The trolls are back in town – Troll 2: Netflix’s Epic Sequel Reviewed

In 2022, Roar Uthaug’s Troll arrived on its home of Netflix. Not to be confused with the 1986 cult film of the same name, nor 2010’s Troll Hunter, the film was a smash hit that led the streamer to commission a sequel.

That sequel is titled Troll 2—again, not to be confused with the 1990 film often cited as the “best worst movie ever made.”

I am sure Roar was well aware of this, so fair play to the director and the creative team at Netflix for sticking with the title. The director – known for the 2018 Tomb Raider reboot, the Norwegian disaster movie The Wave, and the horror hit Cold Prey – raises the bar on this fun sequel.

Pretty much the entire cast returns, and it doesn’t take long before the action kicks in. Our heroine from the previous film, Nora Tidemann (Ine Marie Wilmann), is summoned to give her views on an experiment taking place deep underground in the Norwegian mountains.

It turns out a group of scientists has found a troll frozen in time. They are studying it with a contingency plan: if it wakes up, they have a powerful arrangement of UV lights ready to turn the beast to stone. Naturally, things don’t go to plan. Nora manages to wake the troll, unleashing absolute havoc.

One particular scene involves the troll gatecrashing a ski resort, which is both hilarious and brilliantly shot.

However, rather than rehashing the setup of the previous film – where the awakened troll rampages toward Oslo – things get shaken up with the arrival of a second troll. One seems pretty friendly; the other, not so much. What ensues is chaos across the Norwegian fjords, mountains, and countryside, leading to a showdown in Trondheim.

Kim Falck’s Andreas and Mads Sjøgård Pettersen’s Kaptein Kris are joined by Nora and a new character named Marion, played by Sara Khorami (who, interestingly, will be tangling with more Norwegian mythical creatures in next year’s Kraken).

As you can imagine, it is chaotic, filled with moments of humour and sentimentality, making it the perfect family film to settle down with. The creature designs are absolutely incredible. They aren’t made too terrifying, and though they do begin to chew on humans, it’s never done in a way that is gory or bloody (just crunchy).

Along with the excellent creature design—I strongly recommend you check out the conversation between Roar Uthaug and Guillermo del Toro discussing their Netflix creature features below—the Norwegian backdrop looks stunning. This comes as no surprise; the wintery landscapes give you the chills, and the stunning fjords remind you why Norway is so popular (and not just for its trolls).

To say much more would be a spoiler, but it is fair to say that this feels like a stronger movie than its predecessor. The stakes are high – especially when you have two of these giant bastards creating havoc. The humour is perhaps lost at times in translation (or lands when it shouldn’t – specifically in the case of one of Kaptein Kris’ colleagues, whose demise felt a little overcooked). But this is a minor gripe when you know what you are getting into.

Fans of the first film will love the sequel, and I encourage those who were on the fence about Troll to give this one a shot. It is perfect festive fodder as we hit silly season!!

Catch up on the mayhem! Both Troll and its sequel Troll 2 are now available to stream globally on Netflix, making for the perfect monster movie double bill this evening.