Review: It's no secret why Netflix's monster movie 'Troll' is so popular

‘Troll’

The Norwegian monster movie “Troll” has been a fixture on Netflix’s homepage Top 10 list since it debuted back on December 1; and it’s easy to see why. Directed by Roar Uthaug — an accomplished genre filmmaker best-known for the disaster picture “The Wave” and the most recent “Tomb Raider” — “Troll” has a blockbuster polish without the Hollywood heaviness. The story’s nothing special; but the action is spry, the characters are likable and the emphasis on Scandinavian folklore keeps “Troll” from becoming just another generic “Godzilla”/“Jurassic Park” riff.

Ine Marie Wilmann gives a winning performance as Nora Tidemann, an esteemed paleontologist with an embarrassing family secret. Her father Tobias (Gard B. Eidsvold) is a hermetic prophet of doom, driven out of polite society for his belief that giant trolls are nestled within the mountains. After the mysterious deaths of multiple miners and activists at a remote hillside worksite, Nora and Tobias are called in by the government to confirm the military’s worst suspicions. It turns out there actually is a towering, stone-skinned troll on the loose, stomping across the countryside on his way to Oslo.

As with many other films about lumbering beasties, “Troll” alternates between making the big guy terrifying and sympathetic. Much of the plot has to do with Nora figuring out a way to defeat the thing — while also wondering if she should. It’s to the credit of Uthaug and his special effects team (as well as the refreshingly unfussy Espen Aukan screenplay) that this troll inspires such conflicted emotions and isn’t merely menacing or laughably goofy. Making something so simple so entertaining isn’t that easy. “Troll” succeeds by getting back to basics. Like way, way back — all the way to the Old Norse.

‘Troll.’ TV-14, for fear, language and violence. 1 hour, 41 minutes. Available on Netflix

‘Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle’

Based on the true story of Hiroo Onoda — a Japanese soldier who spent nearly 30 years hiding in the Philippines after World War II, refusing to surrender — Arthur Harari’s “Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle” quietly and patiently establishes the conditions and mentality that could lead a man to keep fighting for a lost cause. Yûya Endô plays the young Onoda (and Kanji Tsuda the older), who after a brutal training joins a small band of tough guys and misfits on a secret mission to establish an undetectable position on a small, inhabited island. While awaiting an invasion that never comes, Onoda and his men develop a kind of cultish fervor, which allows them to justify stealing from the locals and ignoring reports that the war is over.

“Onoda” is a long, slow-paced film, which in its first hour plays more like a conventional war story, showing the mental and practical preparation that goes into a military deployment. By taking the time to establish Onoda and his company’s orderly routine, Harari makes what follows seem strangely logical. In the movie’s best scenes, the hero stubbornly resists the obvious, taking tidbits he’s gleaned about the outside world from radio broadcasts and stolen magazines and twisting them into a narrative that supports his status quo. “Onoda” is an insightful portrait of fanaticism, illustrating how bad ideas can take root simply because people are naturally resistant to change.

‘Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle.’ In Japanese with subtitles. Not rated. 2 hours, 53 minutes. Available on VOD

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‘The Apology’

At the start of Alison Star Locke’s suspenseful drama “The Apology,” recovering alcoholic Darlene (Anna Gunn) is preparing to host her family for Christmas, the first time since her daughter Sally disappeared 20 years ago. Overwhelmed by the pressure, Darlene is on the brink of ending decades of sobriety when she hears a knock on her door in the middle of the night. It’s her estranged former brother-in-law Jack (Linus Roache), seeking refuge from a nasty winter storm. After some light catching-up chitchat, Jack drops a bombshell: He knows what happened to Sally.

Aside from a brief appearance by Janeane Garofalo as Darlene’s friend and neighbor Gretchen, most of “The Apology” just has Gunn and Roache — two terrific actors — playing a grim cat-and-mouse game in a big, multistory country house. As their conversation turns into chases and fights, these two old acquaintances work through their regrets. She was a drunk before the 16-year-old Sally vanished, he’s been a bad husband and father, and so on. The revelations taper off in the film’s second half, sapping it of some energy as it hits the homestretch. But the characters’ despair and passion remains gripping throughout, as they force each other into some overdue reckonings with the past.

‘The Apology.’ Not rated. 1 hour, 32 minutes. Available on Shudder; AMC+; also playing theatrically, Laemmle Noho 7, North Hollywood

‘The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari’

In 2019, an active volcano in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty erupted unexpectedly, while dozens of tourists and guides were either on the tiny island of Whakaari or in boats circling nearby. More than 20 people were killed. Many others suffered severe burns. And in the days and months that followed, questions were asked about why the agencies monitoring volcanic activity hadn’t taken the warning signs more seriously.

As the title implies, Rory Kennedy’s documentary “The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari” isn’t so much concerned with the aftermath of the disaster, or even the history of the volcano (though both are touched on briefly). Instead, taking advantage of the dramatic footage shot by rescue crews and survivors — coupled with animated maps explaining the logistics — Kennedy recreates the feeling of mounting panic as ash and steam billowed down the mountains and across the water. The choice to limit the film’s scope also limits its impact; but the heart of “The Volcano” is still effectively harrowing, showing the moment when awe at nature’s wonders turns into mortal terror.

‘The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari.’ PG-13, for brief strong language. 1 hour, 38 minutes. Available on Netflix; also playing theatrically, Bay Theater, Pacific Palisades

‘If These Walls Could Sing’

Director Mary McCartney takes viewers inside the legendary Abbey Road Studios for her documentary “If These Walls Could Sing,” which uses rare video and audio to tell some stories about the great musicians who have recorded there — including her father, Paul. Fans of the Beatles will be the ideal audience for this film, given that the band made the space famous — and given that most of the movie’s first third traces the Beatles’ evolution, from “Love Me Do” to “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” But there are anecdotes aplenty about other Abbey Road recordings, across decades and genres, from Pink Floyd to Fela Kuti to John Williams to Kate Bush to Oasis.

McCartney and her editors could’ve done a better job of making “If These Walls Could Sing” feel more like a comprehensive overview than a scrapbook. Aside from some sections that deal with the studio’s financial ups and downs, there’s not really a narrative through-line. But the individual segments are often remarkably vivid, recreating Abbey Road’s unique vibe through vintage images and sounds, bringing the musicians’ memories to life.

‘If These Walls Could Sing.’ Not rated. 1 hour, 26 minutes. Available on VOD

‘Mindcage’

In a different world — say, one where the movie “The Silence of the Lambs” hadn’t inspired hundreds of copycat films and TV series — perhaps the middling mystery-thriller “Mindcage” would be more impressive. It certainly has a notable cast, with John Malkovich playing a brilliant serial killer known as “The Artist” who agrees to help his old nemesis Det. Jake Doyle (Martin Lawrence, in a rare dramatic role) and Doyle’s go-getter colleague Mary Kelly (Melissa Roxburgh) catch a psychopath who is using the Artist’s methods. The actors all ham it up to a degree suited to a project so flat, cheap and derivative, which helps keep “Mindcage” at least watchable, if never exceptional. Those entertainingly cheesy performances matter, because viewers who stick with the story to the end will be rewarded with one of the battiest plot-twists in recent B-movie memory.

‘Mindcage.’ R, for some violent content and sexual material. 1 hour, 36 minutes. Available on VOD; also playing theatrically, Lumiere Music Hall, Beverly Hills; Galaxy Mission Grove, Riverside

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“The Banshees of Inisherin” is one of 2022’s best films: a blackly comic story set on a remote Irish island in the early 1920s, about a gentle oaf (Colin Farrell) who can’t accept it when one of his regular drinking buddies (Brendan Gleeson) unexpectedly decides that he no longer wants to be friends. Written and directed by Martin McDonagh — and featuring memorable supporting performances by Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan — the movie features sharp dialogue, a stunning location, unpredictable plotting and a haunting premise that defies easy interpretation. Available on VOD; also playing theatrically in limited release

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“The Woman King” stars Viola Davis as the leader of the Agojie, a band of female warriors who defended the West African kingdom of Dahomey in the early 19th century. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, the movie mixes a little bit of history into what is essentially a big action-adventure spectacle, featuring thrilling battle scenes and rousing speeches. Sony

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.