The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a great addition to the iconic franchise, delivering a deeper exploration of lore, despite its flaws.
Tolkien fans rejoice, there is a new addition to the iconic franchise – The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. This animated feature will likely be the introduction to The Lord of the Rings for a new generation. There is a lot to love about this film, although it does have its flaws, as well.
Based on just a few pages of text, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim tells the story of Hera (who Tolkien called the unnamed daughter in his works) and details the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand. Fans know where things will end up, but that doesn’t make the journey any less exciting.
Thanks to an incredibly talented voice cast – Brian Cox (Helm), Gaia Wise (Hera), and Luca Pasqualino (Wulf) – viewers will instantly love or hate these characters. As the story continues on, the emotion that is put behind them is easily one of the best parts of the movie.
The filmmakers made the decision to tell this story using anime-style animation. As someone who loves anime, I feel was the right choice. That said, some people do not like this style and will likely find issues with it. There are a few times where it feels flat, but overall, I find it to be a gorgeous way to tell this empowering and heartbreaking story.
I have two young daughters, so any time there is a strong woman on screen that they can look up to, I am all for it. Hera is exactly that. She is willing to do anything to protect her family, and her people, and seeing her go the extra mile, even when she is exhausted, is inspiring.
The story that is told throughout this film is heartbreaking at times. War is in the title of the film, so it should come as no surprise that there are several battles throughout. These are some of the best animated moments. The Rohirrim love their horses, and animating that many of them is no easy fit – but the team pulled it off without a hitch.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is not without its cameos from characters, but also from actors whose voices you should recognize. I do not want to ruin the surprise, so I will just say that two in particular were very exciting to hear in a scene together. That moment warmed my heart and made me smile.
The biggest issue with this film is the length. It clocks in at over two hours, which is long for an animated feature. There were certainly some parts that could have been trimmed. If it was under two hours, I would have had no real complaints about The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. My youngest daughter had a few moments where she started to fade and zone out because of the length. That said, my teen was fully engaged.
Overall The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a wonderful addition to the franchise. Anime fans will love the style of animation and action fans will be pleased with the battles. While it goes on too long, the story is still an entertaining one.
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About The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Set 183 years before the events chronicled in the original trilogy of films, “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” tells the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan.
A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg–a mighty fortress that will later come to be known as Helm’s Deep. Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Héra, the daughter of Helm, must summon the will to lead the resistance against a deadly enemy intent on their total destruction.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim comes to theaters everywhere on December 13.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a great addition to the iconic franchise, delivering a deeper exploration of lore, despite its flaws.
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.