TROLL (2022)
A fun Norwegian fantasy adventure about courage, family, and unity.
Should You Watch It?
TROLL is a simple, lighthearted fantasy adventure with simple characters, but it delivers exactly what it promises. The jokes keep the movie moving, while the central crisis gives the characters a reason to work together for the common good.
The movie also gives its monster adventure a family heart. Nora and her father must confront the estrangement between them, and their reconciliation becomes part of the larger effort to save Norway. The content concerns are real but limited: several obscenities, mild name-calling, and action peril without graphic blood or violence.
If your family includes middle schoolers and older viewers who can handle those elements, TROLL is worth watching together.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESNora Tidemann is a successful paleontologist who has grown distant from her father because of his belief in ancient fairy tales about trolls.
When construction work awakens a mysterious giant creature, Nora is summoned with government officials and military personnel to determine what threat it poses. She soon realizes that her father’s knowledge may be essential. Together, they must track down the monster before it reaches Oslo.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means TROLL succeeds fully as a piece of entertainment. Its storyline and characters are simple, but the movie is never boring. It includes funny jokes and keeps its fantasy adventure moving with a clear central problem.
The film’s strongest quality is its accessible sense of fun. It also gives the action a meaningful emotional center through Nora’s relationship with her father and its emphasis on people working together.
The Worldview
TROLL presents a strong moral vision centered on unity, loyal friendship, and the common good. When a crisis threatens Norway, people from different parts of society must cooperate rather than face the danger alone.
The film also values family reconciliation. Nora and her father have been separated by conflict, but the crisis creates an opportunity for them to listen to each other and work together. That emphasis fits a biblical concern for restored relationships.
The movie treats old fairy tales as a source of knowledge and includes references to the Christianization of Norway and church bells. It also contains minor Christian content, but its main moral focus is cooperation and family restoration rather than explicit Christian belief.
The film’s central longing—for people to overcome division and stand together—is consistent with Scripture’s vision of faithful community: “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil” (Ecclesiastes 4:9).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Strong moral worldview about overcoming a struggle with unity and the help of loyal friends, plus a theme of family reconciliation between a daughter and a father, with some minor Christian content, including references to the Christianization of Norway and church bells
Foul Language
Several obscenities (including “s,” “d” and “h” words) and some mild name calling
Violence
Norwegians fight a giant Troll who destroys part of their city, a Troll eats a person, military threaten to nuke an entire city but are stopped, and lots of action peril involving guns and car chases, but no graphic violence or blood
Sex
No sex
Nudity
No nudity
Alcohol Use
Brief scene with champagne at a party, and there’s a reference to trolls being drunk
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking or drug content
Miscellaneous Immorality
Nothing else objectionable.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The film shows people overcoming a crisis through unity and loyal friendship. When is it difficult to work with others for the common good?
Philippians 2:3–4 · Ecclesiastes 4:9–10Nora and her father must face the distance between them. What helps families move toward reconciliation?
Colossians 3:13 · 2 Corinthians 5:18Nora once dismissed her father’s stories, but later recognizes that his knowledge may help save others. How should we respond when someone sees value in something we do not understand?
James 1:19 · Proverbs 18:13The movie includes references to the Christianization of Norway and church bells. How can cultural traditions point people toward truth, and where must Christians look for their final authority?
Acts 17:22–31 · 2 Timothy 3:16–17The Final Word
TROLL is a cheerful, accessible adventure with a strong message about unity and family reconciliation. Its brief foul language and action violence call for discernment with younger children, but middle schoolers and older viewers can enjoy it with their parents. WORTH THE TRIP — MIDDLE SCHOOL AND UP.
