The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim: A Mildly-Entertaining Return to Middle-earth

The Film:

It's hard to believe that it's already been over 20 years since Sir Peter Jackson & his team delivered a brilliant adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings," and already over a decade since they returned to Middle-earth to give us another marvelous trilogy based on Tolkien's "The Hobbit." With the massive success of these films, it's hardly a surprise that the studio would want to continue their exploration of this incredible world, leading them to delve much further into the past with Kenji Kamiyama's "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim," an animated adventure that takes place two centuries before Bilbo finds the ring. With a story that's merely based on lore & characters created by Professor Tolkien, and a fascinating anime-inspired animation style, could this new outing possibly live up to the beloved live-action films that preceded it?

The story revolves around Hera (Voice of Gaia Wise), the daughter of Rohan's king, Helm Hammerhand (Voice of Brian Cox). One night, a Dunlending lord named Freca (Voice of Shaun Dooley) comes to visit the King with his son Wulf (Voice of Luke Pasqualino), Hera's childhood friend. Freca is angry that Hera is to marry a lord from Gondor, and instead proposes that she marries Wulf to strengthen their bond. However, Helm sees through this plan to usurp the throne and rejects the offer, leading to a fight that leaves Freca dead. Wulf leaves and is not heard from again for several years, when Hera discovers that he has gathered a group of hill-tribe rebels to attack Rohan in his quest for revenge. Inevitably this leads to a conflict that will determine the fate of Rohan and its people.

"The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim" is an intriguing return to Middle-earth not only in where & when they've chosen to set the story, but also in the fascinating medium in which they've chosen to tell it. One would've thought that, if they were going to make an animated film from this material, they would've chosen a more traditional method. Obviously not something like the animated "The Hobbit" & "The Lord of the Rings" films from several decades ago, but rather a more modern approach. That said, the anime style they've chosen suits the story rather well, conveying a more serious tone than we would've gotten with a more cartoonish approach, and looking gorgeous while doing it.

As for the story, it was an interesting and somewhat risky idea to leave behind the tales & characters that most are familiar with to give us a slightly different narrative. I say "slightly different" because there are some familiar beats to it, but for the most part, the screenwriters have fashioned a compelling take on lore found in the appendices of Tolkien's novel, showing us a part of Middle-earth history that is hardly ever mentioned.

The only real criticisms that come to mind are that the film does feel a little stretched-out at its runtime of over two hours, and there are parts of the story that don't really make a whole lot of sense, parts that you basically just have to roll with. However, these complaints don't prevent the film from being a mostly-entertaining return to the wonderful, magical world of Middle-earth. Obviously the live-action adaptation of "The Lord of the Rings" is a gold standard that will likely never be reached again, so one certainly shouldn't expect that high level of quality from an animated spin-off film like this, but for those fans that are open to delving further into the history of this incredible world, "The War of the Rohirrim" will likely provide a satisfying experience.

Video/Audio:

Video: 2.35:1, 1080p High Definition

Audio: Dolby Atmos-TrueHD

Special Features:

Return to Helm's Deep: History Becomes Legend

Middle-earth & Anime: A Marriage of Creativity

Hera: A New Hero for Middle-earth

Conclusion:

Kenji Kamiyama's "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim" is a mildly-entertaining return to the wonderful world of Middle-earth, featuring an intriguing, lesser-known tale from Tolkien's lore and a gorgeous, anime-inspired animation style that suits the narrative quite well, ultimately making for an experience that most fans of the material will likely find satisfying.

Score: 3.5/5

Now available on Blu-ray.

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