The nature of sequels in the streaming era is often a double-edged sword. On one hand, the success of an original work guarantees a more robust budget and the freedom to expand the created universe; on the other hand, there’s the algorithmic pressure to make everything “bigger, louder, and faster,” often sacrificing the soul that captivated audiences initially.
When Troll landed on Netflix in 2022, I was caught off guard by its grounded and atmospheric approach to the giant monster genre. It wasn’t just a movie about a creature smashing buildings, but a sort of homage to Norwegian folklore, filmed with a sense of scale and weight that recalled the superb Godzilla from 2014. Approaching Troll 2, my expectations were cautiously split: I yearned to return to this mythical Scandinavia, but I feared the film would fall into the “Hollywoodization” trap, trading mystery for unbridled action.
What is Troll 2 about?
Directed again by Roar Uthaug (Tomb Raider), who returns to the helm of this growing saga, and written by Espen Aukan (Viking Wolf), Troll 2 picks up the narrative a few years after the events of the first movie. The story centers once again on paleontologist Nora Tidemann (Ine Marie Wilmann, War Sailor), who, after the tragic but necessary previous confrontation, is now dedicated to studying the coexistence between humanity and these living legends.
However, the awakening of a new and more aggressive threat in the depths of the mountains forces Nora to reunite with government advisor Andreas Isaksen (Kim Falck, Kuppel 16) and soldier Kris Holm (Mads Sjøgård Pettersen, The 12th Man). Together, they embark on a race against time that leads them to unearth ancient secrets linked to Olaf II of Norway, the Saint King, and the violent Christianization of the country that sought to erase the pagan past.
Troll 2 Review
Troll 2 | © 2024 Netflix, Inc
Sara Khorami as Marion Rhadani and Mads Sjøgård Pettersen as Kaptein Kristoffer in Troll 2 | © 2024 Netflix, Inc
Mads Sjøgård Pettersen as Kaptein Kristoffer, Sara Khorami as Marion Rhadani, , Kim Falck as Andreas Isaksen, Ine Marie Wilmann as Nora Tidemann and Ester J. Tiller as Anne Krigsvoll in Troll 2 | © 2024 Netflix, Inc
Troll 2 | © 2024 Netflix, Inc
Troll 2 | © 2024 Netflix, Inc
It’s impossible to discuss Troll 2 without immediately addressing its shift in philosophy. If the first chapter operated on a frequency similar to Gareth Edwards’ vision for the King of the Monsters — where the creature was a force of nature seen through a human and reverent perspective — this sequel decides to follow the path of the more recent MonsterVerse, drifting dangerously close to Godzilla x Kong territory. The focus shifts from building suspense and wonder to delivering pure, unadulterated spectacle.
For many, this will be enough. The action sequences are competent, and watching a colossal troll tear off the roof of a nightclub as if it were a sardine can has its “popcorn” entertainment value. However, by multiplying the creatures and accelerating the pace, the film loses that sense of weight and consequence that made the original so special. The threat ceases to be an incomprehensible natural disaster and becomes just another obstacle in a big-budget video game.
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This feeling of artificiality extends, regrettably, to the visual component. The original flick benefited immensely from Norway’s natural landscapes, utilizing the rugged geography as a character in its own right. In contrast, Troll 2 suffers from what many critics term the “Netflix look”: a cinematography that’s flat, grayish, and overly digital. Where we once felt the chill of the mist and the texture of the moss, we’re now confronted with backgrounds that, while technically sound, lack depth and organic life. It’s a cruel irony that a story about nature reclaiming its space against modern civilization feels like a synthetic product from a content assembly line.
Troll 2 © 2024 Netflix, Inc
Despite these aesthetic and structural stumbles, Aukan’s script fortunately manages to introduce thematic layers that prevent the movie from being a total disaster. The exploration of the conflict between the historical Christianization of Norway and pagan folklore offers an admittedly interesting subtext. The film suggests that trolls aren’t inherently evil monsters, but rather the physical manifestation of a culture and history that were violently repressed and literally “buried” by the new religious order. The awakening of the “Megatroll” functions as a reminder that one cannot build a modern society on the forced forgetting of the past without expecting consequences. This aspect gives the movie an intellectual identity that, while not always well executed, is laudable.
At the center of this narrative whirlwind lies the trio of protagonists, whose chemistry remains the film’s strongest point. Wilmann continues to be the emotional anchor of the saga, evolving from skeptic to protector. Her journey here is particularly captivating, as she comes to grapple with her father’s legacy, assuming the mantle of the “crazy expert” she once criticized. There’s a palpable tension in her performance, an internal conflict between scientific curiosity, empathy for the creature, and the moral responsibility to protect human lives.
This dilemma is the beating heart of Troll 2, questioning whether it’s possible to coexist with something that, by its very nature, threatens our existence. Falck and Pettersen, in turn, offer the necessary support to keep the narrative minimally tethered to reality, with Andreas serving as our surrogate in the face of the absurd and Kris personifying loyalty and stoic bravery.
Ine Marie Wilmann as Nora Tidemann, Ester J. Tiller as Anne Krigsvoll, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen as Kaptein Kristoffer, Sara Khorami as Marion Rhadani and Kim Falck as Andreas Isaksen in Troll 2 | © 2024 Netflix, Inc
However, not even the cast’s charisma can disguise the tonal inconsistency that permeates the feature. Troll 2 seems undecided on what it wants to be: it swings abruptly between disaster horror, Spielberg-style family adventure, and modern action comedy filled with easy jokes that don’t always land with viewers. This lack of commitment to a single tone removes gravity from the more serious moments and makes the attempts at humor feel somewhat forced. There’s a sense of acute “sequelitis,” where the need to justify the movie’s existence translates into a repetition of narrative beats, but with less urgency and originality than the first time.
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Is Troll 2 worth watching?
Troll 2 is a sequel that, while competent and occasionally entertaining, struggles to find its own identity in the shadow of its predecessor. It’s a perfect example that sometimes more monsters and more destruction don’t equate to a better story, and that movie magic often lies in what isn’t seen rather than what’s computer-generated to fill the screen. The action scenes are indeed grandiose, and there’s a deeper dive into Nordic mythology, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that the rustic and palpable soul of this saga was polished until it lost its original shine, transforming an ancient legend into mere quick-consumption content.
Troll 2 releases on Netflix on December 1.
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