The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim manages to be a satisfying, although perhaps slightly less thrilling, entry into the Lord of the Rings canon. 

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is often considered the best film trilogy ever. Peter Jackson’s adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books changed the approach to blockbuster filmmaking in many ways. Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was released on Amazon Prime earlier this year to huge numbers and positive reviews. This film has a high ceiling to live up to, but despite the baggage, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim manages to be a satisfying, although perhaps slightly less thrilling, entry into the Lord of the Rings canon. 

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim follows the story of Hera (Gaia Wise), a young warrior princess whose father, Helm (Brian Cox), is the king of Rohan. Freca (Shaun Dooley), one of the lords of Rohan, brings his son Wulf (Luke Pasqualiano) to court with a marriage proposal to unite their families. Helm sees through Freca’s schemes and immediately identifies this proposal as a way to usurp the throne. They decide to fight each other outside the castle, although it is a short-lived tussle. Helm kills Freca with one punch much to the surprise of everyone in attendance. Wulf vows that Helm will pay for that atrocity with his life. Years later, Hera is kidnapped when investigating a disturbance on the eastern border. She discovers that Wulf has been scheming in secret. He has become High Lord of the Hill Tribes and plans on attacking Helm at his castle so he can take over Rohan, exacting the revenge he promised.

According to my research, our protagonist Hera was actually the unnamed daughter of Helm in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings books. The writers choosing to center the story around her was a great choice for two reasons. First, she is a blank canvas, so the creators can have the character’s personality be whatever best fits their vision for the film, thus leading to a more cohesive story. Also, they can make a statement about female characters in the fantasy genre. Second, fandoms can be a toxic environment so choosing to specifically highlight a character that has so much agency and spirit gives women the chance to see themselves in the work. Hopefully, Hera will inspire more women to be interested in the world of Middle-earth. 

The best part of the film is easily the voice cast, which is absolutely phenomenal. Brian Cox is an automatic slam dunk for a hard-headed patriarch with gravitas. When I saw it was Shaun Dooley as Freca I let out a large “OH!” in the theater. He is constantly working, with a stacked iMDB filmography, especially in television, so it was delightful to see him pop up here. The biggest unknown was Gaia Wise with just two other films under her belt, both of which were from when she was a child. Her voice is on the softer side. They easily could have cast an actress with a boisterous tone, but it’s a nice reminder that women can still be feminine even if they are warriors. The biggest surprise for me was Luke Pasqualino. He is primarily a TV actor which I was introduced to when I watched Skins series 2 a couple years ago. He’s mostly played mild-mannered and sweet characters, so to see him fully flip and play a bloodthirsty revenge-seeking man is such a twist. Never in a million years would I have thought he could bring that level of ferocity to the role. Other actors include Lorraine Ashbourne, Benjamin Wainwright, Yazdan Qafouri, Laurence Ubong Williams, Michael Wildman, Janine Duvitski, and The Lord of the Rings alums Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan even got small voice roles in the film. 

The Lord of the Rings lore is so complicated and deep that it can be confusing for those who are unfamiliar. It’s something I struggle to grasp and I’m still working on it. Anyone terrified of going to see The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim and are worried about not understanding what’s happening because they aren’t The Lord of the Rings historians need not be alarmed. You can easily sit someone down to watch this film who has never seen a movie or the show or read the books and they will be able to enjoy what they are seeing on screen. No, they will not be able to understand every easter egg and a few names, but it is still accessible to people of all ages and knowledge levels. 

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will undoubtedly be compared to the original trilogy. On the surface, it feels wrong to compare them since they are set in different mediums. However, the creators specifically wanted them to be in conversation with each other. Miranda Otto returns as Éowyn as the narrator, perhaps as a way to seduce fans back to the theater for another entry into the franchise. Also, one of the writers of the original trilogy, Philippa Boyens, returns with a story credit and as a producer. And most obviously, the setting for this film becomes infamously known as Helm’s Deep where there is a battle in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Although the stories aren’t comparable, where The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim drops the ball and the trilogy succeeds is how they make every character memorable. For example, Hama and Haleth are Hera’s brothers in the film, yet it was a struggle to not mix them up. Outside the core four of Hera, Helm, Wulf, and Freca, only Fréalaf, the cousin, was particularly memorable, but he disappears for a fair amount of the film, which is frustrating, even if it is for story reasons. 

The film is directed by Kenji Kamiyama. Kamiyama works primarily in the anime style, and is most known for directing Blade Runner: Black Lotus and Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045 for Netflix. His vision for the character designs and the world was stunning. The choice to make the film in the anime style was brilliant as it added a sense of regality and maturity. Also, he had the actors perform their scenes with motion capture so his team could translate them into the 2-D animation. This over-and-above dedication to the performance aspect showed through, and I found it to be the highlight of the film. The score is the other aspect I kept my eye (or ear) out for. Instead of returning to Howard Shore who composed the original trilogy, the Hobbit trilogy, and even the main title theme to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Stephen Gallagher took over as the composer. He was the music editor of the Hobbit trilogy, so I assume he worked closely with Shore. While it’s impossible to live up to the magic Shore created all those years ago, Gallagher keeps the essence of the original films. For example, the overture combines themes from the original trilogy and new themes from this film to create a gorgeous piece.

When listing what makes a movie great, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim would likely check all the boxes. Beautiful animation? Check. Epic voice cast? Check. Solid writing and direction? Check. Yet somehow it is missing a certain je ne sais quoi that the other acclaimed live-action The Lord of the Rings adaptations have. Rumor is that Warner Bros pushed the production fast so they could maintain the rights to The Lord of the Rings, which unfortunately feels right up their alley. Another reason that the film might be at a disadvantage is that it’s the shortest of the adaptations of Tolkien’s work despite it being two hours and fourteen minutes. Although, that length is long for an animated film. Despite The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim not having Middle-earth changing consequences like The Lord of the Rings trilogy, as previously stated, the world is dense, and it needs room to breathe to soar. This indescribable quality that had viewers obsessed with the original isn’t here. But it certainly isn’t because it is an animated film, which I could easily see people say as an excuse. That would be a cop-out since animation is a medium that can enhance the fantastical elements of stories, not squash them. 

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim may not have the “it” factor, but it’s still a deserving entry into The Lord of the Rings canon. And the more I sit with it, the more it grows on me. There is something for everyone to enjoy, from die-hard fans to newcomers to the world. A superb voice cast and lovely animation are the highlights of the film. Even with all the many releases around Christmas time, it is worth making time for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. 

Grade: A-

Oscars Prospects:
Likely: None
Should be Considered: Best Animated Feature, Best Original Song

Where to Watch: In Theaters