Movies
[Review] ‘Re-Kill’ is Another Unfortunate Case of ‘Been There, Done That’
The original After Dark Horrorfest was honestly a hit or miss thing with me. That’s not to say that there weren’t some good films in there (such as Frontier(s) and The Gravedancers), but it was unfortunately forgettable. But now, after a five year hiatus, the festival returns, using the original subtitle of “8 Films To Die For” as its name. One of the new eight is Valeri Milev’s long-anticipated Re-Kill, which has been in the works for as long as the festival’s hiatus. As the saying goes, “good things come to those who wait,” but “good” can, and always will be, a subjective thing.
It’s been five years since the world’s population experienced a zombie outbreak, decimating 85% of the inhabitants. Many of the major cities are still uninhabitable. For the remaining few cities that are inhabitable, the Re-Animates, or Re-Ans as they’re called, are segregated into “zones” by humans and policed by R-Division soldiers. “R-Division: Frontline” is the number one TV show in the world. The show follows different R-Division units as they do their duties in order to keep America free of Re-Ans.
Taking obvious inspiration from COPS, Re-Kill does a nice job of aping the style of the famed TV show. In this particular “episode”, we’re mainly centred around R-Division 8 team. Specifically, members Winston (Bruce Payne) and Parker (Scott Adkins). Throughout the film, we’re treated to various commercials and PSAs that immediately hearken back to Paul Verhoeven’s work in Robocop and Starship Troopers, with heavy leanings towards the latter. These commercials do enhance the whole idea of watching an hour-long TV show (even if the film is actually 87 minutes), but they’re at times undermined by the film using them perhaps a bit too much. Granted, I’m sure that like in real life, advertising dollars are needed more than ever to keep the show going (what with the decline of television and all), but they break the flow of the film. Plus, some of the more comedic ads are just plain annoying.
Getting back to the “men and women of law enforcement”, our main protagonists, Winston and Parker, aren’t exactly the kinds of characters to root for against the Re-Ans. That’s unfortunate, since the acting is pretty good. That said, Winston comes across as a stereotypical religious fanatic, while Parker is a dickish war vet whose macho bravado gets old quite fast. What’s more unfortunate is that the characters who seem to be more interesting, such as Sarge (played by Roger R. Cross) or the rookie Tom Falkirk (Layke Anderson), aren’t given more focus. To their credit, Milev and writer Michael Hurst do spend time on post-death character heart-to-hearts, which do give the film its much-needed emotion. This emotion is again touched upon by Sarge’s bleak outlook that what they’re doing is ultimately futile. Needless to say, however, there’s not a heck of a lot of character development outside of the standard clich&eactue;s.
Re-Kill‘s biggest knock against it is the unfortunate fact that it finally comes out at a time when much of what it’s doing has already been done. True, the whole COPS-meets-zombies thing hasn’t totally been attempted before, but many of the film’s components —the ravaged cities, roving zombie hordes that appear without warning, fearless soldiers, the rapid-fire quick cuts, annoying shakycam use— bring nothing new to the table. They aren’t done badly (except the shakycam, which is ALWAYS done badly in ANY film, no matter what), but it’s a case of nothing standing out to make the film unique. Also, due to the constant use of the commercials and PSAs, the pacing of the film is often interrupted. And combined with the lack of character development, it makes for a film that doesn’t have much in the substance department. This wouldn’t be so bad if the action sequences were up to the task, but they’re again all things you’ve seen before. The film’s climax does turn it up a notch to make things more interesting, but by the end, it doesn’t make up for the overall film’s misses.
Obviously, sitting on the shelf for five years won’t do you any favours when attempting to capitalize on the zombie craze. And had Re-Kill come out in 2010, I would’ve come away more impressed. However, the unevenness of the pacing, the lack of endearing characters and the nauseating shakycam would’ve still made this film a hesitant recommendation. Milev and company have crafted a film that achieves the look and feel of COPS almost flawlessly. And truthfully, there are some action sequences that are entertaining, even if we’ve seen them before in other films. But even with all that style, the substance in Re-Kill is lacking.
In this day and age, the word “troll” is often used to describe various online nuisances. Yet as abundant and irksome as the modern troll can be, they aren’t usually as fearsome as their mythological counterparts. I’m not talking about the small and gentler versions that have become more common to see in media. No, there are much bigger and scarier trolls out there—and André Øvredal’s movie Troll Hunter is one of the best places to find them.
It doesn’t take long for Troll Hunter (or Trolljegeren) to dump the Blair Witch Project-esque setup and aim for something a lot fresher. The trajectory of the story is augmented by Otto Jespersen’s character Hans, the titular Troll Hunter. The second he comes barreling out of the deep, dark woods and shouts “troll” at the camera, this movie takes a turn into what feels like uncharted territory. Not only subject-wise, but also conceptually.
