Netflix has revolutionized the way we watch movies. But for years the platform kept their ratings data private and we were left to guess which films and series were putting up big numbers for the streamer. Of late there’s been a shift to greater transparency. Accordingly, it’s much easier to identify what’s popping off. On that same note, I just learned that the most-watched non-English Netflix film ever is a cool monster movie from a director whose work I absolutely love. I’m talking about Roar Uthaug’s 2022 creature feature, Troll.
If you don’t know the director by name, you’ll almost certainly recognize some of his screen credits. The Scandinavian filmmaker helmed the snowbound slasher Cold Prey (which I previously covered for my Dread Central column, The Overlooked Motel), the natural disaster film The Wave (2015), and the 2018 Tomb Raider reboot. Add to that the distinction of helming the most-watched foreign language film of all time on Netflix and you’ve got quite an impressive resume.
Perhaps even more impressive is that fans and critics alike speak well of most of Uthaug’s films. In addition to breaking records, Troll also sits at an impressive 87% ‘fresh’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes with 30 critiques tallied. How about that?
Troll is a long-gestating labor of love.
Uthaug spent a considerable amount of time conceiving the film and clearly put a lot of heart and soul into the project. “Troll is an idea that has been developing in the back of my mind for over 20 years,” Uthaug told The Wrap when the project was first announced. “To finally be able to realize it with the enthusiastic and ambitious people at Netflix and Motion Blur is truly a dream come true. I can’t wait to unleash this Norwegian monster on the world.”
The film stars Ine Marie Wilmann, Kim Falck, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen, Gard B. Eidsvold, and Anneke von der Lippe.
The setup for Troll goes as follows: When an explosion in the Norwegian mountains awakens an ancient troll, officials appoint a fearless paleontologist to stop it from wreaking deadly havoc.
You can scope the trailer for the picture in the player below.
That’s all we’ve got for you at present. Stay tuned to the site for more updates on which films are owning the streaming charts in the near future. If you’re not already following us on Twitter (X), be sure to fix that so you never miss an update.
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