Netflix has a new smash-hit movie on its hands - and it's taken just days for the film to hit the top spot.
If you have been on the streaming service of late, then you would have come across Troll. It's a Scandinavian movie which re-imagines the country's mythic trolls as Kaiju-like creatures that are angry and out of control. Think King Kong, mixed with X-Files.
The film is a lot of fun, although it doesn't skirt away from some serious issues. Among the creature carnage are themes of xenophobia, religion and colonisation.
The director is one who is no stranger to managing big, bombastic movies on a modest budget (when compared to Hollywood).
Roar Uthaug created The Wave, back in 2015. That movie was a Day After Tomorrow style disaster flick, where a Norwegian fjord collapses and creates an 85-meter high violent tsunami. It was the first disaster movie which was made in Norway and it had around a $6 million budget.
Uthaug's talents caught the attention of Hollywood and he then went on to direct the recent-ish Tomb Raider reboot, which starred Alicia Vikander.
On a Troll
For Troll, however, Uthaug has headed back to Norway to create this creature feature. Although the budget for this one is undisclosed, it has become an instant hit on Netflix.
According to FlixPatrol, globally it has hit the number one spot for Netflix movies, beating other recent release Lady Chatterly's Lover which is currently in second spot.
This is impressive, given the movie was only released days ago - Friday, 2 December. In the near 100 countries that Flix Patrol tracks, the film is in the top spot for the majority of them.
There's just six where it currently isn't in top place: Australia, Bangladesh, South Korea, India, Hong Kong and Jordan. It is in their top 3 movies, however.
Troll has a solid Rotten Tomatoes score, too. It is currently at 85%. with Bloody Disgusting noting: "While light on narrative, it’s when director Roar Uthaug embraces the film's monster that Troll reveals its magic."
The full top 10 of Netflix movies, globally, is as follows:
1. Troll
2. Lady Chatterley's Lover
3. My Name Is Vendetta
4. The Swimmers
5. Warriors of Future
6. Angel Falls Christmas
7. The Noel Diary
8. A Christmas Miracle for Daisy
9. Scrooge: A Christmas Carol
10. Christmas Full of Grace
- Here are some more Netflix hidden gems you need to know about.
