Troll2

Troll 2 (1990)

So Troll 2 is out on Blu-Ray… Really they put out the movie that is the subject of the documentary Best Worst Movie in high def. Why do that? More importantly why aren’t there any Trolls in Troll 2? I haven’t a clue, but lets forget about that and look at the movie.

The Waits family, mom, dad, brother, and sister are taking a vacation to the scenic town of Nilbog. They do this because pretending to be farmers for a month is fun! Along for the ride is the ghost of grandpa, who can only be seen by Joshua (the brother). This is fortunate because grandpa is up to date on his Goblin lore and instantly recognizes that the locals of Nilbog are Goblins in disguise. The nasty little buggers want to feed the family some food with special ingredients that will turn them into plants made of people, which everyone knows is a Goblins favorite food. It is up to Joshua to protect his family until they too recognize the danger they are in, because of course no one believes him.

Let me start by asking the question is this really the Best Worst Movie or just a bad movie? The answer lies somewhere in-between. Now I’m not as big of a nerd for this movie as other people are. There are times where I find Troll 2 pretty boring. There is a whole subplot with the daughter’s boyfriend and his goofy friends that seems tacked on to give the movie some filler to stretch the runtime. These characters appear and then are quickly forgotten after some vague hints that they have met their end. And unlike some of the fans of this movie I’m not enamored by the terrible acting. The performances are bad to the point that I’m not sure they weren’t reading lines off cue cards. I mean this is the sort of thing that damn near every low budget independent movie has and shouldn’t be considered at all that special or funny.

Now I don’t want to act like I don’t get why Troll 2 is so infamous and popular with fans. There are some things that do make the movie worth watching. The plot is so absurd that I can’t believe that anyone actually read the thing before funding the movie. I mean you have a dead grandfather playing hero and protecting his family from vegetarian trolls. I mean they will eat people, but only after turning them into plants first. There is some half explained head witch and Stonehenge rocks in the movie as well. Hell the town is named Nilbog and no one notices this? Toss in one of the most awkward attempts at an ‘80s dance routine and the fact that the Goblins aren’t much more then short actors wearing Halloween masks and you have Troll 2. The movie makes no sense and is stupid, which is what gives the movie it’s charm. It doesn’t matter how many times that I’ve seen the movie, or if they meant it to be funny, or the flaws in the movie it always puts a smile on my face. When it comes to movies I expect to be entertained and Troll 2 does get the job done.

The movie looks good on Blu-Ray. Sadly that is about all I can say about the release. There aren’t any special features, commentary, making of, or interviews. That doesn’t surprise me much with a movie like Troll 2. Though I had hoped with the documentary coming out that they would have tossed the fans a bone. Basically all you get on the Blu-Ray is a much nicer looking copy of a bad movie that we all enjoy.

If you haven’t seen Troll 2 then I recommend picking up the Blu-Ray, which also includes the DVD of the movie as well. If you are already a fan of the movie I’m not sure if double dipping to watch it in High Def is worth it.

2 ½ out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer