Troll 2 is Far From The Worst Movie Ever Made- 'Best Worst Movie' Review

Released by New Video

Release Date: Apr. 25th, 2010

Starring: George Hardy, Lily Hardy, Pita Ray

Written by Michael Stephenson

Directed by Michael Stephenson

Rated: NR (Not Rated) (contains some strong language)

Troll 2 is considered one of the worst movies ever made and like any movie that carries that torch it has a world of followers. These followers are pretty loyal. They have parties and viewings every year and the attendance to these functions seems to grow every year. There are screenings held throughout the country at "art house" theaters, usually at midnight and the audiences know the movie by heart.

This is all chronicled in Best Worst Movie and, despite the title, is one of the best movies of 2010. As we know, 2010 has not been a good year for movies. The year did not get off to a good start like we have seen in the past, and the summer season, save for a few movies, has downright sucked. We have seen more "cookie cutter" movies this year than we have seen in the past and even the ones that have promised us a good time have been few and very far between.

This is why Best Worst Movie is so good. It is not trying anything new. The movie is not only about how Troll 2 has gone from being a movie talked about in secret to being a cult classic, but about the people who made the movie as well.

At the start of the movie we our hero, George Hardy, who played the father in Troll 2. He is a big, hulking figure with a heart of gold. Hardy is a dentist in the south who made a movie and then moved on with his life. This is a man who is so nice and loving and caring that even his ex-wife can not say anything bad about him. He just lives his bachelor life, taking care of his patients with a smile on his face.

The director of the film, Michael Stephenson, also played Hardy's son in the movie. Stephenson goes to great lengths to find all the major players from the movie. He introduces Hardy to the cult of Troll 2 and lives it up as much as he can. We follow Hardy as he goes around the country and sees the film with different audiences. Hardy is having the time of his life reciting infamous lines from the movie.

Stephenson and Hardy go to Utah where the movie was made and, along with the movie's Italian director, they recreate scenes from the movie on the very locations in which the movie was shot. They all seem to be having fun except for the director who doesn't get why people find the movie so funny. He complains that Americans laugh at the parts that are supposed to be funny, but also laugh at the serious parts. The director believes that he made a very good and important movie.

But with all the fun that is had at the expense of the movie there is the inevitable downturn. Hardy and Stephenson visit some horror movie conventions where they are all but ignored. This part of the documentary I found a little hard to swallow. I have been to many horror conventions where actors who have appeared in one or two movies get their fair shake. I remember standing in line to get my Citizen Toxie dvd signed by Troma co-founder Lloyd Kaufman. As I was standing in line I struck up a conversation with a girl who had a booth right next to the Troma booth. I wasn't hitting on her or asking her for an autograph, we were just talking about horror movies. Anyway, I talked to her while she was signing items for other people. When it came to be my turn to get Lloyd's autograph, I shook the girl's hand and told her that I had a nice time talking to her.

Years later, I was watching a movie called The Girlfriend Experience. The movie is about a call girl and her life. The star of the movie was the same girl who I had talked to at the horror convention. Her name is Sasha Grey and it turns out that she is one of the biggest porn stars in the world. I had no idea who she was when I was talking to her and she never broke our conversation when she was signing things for people who knew who she was.

The point I am trying to make is all horror people big or small are given their due at these conventions. There is always someone looking for you at horror conventions, no matter how big or small time you are. So the scenes at the horror conventions seem a bit staged.

The rest of the movie plays out perfectly. Hardy is given his fifteen minutes of fame and he runs with it. Its movies like this that make you feel good. Best Worst Movie reminded me a lot of The King of Kong, the David vs Goliath story set in the world of competitive video gaming. Both movies feature unbelievably nice guys and their quest to find a tiny bit of fame. The only real difference is that Hardy doesn't have to face off against the world's biggest douchebag as Steve Wiebe has to in Kong.

Best Worst Movie is rumored to be released on dvd by the end of 2010. I hope it is. This is a fantastic movie for movie buffs and non-buffs alike. We all like a good story and Best Worst Movie provides us with a really good natured one.