused a house in the mountains to quake and break apart, it all appears to be very business-like. Then the jokes start, from the King Kong reference to a quip about a character's military experience being "Call of Duty." Once we see the giant troll waking up and moving, it's clear that this is going to be a fun ride. I was not expecting the tone to change like that, and now I'm intrigued.

The trailer mentions mythology, and in Norwegian folktales, giant trolls are evil. They turn to stone when exposed to sunlight, and considering the size of this one, it appears this may have happened, turning him into a mountain. As to why it's woken up now, well, that's the mystery. Probably something humans have done because, well, we're awful. 

Here is the official logline for the film:

Deep inside the mountain of Dovre, something gigantic awakens after being trapped for a thousand years. Destroying everything in its path, the creature is fast approaching the capital of Norway. But how do you stop something you thought only existed in Norwegian folklore?

"Troll" will begin streaming on Netflix on December 1, 2022.