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A life long cinephile from the Bay Area in Northern California. Aside from having written for various outlets since 2019, I've been podcasting since 2020.
(Currently Co-Hosting the Geekly Goods Roundup)
When I'm not indulged in a ridiculous amount of media consumption or losing track of days on my Nintendo Switch, I can be found at concerts or playing basketball.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim presents an exciting perspective on sequels and world-building. Much like 2003’s The Animatrix, we return to a familiar, beloved live-action world through an animated lens. Instead of the computer simulation of The Wachowskis’ The Matrix franchise, we are venturing back into the magical lore of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth. There is many a tale to be told in this fantasy sandbox, and an ambitious project like this is a welcome one.
The film’s story is written by Jeffrey Addiss, Will Matthews, and Philippa Boyens, with a screenplay by Addiss, Matthews, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou. The War of the Rohirrim is directed by Kenji Kamiyama (the Ghost in the Shell franchise, Star Wars: Visions Season 1 Episode 5—”The Ninth Jedi”, Blade Runner: Black Lotus).
Freshly Familiar
From the very first frame, we are greeted with direct connections to the original The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim begins with Miranda Otto reprising her role as Princess Eowyn. She proceeds to narrate the film, which is set 183 years before “the war for the ring.” There is a gorgeous shot that flies across the map of Middle Earth while notes of the late great Howard Shore’s “Rohan” theme begin to play. This fantastic introduction truly gave me goosebumps. Even the set design of Rohan itself is identical.
Our focus then keys on King Helm Hammerhand and his daughter Héra. Hearing rumors that Princess Héra (voiced by Gaia Wise) will marry a son of Gondor, a local lord offers up his son Wulf’s (voiced by Luke Pasqualino) hand instead. He states it is to unite Rohan, but King Helm Hammerhand (voiced by Brian Cox) recognizes a veiled plot for his throne. A brief altercation leaves the lord dead, in which Wulf swears to avenge his death. Wulf’s desire for revenge is the driving force for the rest of the epic story.
Dark Twists, Mixed Results
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As a very big fan of this mythology, I naturally was very excited. Unfortunately, much like J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay’s The Rings of Power series on Prime Video, The War of the Rohirrim is a bit of a mixed bag. The action sequences are fantastic, and I love the anime visuals. Cox’s vocal performance as King Helm was also superb. However, the narrative takes some dark turns that feel a bit more like Game of Thrones than The Lord of the Rings.
And while I honestly love our protagonist Héra, her story arc and characterization definitely felt like strong heroines from classic Studio Ghibli films. Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind come to mind. While the similarities don’t completely take me out of the film, they definitely don’t let it quite stand on its own.
More Good Than Bad
Don’t hear what I’m not saying, though. This is still a very fun watch, especially for fans of fantasy or anime. Without spoiling, there are some awesome Easter Eggs, specifically for The Lord of the Rings fans. I also truly love the idea of seeing different forms of storytelling in such a vast universe like that of Middle Earth. Yet, perhaps ideas like this would best be served as a limited series or streaming series like Star Wars: Visions. The film felt overly long for such an episodic premise. A shorter runtime definitely would have improved the viewing experience. And while I had a blast watching, the tepid box office receipts just might prove my point.
3/5 stars
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A life long cinephile from the Bay Area in Northern California. Aside from having written for various outlets since 2019, I've been podcasting since 2020.
(Currently Co-Hosting the Geekly Goods Roundup)
When I'm not indulged in a ridiculous amount of media consumption or losing track of days on my Nintendo Switch, I can be found at concerts or playing basketball.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.