Anthomation Assesses Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans

Howdy guys, Anthomaton here. Today I shall hunt for trolls with Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans.

Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans is a 2021 animated film released by Netflix and DreamWorks Animation. The film is the finale of the Tales of Arcadia franchise by Guillermo del Toro, which features the television series Trollhunters, 3Below and Wizards. It was released on Netflix on July 21, 2021, and it received generally positive reviews from critics. However, it received a mixed response from fans who criticized the ending and contradictions with the rest of the franchise. Now I have NOT watched any of the Arcadia shows, so I will only be looking at the film itself and not comparing it to the content it was based off of.

Following a year after the events of Wizards, the Guardians of Arcadia reunite for the final time as they battle the nefarious Arcane Order, who have reawakened the primordial Titans.

The story of the movie is just like every other science fiction movie.  From the fact that there is a good vs evil plot line, to an overstuffed exposition about what I am guessing is a summary of the entire Arcadia universe. But they try to fit it all together in only THREE minutes. How will anyone grasp any of this world-building information when you are given more time to eat a ham and cheese sandwich? This film is also littered with Hero’s journey tropes! There is the hero finding out who is the main villain, doubting himself after not being able to defeat the villain the first time, having to be reassured by a voice of wisdom, and finding the strength to overcome his adversary. It is used in such a dry and stale way that it is impossible to find a unique experience. The one delivery I did like was when Jim straight up told someone “That plan doesn’t make sense!” It was not a well written line, but the line was so abrupt in a humorous way!

The animation is not extraordinary, but serves its purpose. There is nothing ugly looking about the film. The character designs are legitimately crafted, and their movements are spirited. The colors range from shades of black to vibrant green and pink, so there is a wide range in the visual palette. The backgrounds might be the most visually appealing part of the film. They are realistic enough to grab some to watch the action scenes, but not distracting in any way. Speaking of the action scenes, they were well choreographed. There was one shot where Jim was fighting the main villain in the climax and it just cut to another character fixing a power source for the protagonist. That was out of place. Overall, the visuals carry a lot more pros than cons.

The characters are probably the thing that takes me out of the film the most. Even with a generic story, the film could have still been enjoyable if I gave a hoot about our heros. First, there is Jim Lake, the first human Trollhunter and a reluctant hero dealing with the pressures of leading a double life. There’s Blinkous “Blinky” Galadrigal, Jim’s six-eyed four-armed troll mentor. There’s Toby Domzalski, Jim’s best friend and confidant. There’s Claire Maria Nuñez, Jim’s girlfriend. She is a feisty, kind, jolly, sarcastic, curious, and intelligent tomboy who enjoys books and is a talented martial artist and gymnast. Also, there is Steve. He does not serve much of a purpose to the film, but he does get pregnant and his stomach literally explodes while giving birth to seven children. So not only was that disgusting to watch but Steve’s intestines are forever ruined! And then there is Bellroc, the main antagonist in Wizards and Rise of the Titans, Bellroc is the violent and ruthless leader of the nefarious Arcane Order. All of these characters are not only familiar, but are so cookie-cutter that I am more likely to look at a football score than root for these unamusing fools in battle.

Trollhunters could have been an action packed thriller, but instead turned out to be a bit of a snoozefest. The story is generic, the animation is good but not enough to save the film, and the characters do not hold any water whatsoever. I bet that fans of the previous shows will like it just fine, but if you are unfamiliar with Arcadia then your investment of this world will not grow much further.

Score:

5.5/10