Troll 2 Parent Guide

Professor Nora Tidemann (Ine Marie Wilmann) suspected that the first troll she saw wouldn’t be the last, and she was right. For hundreds of years, the government has maintained a containment and research facility around an even larger, and seemingly hibernating, troll. When Nora wakes him up to try to learn about him, he doesn’t feel particularly chatty. Instead, he goes on a rampage through several Norwegian cities. Working once again with researcher Andreas (Kim Falck-Jørgensen) and special-forces Major Kristoffer Holm (Mads Sjøgård Pettersen), Nora must figure out how to stop the troll before anybody else gets hurt – again.

If you, like me, have not thought about Troll since it came out in 2022, fear not – Netflix thoughtfully included a recap. Honestly, there are few differences between the two films. It seems like any progress made in the original is lost by the sequel. This is narratively unsatisfying and leaves a whole bunch of open plot holes like oozing sores all over the film.

But since when have giant monster movies been about the plot? Those of you looking forward to watching the titular behemoth ravage the Nordic countryside are doomed to disappointment. Weirdly, there isn’t much on-screen destruction. Most of the time, the human characters bicker amongst themselves while our supersized antagonist wanders around in the middle of nowhere. The special effects don’t look too bad, so it’s not as if they need to hide sloppy CGI: there just isn’t much action in the tale.

As monster flicks go, Troll 2 feels almost innocuous. Minimal profanity, no sexual content, and brief background drinking leave the film’s violence as the largest concern. Even then, there isn’t much graphic material. Characters get squished, thrown around, and swallowed whole, but I don’t recall seeing any blood at any point. Younger viewers might find it frightening, but there isn’t much to worry about here.

I don’t want to give you the impression that the Troll 2 is irredeemably awful – it just falls a little flat. The tale never picks up any momentum, spending its mercifully brief runtime idly bouncing between irrelevant plot points and lackluster confrontations with the troll. It does manage some spectacle, and occasionally, an impressive sense of scale, but the film just can’t sustain those brief sparks of interest.

About author

Keith Hawkes

Keith Hawkes graduated from Mount Royal University, Calgary, Canada with a degree in English and History. His interests are movies, American literature, science fiction, almost every kind of music, and museums. He enjoys criticizing films for fun - although he's okay with being paid for it.