For fantastical and made-up subject matter in cinema, found footage is a fast way to add a guise of believability. After all, what we accept to be the most crucial aspect of documentaries—the truth—rubs off on pseudo-documentaries, despite our understanding of the pretense involved. That is what Øvredal delivered with Troll Hunter: a movie so convincing that some viewers wondered if trolls really do exist. So, had this been straightforwardly made, it likely wouldn’t have been as effective. Conventional narratives would be more inclined to treat something like trolls as flat out unreal, and never try to convince the audience to think otherwise.
Hans petrifies the three-headed Tusseladd troll.
The viewers, like the characters trailing Hans, are quickly thrown into the deeper end of that extraordinary story. They have to process all this new information while staying on the go. So, although there is no significant amount of meandering, narratively or physically, there is still a good amount of atmosphere, not to mention tension building. It’s never anything frightful, but then again, Troll Hunter isn’t your standard offering of horror; it’s more on the low end of the dark fantasy spectrum. We aren’t ever spirited away to a faraway world—we stay in rather familiar surroundings, as well as dip into those less so. The outcome is a movie where you’re constantly more in awe than in terror.
As fantasy fiction might do, Troll Hunter prefers not to deal with incredulity. There is no time to waste on doubt, as interviewer Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud), soundperson Johanna (Johanna Mørck), and cameraman Kalle (Tomas Alf Larsen) all follow Hans around, recording whatever this character is willing to reveal about his bizarre job. Of course, the Troll Hunter himself is not an open book; in that respect, the diegetic documentary fails to fully capture and unpack the more interesting of its two subjects. Yes, all those giant, monstrous trolls are indeed incredible, but understandably, your mind wanders to their pursuer. What kind of person signs up for this gig and then chooses to stick with it for so long?
Reviews have called out Troll Hunter for its lack of character development. In regard to Thomas and his fellow documentarians, that criticism is valid, but bear in mind, they aren’t the focus of the story, either. Meanwhile, Hans is a well-crafted character. At least better than first realized. Before he was introduced, Hans had already grown tired of the troll grind. Fed up with that low compensation for his services, resentful of the bureaucracy, and wanting to expose his employer on a large scale, Hans’ discontent is glaring.
Then there are those finer details about the Troll Hunter, such as that indifference to both the natural splendor of his everyday surroundings and the affections of an obviously smitten colleague, that also suggest some level of despondency. So it is fair to say this movie doesn’t feature any sizable growth for its characters; however, the namesake isn’t underwritten. No doubt, putting a real-life character like Otto Jespersen in that role is partly why Hans is so fascinating—maybe even relatable.
Otto Jespersen as Hans the Troll Hunter.
There is always a small risk whenever using the term “mockumentary” to describe a found-footage movie, as the word could imply humor where there is none. In the case of Troll Hunter, the term’s usage is appropriate. Some folks have claimed the English-dubbed version has the more comedic tone, however, the Norwegian cut isn’t exactly humorless. Apart from the trolls’ absurd appearances, this is a movie where the characters nearly choke on the monsters’ farts, and Christians are like walking targets. Hans’ complete apathy towards everything is another cause of laughter. Overall, the comedy is intentionally dry and inconsistent. Unfunny, though? Absolutely not.
In a movie where endemic creatures are maltreated, as well as disavowed from living freely and peacefully, it’s hard not to notice the ecological message buried beneath the story. In addition to that is the unmistakable political satire. There is this whole business about intrusive and unsightly power lines—like trolls, they’re big blemishes on the land—that leads to what is perhaps the movie’s funniest moment. The scene in question is that one where certain electric lines, the ones secretly being used to keep the trolls at bay, go in a loop and don’t actually send power to any residents. Yet the monitors of said lines don’t find this at all weird. So it stands to reason that Øvredal was having a go at those who accept the government’s doings without question.
Looking past the fact that trolls aren’t actually real, this movie is an enlightening source of information. And not just for international audiences; Norwegians, too, get schooled about their homeland’s own mythology. It’s also evident from everything on screen that Øvredal and his crew were enthusiastic about the topic. The creature designs are the most indicative of that zeal; those imaginative yet myth-accurate manifestations are equally amusing and grotesque. One second you’re laughing at their phallic noses, the next you’re white-knuckling during a hairy sequence. Most surprisingly is how well the trolls’ visual effects hold up after fifteen years. It’s not all spotless, but on the whole, they remain impressive.
Vouching for a mockumentary about trolls isn’t easy, but those who do come around and give it a shot will more than likely be grateful for the recommendation. For Troll Hunter is a real find in that vast and varied genre we call “found footage“.
A bridge troll reaches up for food and finds Hans decked out in armor.
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