Eating Green

Hello and welcome back. A couple times a year, a movie is released that I enjoy watching. Every once in a while, a movie comes along that outright shocks me. The shock factor can be caused by different qualities of a movie, such as "mind blowing" twists, life-like animations or effects, or superior storytelling. Only occasionally does a movie come out that shocks me because of horrible production value, talentless actors, and a cringe-filled script that I enjoy regardless. Troll 2 fits all the criteria for this type of movie, as it is considered by many to be the worst movie of all time (as it stands with a 6% rating on rottentomatoes.com), but blew up over the past couple years as a definite cult-classic and still has regular theater showings 25 years after its initial release. Although I love mindlessly sitting and laughing at this special little indie horror flick, I can't help but contemplate different meanings behind the film, especially in regards to food and the environment. If so many people enjoy it, myself included, there must be something else going on. For this post, I will analyze food and the environment as depicted in Troll 2, as I think there is more to this movie than most people realize.

Today I will be watching Troll 2 with one other friend in the same lounge I watched Idiocracy for my last blog post. Since we both have seen the film before, we are going to pay specific attention to the food and environment, as well as other hidden messages that may tie into these categories. A bowl of mixed nuts from Costco sits on my lap with another bowl beside me to trash all of the Brazil nuts into; I always wonder how those disgusting, meaty nuts force themselves into the presence of the much adored almonds and cashews, but I digress. My friend has a large bag of baked veggie chip straws, which taste identical to and contain the same basic ingredients as potato chips, though they include a small amount of various vegetable colorings to give them the allure of healthiness (though I enjoy pleading ignorance and indulging).

Troll 2 centers around a family vacationing in the small, rural town of Nilbog. Those who go into Troll 2 expecting a sequel to the 1986 film Troll will be disappointed, as the "2" was just added to try and get people to think it is a sequel, thus bringing in more money (Best Worst Movie). In fact, there are not even any trolls in Troll 2, only goblins, and interesting ones at that. Nilbog, while not a traditional dystopia, offers a similar dystopic view as Soylent Green (you can find more details about Soylent Green in my first blog post). Similar to Soylent Green, only one type of food is left in the entire civilization of Nilbog, and it is as green as green can get. At some points, yes, it is even made of people. The major difference between the two centers around each film's choice of humanity's and the environment's respective roles. In Soylent Green, the classic "humans destroy environment" tale is told. In Troll 2, the roles are shifted in order to parody the classic case in Soylent Green. Troll 2 puts the environment in the reins of control, as it seeks revenge against humanity for all of the damage done to it.

The family, besides the youngest son Joshua, try to make the best of the peculiar town of Nilbog. Joshua, since before the vacation, has been having constant visions of his deceased grandfather warning him of the Goblins and the town of Nilbog. Joshua's family won't listen to him though, so Joshua must do everything he can to stop his family from eating the goblin goo and interacting with the citizens whom only Joshua can see as goblins.

The Goblins and their leader, a powerful witch creature, are embodiments of the environment around them. They lure people into the thickly forested town of Nilbog, "goblin spelled backwards," and trick them, by taking on the bodies of the local townspeople, into eating a green goo reminiscent of pudding (Fragasso). This goo appears as everything in the town from cakes, to milk, to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; the goblins are adamant about feeding it to the humans. This goo will turn anyone who eats it into a plant: the next meal for the Goblins, who are strangely vegetarian. The environment is getting back at humanity for destroying it. Irony is present during a scene where a character experiences a slow and painful transformation; branches rip through his skin and he becomes a tree. All these years, the human race has been in charge and hasn't thought twice about excess deforestation and pollution. Now, the environment is letting the humans take a run at being plants, to die slowly at the teeth of the gnawing goblins.

Going along with the parody of environmental control over humanity, Troll 2 points out the importance of a natural diet. Since the goblins only accept people-turned-plants and other vegetation as adequate food, they shun all types of meat and animal dishes. I believe this is present in the film because the director wants to shine light on the meat industry and its impact on the food industry and the environment. With the massive meat market nowadays, much of the environment is getting destroyed with pollution from the industry farms and meat processing plants. The feed of most of the animals is corn, a crop that while natural in its basic form, has been modified and regularly dosed with chemicals, destroying the land on which it grows and rendering a different product than the corn it resembles. The American "natural diet" is made up of food that consists of so many chemicals, it can hardly be considered natural anymore. The director calls for humans to return to the roots of eating: the roots, aka no chemicals, pesticides, or processes. In most cases, nature offers a better choice than that of a processed food item. Whole foods in nature are present for our direct consumption, not consumption a year later in the form of meal replacement bar filled with forty unpronounceable ingredients. When humans use the environment correctly, both will thrive and nature will return to a much more natural state.  

At this point in my blog post, I know what you are probably thinking, "why would the director antagonize the environment if he wanted to send positive environmental messages?" The answer is found in the story of Joshua, the youngest son of the family that the movie revolves around. Although the goblins seem "evil," they are catalysts in Joshua's, and the viewers', quest for answers and leave of Nilbog; Joshua and his parents are in danger and must leave. The goblins and the witch are symbolic of an environment angered by the humans. As Joshua portrays through leaving Nilbog, the world can escape dystopic community and return to live in harmony with the environment. Neither Joshua, as he portrays humanity, nor the goblins should be looked at as "evil," but confused. They must realize the problem between themselves and quell their anger through mutual respect.

