In a struggle between good, represented by the wood elves, and evil, represented by the trolls, the conflict is reduced to a level that, whilst far from banal, is perfect for family entertainment. Unlike, for example, the Lord of the Ring trilogy, the evil creatures, while scary and aggressive, are also cute and amusing. The elves, on the other hand, capture the fascinating beauty portrayed in that famous trilogy without the overtones of aggression. Every scene involving the elves conveys a harmony of which this beauty is a principal feature. They wish to live their lives without having to battle for their freedom to do so. In the context of a fairytale, this seems to me to be perfectly legitimate. Olli Saarela, the director, displays a feeling for the beauty of natural colours almost as good as Franco Zefferelli in the countryside scenes of La Traviata, and contrasts them well with the darkness of evil.
The film is splendidly supported by the leading actor, Allu Tuppurainen, and actress, Maria Järvenhelmi, who nicely capture the nuances of emotion as both the thematic struggle and their personal relationship follow their twisting course.
There are a few musical interludes, well woven into the storyline, but these do not reach the heights of the visual and narrative aspects of the film.
The whole film exudes a fairytale atmosphere, and evokes an urge to learn how the story unfolds, right up to the very end. It is very good family entertainment.
The film is splendidly supported by the leading actor, Allu Tuppurainen, and actress, Maria Järvenhelmi, who nicely capture the nuances of emotion as both the thematic struggle and their personal relationship follow their twisting course.
There are a few musical interludes, well woven into the storyline, but these do not reach the heights of the visual and narrative aspects of the film.
The whole film exudes a fairytale atmosphere, and evokes an urge to learn how the story unfolds, right up to the very end. It is very good family entertainment.