REVIEW: "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim" (2024)

 

WRITERS NOTE: The following was originally posted on my Facebook page on December 30, 2024. 

The creators of the live-action Lord of the Rings and Hobbit film trilogies return to J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary world of Middle-earth for the first time in ten years. For the spin-off animated feature, The War of the Rohirrim (which follows in the tradition of adaptations from Rankin-Bass and Ralph Baskhi, among others), co-producers Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens enlisted animation director Kenji Kamiyama (Netflix’s Blade Runner: Black Lotus) to present a new story and fresh take in the style of Japanese animé. 

Set nearly 200 years before the events of The Hobbit, Rohirrim provides the backstory of the fortress of Helm’s Deep—the setting of the climatic battle in The Two Towers film, whose imprints are all over this film as well. More specifically, this story focuses on the people and kingdom of Rohan, led by the mighty king Helm Hammerhand (voiced by Brian Cox), his line of sons, and his sole daughter. When the Dunlending lord Freca appears before Helm with his son Wulf (voiced by Luke Pasqualino) asking Helm’s daughter Héra (voiced by Gaia Wise) in marriage to supposedly bring their kingdoms together, Helm refuses, leading to an intense brawl that unintentionally kills Freca. 

Except for appearances from orcs, massive eagles, and references to one or two wizards, the titular and all-powerful Rings, and other events to come, there are no elves or dwarves or hobbits in this story. Rohirrim is primarily a human drama. And an engrossing one at that. Its subplot about Héra and Wulf as old childhood friends turned enemies finds the latter driven by rage, vengeance, cowardice, and misguided ambitions, while the former has to deal with complex family dynamics and conflicts, despite her array of fearless skills in horse riding and combat. Héra is arguably the strongest female character in this world since Eyown (first played by Miranda Otto in The Two Towers, and who narrates this film). 

Rohirrim refers to the horsemen of Rohan, and the new film puts an emphasis on the “older tales” of Middle-earth, recalling Galadriel’s opening lines from The Fellowship of the Ring: “Some things that should not have been forgotten were lost.” From the opening frame and narration, I was reminded of the themes in this year’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, in terms of old and/or unheard-of stories being told and preserved for future generations. Original orchestral themes by Howard Shore serve as connecting dots in composer Stephen Gallagher’s powerful score. 

Fitting for an animé feature as well as an epic adventure, the film has hard-hitting violence, action, and a booming sound design. Not to mention intense and scary images, including a demonic-looking Mumukil (war elephant), a grotesque sea monster, some freaky orcs, and at least two shocking deaths. More discerning viewers should also be aware of some dark spiritual elements, concerning ghostly wraiths. To be fair, this story doesn’t glamorize devastation or death, reminding viewers of the horror and heartbreak involved. And despite a few plot holes regarding the aforementioned spirituality and some genre clichés, Tolkien’s themes are still there, including overcoming grief and betrayal, not giving into despair, making noble sacrifices for the sake of others, and giving others hope for a better future and a better world. As Héra is told, “You can choose how this ends.” Indeed. 

Distributed by New Line Cinema and produced by Warner Bros Animation and Wingnut Films, Rohirrim features intricate and striking art direction and design (that siege tower is an incredible set piece), and strong characters. Franchise veterans Alan Lee and John Howe are credited as conceptual designers. I’m so glad I was able to catch this in the cinema. I was thoroughly engaged. It’s a self-contained story that does in over two hours what the Hobbit trilogy should’ve done in less than nine hours put together. The War of the Rohirrim ranks as the best LOTR movie since the original trilogy. It’s that good. Or should I say, precious? 

#filmfreeq #bekerianreviews #21stcenturycinema #newlinecinema #warnerbrosanimation #domainentertainment #wingnutfilms #kenjikamiyama #thelordoftherings #thewaroftherohirrim2024

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