‘Troll 2’ Review – Netflix Sequel Doubles Down on Kaiju Action Spectacle

A quick meta change between characters praising the almighty sequel in a late scene indicators the kind of wry self-awareness returning director Roar Uthaug (The Wave, Cold Prey) and author Espen Aukan make use of in Troll 2. Their follow-up to the 2022 Netflix Kaiju movie largely leaves its MonsterVerse system behind in favor of an Indiana Jones-style romp throughout Norway, with an expanded mythology and double the trolls.

The core crux of Troll 2’s jötunn downside this spherical is ready up in a gap sequence that additionally doubles as a reintroduction to protagonist Nora (Ine Marie Wilmann), whose childhood attachment to myths and magic was renewed by the earlier movie’s occasions that, in flip, left her a little bit of a pariah. Part of that’s self-imposed, as Nora nonetheless harbors loads of guilt over her errors. Old pal Andreas Isaksen (Kim Falck) brings her again into the fold when a brand new troll is uncovered, one which’s hellbent on destroying humanity as soon as woke up.

Once once more, Uthaug whisks viewers on a brisk journey that additionally doubles as an efficient tourism advert that showcases Norway’s gorgeous terrain as Nora, Andreas, returning flirt Major  Kristoffer Holm (Mads Sjøgård Pettersen), and newcomer Marion (Sara Khorami) traverse the countryside monitoring the newly woke up beast whereas trying to find solutions on how one can cease it. The majestic set items lend straightforward scale, in fact, but in addition showcase Uthaug’s humorousness; a bumping dance ground at a ski resort turns into fodder for a rampaging behemoth to the comical confusion of the visitors, for instance.

Troll 2. (L to R) 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. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024

There’s sufficient amiable historical past between the characters to maintain the momentum going, even when characterization stays lean to nonexistent. As the newcomer, Khorami surprises with Marion’s ascension from grating foil to plucky believer, which is winsome, even when understated.

Wilmann’s Nora fares the strongest because the troll whisperer with unwavering empathy towards the jötunn, however the character continues to be solely outlined by her connection with folkloric creatures made actual. It’s simpler to miss among the extra superficially rendered points of the plot and its characters with Wilmann’s emotive efficiency, however much less so with manufactured moments like a late sacrifice so clumsily dealt with that it violently disrupts a suspension of disbelief. It’s the kind of baffling selection that highlights Troll 2’s proclivity for switching up character traits and particulars on a whim for plot contrivance’s sake.

Troll 2. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024

Like its predecessor, Troll 2’s magic stays inside its mythic creatures. The limitless empathy evoked by and for the jötunn as soon as once more injects a real sense of surprise and magic, however it’s constantly undermined by spectacle and rote human characters. Uthaug and Aukan tease poignant themes of faith as a damaging drive, know-how versus nature, and even the invaluable life classes imparted by fairy tales, however they take a backseat to the Spielbergian journey that wears its cinematic influences on its sleeves.

Troll 2 is at its finest when it sits with its myths and ponders their relation to our tech-ridden current. But this sequel tends to go for unoriginal Kaiju spectacle, with clashing beasts and massive motion scenes. It makes for an entertaining sufficient time, only one that isn’t as partaking because the legend on the middle of the mayhem.

Of course, a mid-credit scene units up a 3rd film, giving Uthaug one other likelihood to remodel enchanting Norse mythology right into a Blockbuster-like spectacle. Here’s to hoping that, ought to this collection proceed, it lastly leaves behind its influences and embraces its Scandinavian specificity.

Netflix debuts Troll 2 on December 1, 2025.