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Troll 2, directed by Roar Uthaug, returns with bigger creatures, louder destruction, and a whole lot of confused storytelling. In this review, we break down why the sequel struggles to decide what it wants to be — a serious monster movie, a family drama, or a goofy disaster flick — and ends up feeling like a messy mix of all three.

We cover:

How the sequel loses the emotional weight of the first film

Tonal whiplash between comedy, chaos, and creature horror

Character decisions that make absolutely no sense

The troll mythology expansion — what works and what doesn’t

Visual effects vs. plot execution

Whether Troll 2 is still worth watching for fans of the original

If you were excited for Norway’s next big monster blockbuster but walked away confused, you’re not alone — and this review breaks down exactly where the movie went wrong.

👉 Comment below — Did Troll 2 live up to your expectations?
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Transcript
00:00Troll 2 Review, Roar Othog's sequel suffers from an identity crisis.
00:04The nature of sequels in the streaming era is often a double-edged sword.
00:08On one hand, the success of an original work guarantees a more robust budget and the freedom
00:12to expand the created universe. On the other hand, there's the algorithmic pressure to make
00:17everything bigger, louder, and faster, often sacrificing the soul that captivated audiences
00:22initially. When Troll landed on Netflix in 2022, I was caught off guard by its grounded and
00:29atmospheric approach to the giant monster genre. It wasn't just a movie about a creature smashing
00:34buildings, but a sort of homage to Norwegian folklore, filmed with a sense of scale and
00:38weight that recalled the superb Godzilla from 2014. Approaching Troll 2, my expectations were
00:45cautiously split. I yearned to return to this mythical Scandinavia, but I feared the film would
00:50fall into the Hollywoodization trap, trading mystery for unbridled action. What is Troll 2 about?
00:57Directed again by Roar Othog, Tomb Raider, who returns to the helm of this growing saga and
01:02written by Espen Auk and Viking Wolf, Troll 2 picks up the narrative a few years after the
01:06events of the first movie. The story centers once again on paleontologist Nora Tideman and
01:10E. Marie Wilman, war sailor, who after the tragic but necessary previous confrontation, is now
01:15dedicated to studying the coexistence between humanity and these living legends. However, the awakening of
01:21a new and more aggressive threat in the depths of the mountains forces Nora to reunite with
01:24government advisor Andreas Essexen, Kim Falk, Kapel 16, and soldier Kreese Holm Mads Esjogard
01:29Pedersen, the 12th man. Together, they embark on a race against time that leads them to unearth
01:33ancient secrets linked to Olaf I.I. of Norway, the Saint King, and the violent Christianization of the
01:38country that sought to erase the pagan past. Troll 2 Review
01:42It's impossible to discuss Troll 2 without immediately addressing its shift in philosophy.
01:47If the first chapter operated on a frequency similar to Gareth Edwards' vision for the King of the
01:52Monsters, where the creature was a force of nature seen through a human and reverent perspective,
01:56this sequel decides to follow the path of the more recent Monsterverse, drifting dangerously close to
02:01Godzilla X-Kong territory. The focus shifts from building suspense and wonder to delivering pure,
02:07unadulterated spectacle. For many, this will be enough. The action sequences are competent,
02:13and watching a colossal troll tear off the roof of a nightclub as if it were a sardine can has its
02:16popcorn entertainment value. However, by multiplying the creatures and accelerating the pace,
02:20the film loses that sense of weight and consequence that made the original so special.
02:24The threat ceases to be an incomprehensible natural disaster, and becomes just another
02:28obstacle in a big-budget video game. This feeling of artificiality extends, regrettably,
02:34to the visual component. The original flick benefited immensely from Norway's natural landscapes,
02:39utilizing the rugged geography as a character in its own right. In contrast, Troll 2 suffers from
02:44what many critics term the Netflix look, a cinematography that's flat, grayish, and overly digital.
02:50Where we once felt the chill of the mist and the texture of the moss, we're now confronted with
02:55backgrounds that, while technically sound, lack depth and organic life. It's a cruel irony that
03:00a story about nature reclaiming its space against modern civilization feels like a synthetic product
03:06from a content assembly line. Despite these aesthetic and structural stumbles, Auken's script
03:12fortunately manages to introduce thematic layers that prevent the movie from being a total disaster.
03:17The exploration of the conflict between the historical Christianization of Norway and pagan
03:23folklore offers an admittedly interesting subtext. The film suggests that trolls aren't
03:28inherently evil monsters, but rather the physical manifestation of a culture and history that
03:32were violently repressed and literally buried by the new religious order. The awakening of the
03:36megatroll functions as a reminder that one cannot build a modern society on the forced forgetting of
03:40the past without expecting consequences. This aspect gives the movie an intellectual identity that,
03:45while not always well executed, is laudable. At the center of this narrative whirlwind lies the trio of
03:51protagonists whose chemistry remains the film's strongest point. Willman continues to be the
03:56emotional anchor of the saga, evolving from skeptic to protector. Her journey here is particularly
04:01captivating as she comes to grapple with her father's legacy, assuming the mantle of the crazy
04:05expert she once criticized. There's a palpable tension in her performance, an internal conflict
04:12between scientific curiosity, empathy for the creature, and the moral responsibility to protect
04:17human lives. This dilemma is the beating heart of Troll 2, questioning whether it's possible to
04:24coexist with something that, by its very nature, threatens our existence. Falcon Pedersen, in turn,
04:29offer the necessary support to keep the narrative minimally tethered to reality, with Andreas serving as our
04:34surrogate in the face of the absurd, increased personifying loyalty and stoic bravery. However,
04:40not even the cast's charisma can disguise the tonal inconsistency that permeates the feature.
04:45Troll 2 seems undecided on what it wants to be. It swings abruptly between disaster horror,
04:49Spielberg-style family adventure, and modern action comedy filled with easy jokes that don't always
04:53land with viewers. This lack of commitment to a single tone removes gravity from the more serious
04:57moments, and makes the attempts at humor feel somewhat forced. There's a sense of acute sequel-itis,
05:03where the need to justify the movie's existence translates into a repetition of narrative beats,
05:09but with less urgency and originality than the first time.
05:12Is Troll 2 worth watching? Troll 2 is a sequel that, while competent and occasionally entertaining,
05:19struggles to find its own identity in the shadow of its predecessor. It's a perfect example that
05:24sometimes more monsters and more destruction don't equate to a better story, and that movie magic often
05:30lies in what isn't seen rather than what's computer-generated to fill the screen.
05:34The action scenes are indeed grandiose, and there's a deeper dive into Nordic mythology,
05:39but I couldn't shake the feeling that the rustic and palpable soul of this saga was polished until
05:44it lost its original shine, transforming an ancient legend into mere quick-consumption content.
05:51Troll 2 releases on Netflix on December 1.
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