The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review

A decade after the final feature-length foray into Middle-Earth, Peter Jackson and the producers behind the live-action epics have teamed up with anime master Kenji Kamiyama for the animated feature, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. 

Forming their own style of creative fellowship, the plot has been mined from the appendices of J.R.R. Tolkien’s best-selling novels and stretched into a spin-off that expands the existing lore of Middle-Earth that fans know and love.

Set 183 years before Frodo inherited that fated ring, the film follows the repercussions of the formidable King of Rohan, Helm Hammerhead’s (voiced to perfection by Brian Cox) hot-headed temper and the enduring, patient heroism of his previously unnamed daughter, who is now called Héra (Gaia Wise). The battle for Rohan begins when Wulf (Luke Pasqualino) the son of the Dunlending’s Lord Freca sets out to take revenge, after Héra declines his hand in marriage and King Helm kills his father with one fatal blow.

As a mostly original story, The War of the Rohirrim relies on the nostalgia of Middle-Earth to mask the rushed elements of the narrative and dialogue, which is inevitably the impact of Warner Bros. Animation fast-tracking the project to avoid losing the rights to Tolkien’s work.

Sweeping shots of familiar New Zealand-inspired splendour capture Jackson’s original vision, while Stephen Gallagher has interwoven his new compositions with Howard Shore’s own. However, even the emotive chords of Edoras are still not enough to sustain the gravitas that the score is synonymous with.

Arguably, it was always going to be a challenge for the writers to echo Tolkien’s voice in this new original tale, but the rewrites by Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papapgeorgiou is still felt in the final script, leaving a lingering sense that it was too great a challenge to conceive an original story from the footnotes of Tolkien’s great work, which could be a worrying sign ahead of the upcoming spin-off, The Hunt for Gollum. Even so, it’s hard not to be captivated by this spectacle that examines the striking and expansive world of Middle-Earth in a new medium.

Héra’s perspective echoes the other daughter of Rohan, Éowyn’s (Miranda Otto, who returns to narrate the film) in The Lord of the Rings, except this time Héra is central focus of the story, not on the sidelines. Éowyn is the overlooked and undermined heir of Rohan, who despite her wit and bravery is at the mercy of an overprotective father. Ultimately, Éowyn (like Héra) defies her father’s orders to defend and save her people on the battlefield, alongside her father.

While the producers state they didn’t “set out” to write a film about a female character, the best element of The War of the Rohirrim is its insight into the lore and legacy of the shield maidens – revered and heroic women warriors – in Middle-Earth. Olwynn (Lorraine Ashbourne), the last remaining shield maiden, has a close-knit relationship with Héra’s on and off the battlefield. Their alliance was a refreshing inclusion after the live-action trilogy only gave audiences one measly line of dialogue between female characters – it does not pass the Bechdel test.

Warner Bros. Pictures

At odds with this ambition to honour the previously unnamed daughter of Rohan and perhaps the historical erasure of women in this world in general, is the anime presentation of the heroine. There’s an element of sexualisation – which isn’t unusual in this genre – with her heightened curves, oversized eyes, thick thighs and skin-tight outfits that contrasts against the overtly feminist message at the heart of this film.

For all its faults, it’s hard not to be moved by the endeavour. The enchanting chimes of the Fellowship and the familiar lands of Isengard, Rohan and Helm’s deep – which is breathtaking in the hand-drawn Japanese style – is a delight. It’s only when this 3D environment is blended with the 2D animation that the disjointed feeling seeps back in.

Without Hobbits, dwarves, wizards and elves, this dive into the land of men manages to retain the essence of this high-fantasy through its energetic action sequences. The sieges, sword fights and battle cries compliment the melodrama of anime and encapsulate the familiar themes of bravery, honour and camaraderie that the live action films embody so well.

Cox’s gravitas also lends itself to the proud and mighty – not to mention beefy – Helm with rousing battle speeches, while Wise works well to avoid reducing Héra to a stereotypical warrior princess, but someone worth investing in.

Though the daughter of Rohan was never even named by Tolkien, Héra had a story worth telling on the big-screen and a female perspective has been sorely lacking in this franchise – in film especially. Despite the rushed plot that often feels predictable and less original than intended, the stunning animation and the nostalgia it serves makes it worthwhile.

Should you watch The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim?

Though it won’t be to everyone’s taste, The War of the Rohirrim offers a different perspective on the themes and lore that Lord of the Rings fans know so well. There are enough easter eggs and familiar aspects to keep die-hard Ringers engaged. If you’re less familiar with the world, it might not be as appealing. But if you enjoy Tolkien’s work, and you can overlook some of the rushed aspects, it’s a homage that may be up your street.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is out now. You can buy your tickets from Vue, Odeon and Cineworld in the UK, and AMC Theatres and Fandango in the US.

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