What begins as an energetic, almost enthusiastic slice of found-footage inspired drama, fast becomes a dull, monotonous bore, in André Øvredal’s The Troll Hunter. Something of a minor phenomenon on the cult film festival circuit of 2011, Øvredal’s movie hails from Scandinavia [obligatory "yet an English language remake is already in production" remark here], and brings with it a tale ground in a culture ever so slightly, but crucially different from the norm. An adventure film in the vein of Cloverfield, as opposed to the typical found footage staple of the horror movie, The Troll Hunter tells the story of a group of student filmmakers who join the titular character, a man under government employ charged with the task of controlling the national troll populace, and  his quest to find a rogue creature.

Much of the humour stems from the self-aware stead that the film holds itself in. References to populist-documentarian demigod Michael Moore are thrown out, further cementing the verite aspirations in the real, but its this comedic streak which brings with it the film’s greatest failing, and thats in the performances that litter the movie. Basically, the overt perfomances hampers the pseudo-Cinéma vérité credentials that the film aspires towards. Many of the performances (though not all) are far too over the top, resulting in a situation whereby we are never fully immersed in the picture. Apparently many of the supporting players are famous Norwegian comedians, which is ultimately fairly damaging for the tone of the movie.

It’s not all bad though. Norway makes for a stunning backdrop to a film, with the beautiful landscape of the fjords making for a visually exciting picture. Equally as impressive is the effective sound design, which is infinitely more potent a conveyor of danger and fear than the dated and uninspired digital effects.

The mythology of the piece is well crafted, witty and, most importantly, rather engaging. The troll conspiracy at the heart of the film plays on the conventions of fairytales and “genuine” conspiracies to great effect, and is the most satisfying aspect of the production. Said conspiracy is ground in detail, with everything from electricity pylons and bear population control all “in on it”. It’s almost ironic that Øvredal’s attempts to ground the outlandish tale in some kind of reality work much better here in the mythology than they do in the films aesthetic aspirations (the explanation for why trolls turn to stone is startlingly plausible).

Ultimately though, The Troll Hunter would have made for a great short, but the expanded running time of a feature film just doesn’t suit the concept. Overlong and largely dull, The Troll Hunter quite simply doesn’t satisfy on the interesting and quirky premise that the concept suggested. That Øvredal’s film follows just one week after the failure of Apollo 18 is hopefully a sign of a once mildly-interesting sub-genre in complete decline.

Reposez en paix, faux objet trouvé.