About halfway into the film, Joshua's name stuck out to me. It's an older name that is usually shortened to "Josh" nowadays. The other characters kept calling him the full "Joshua" and called him a lot, to the point where it seemed they were forcing his name. This got me thinking that there might be some symbolism here, and I immediately thought of Joshua from The Bible. Now I know this may seem a little hard to grasp at first, but with my scripture knowledge and a little extra research, I think I may be on to something. Joshua, in The Bible, is the heir to Moses and leads the Israelites out of the barren desert and into the Promised Land. Throughout the journey, God directs the Israelites with signs and feeds the Israelites Mana: divine food that satisfies any hunger (Wikipedia). In Troll 2, Joshua leads his family out of Nilbog and back to his own life that he cherishes. In Nilbog, the only church in town is occupied by the witch and the goblins; the church and religion has been taken over by the environment. Because of the church's occupation by the environment, Joshua and his family receive green goo instead of Mana. Throughout the movie, Joshua is visited by visions of his dead grandfather, an omnipotent being that watches over him and tells him what to do. The similarities are quite striking.

The director uses this parallel of the Joshuas to connect the present with the beginning: the creation of the world and the start of humanity. The world and environment should exist in harmony with human kind. In the book of Genesis, the first book of The Bible, God calls for humanity to treat the environment with respect. In the Book of Joshua, God is giving a new promised land to the Israelites: a near perfect piece of land to prosper and grow. As depicted in Troll 2, humanity has not been treating the environment in the way God intended over the years. The dilapidation and growth of the church and the goblin and witch's residency symbolizes the angry environment's overtaking of religion. A key similarity to Soylent Green is seen through the parallel of the fall of environment with the fall of religion. Industrialization and science have pushed people away from religion and the environment, deeming them expendable. The director uses the grandpa as a God-like figure who has lost control of the physical church. The grandpa gives Joshua advice, but cannot help him in the physical ways God could for the biblical Joshua like parting the Jordan river (God separated the water for Joshua and the Israelites to let them cross into the Promised Land). The director wants the viewer to know that the environment isn't going to magically change, the human race must work to save it.

In the end, Joshua closes a stone gate in the church that his Grandpa led him to and the goblins and the witch disappear. This symbolizes Joshua's success in making peace with the environment; the goblins and witch return to mother nature from which they came. The final scene that drives the message even further reveals Joshua seeing a glimpse of a goblin at his house, a couple days after the whole family returns home. This symbolizes the need for constant human interaction to quell the environment and keep peace between the two. As part of an industrialized world, humanity must always be working and keeping the environment in its thoughts.

Troll 2's highly fictionalized dystopia could not happen in real life, though it's messages are still relevant. Humans must work to preserve the environment and live in peace with it. When humanity came into being, the planet cared and provided for humans, allowing prosperity and growth. Nowadays, humanity is becoming disconnected from nature and the environment through science and technology; why work harder for something when it's cheaper and easier to make in a lab? This question has countless viewpoints, though only one makes sense to me. The world must work harder because "cheaper and easier" does not counteract the loss of nature; the world must shift our industrial meaning of food and move towards a more natural approach. With each hormone injected, pesticide sprayed, and chemical added, the world is ignoring the  natural cycle of life. With each of these man-made supplements, humans are becoming less "human." The human race is becoming a shell of artificiality: a vessel of man-made chemicals. On top of this, as the environment is ignored, it becomes "disposable" as natural is not needed. The environment that has raised and cradled humanity now faces destruction at the forks of the masses, those who want their food cheap and accessible. This must stop. The world must become in touch with the environment once again and turn back to nature for substance. Food must be grown in a tree, not in a lab.

As I look at my bowl of unwanted Brazil nuts and a couple of vegetable chips that my friend has graciously given me, my stomach growls and I find myself in a predicament. The vegetable straws are taunting me with their colorful appearance, but at the same time turning me away with their fakeness. I decide to pass on their salty, artificial goodness and take a careful bite of my enemy. It tastes like dirt, but it does not taste fake. It tastes like the ground from the field where it was grown, which is oddly comforting. Nothing was added to this nut to make it taste better, it is fully representing itself. Though I do not like the Brazil nut, I can now respect it. Its big, meaty, and gross, but it's natural. On the other hand, I will not be eating vegetable straws anytime soon.

So, my readers, make an effort to start eating more natural. Maybe you don't need to shift fully to an all natural diet, but start to introduce a couple all-natural items every once and a while. I am positive you will feel better and at the same time be helping in the shift to save the environment. Now I'm not saying Goblins will come to your house and turn you into a tree if you don't...

...or will they.       

                                                           Works Cited

Best Worst Movie. Dir. Stephenson Michael. Prod. Stephenson Lindsay, Klopman Brad, and Klopman Jim. Perf. Michael Stephenson and George Hardy. Netflix. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2015.

"Book of Joshua." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.

Solylent Green. Dir. Richard Fleischer. Screenplay by Stanley R. Greenberg. Perf. Charlton Heston and Leigh Taylor-Young. Youtube. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2015.

Troll 2. Dir. Claudio Fragasso. Screenplay by Drake Floyd. Perf. Michael Stephenson and George Hardy. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1990. Web. 14 Feb. 2015.