The Wasteland Reviewer

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024) Written Review

How many other stories can be told in the world of Middle Earth? J.R.R. Tolkien had created a vast world with ages of history for creators to explore as they played around his sandbox. We have seen Amazon launch an enormous series about the Second Age of Middle Earth based on footnotes. We hear Warner Bros announcing films based on a paragraph from one of The Lord of the Rings novels. You would expect a big story to come to the screen in a big and exciting way. A whole crew of writers saw potential in the tale of Helm Hammerhand and his daughter Hera as they defended the fortress that would soon be called Helm’s Deep. That is the basis for the new anime The War of the Rohirrim. 

But who would you have behind the camera to bring this to life? The legendary filmmaker Kenji Kamiyama took the reins on this project and brought it to life on a big epic anime scale. Kamiyama has made a career in anime circles doing a lot of work on the Ghost in the Shell franchise and finds his way into a whole new frontier…Middle Earth. The Middle Earth that is brought to life in The War of the Rohirrim is striking in its animated form. The character designs are detailed and effective. The beautiful world of Middle Earth is breathtaking in this new medium of visual splendor. The film also feels the weight of its story even if it is smaller in scale than The War of the Ring. You can feel how grand Kamiyama is attempting to make it feel. It is certainly not his doing why it doesn’t fully. The pacing is not the best as there are clear moments that could have been tightened for sure. Music certainly goes a long way in crafting grand scale and emotion (it delivers time and time again). Stephen Gallagher does a great job honoring the work of Howard Shore while offering something with its own feeling. 

What about this story? The origin story of Helm’s Deep and one that puts a spotlight on a character like Helm Hammerhand is quite exciting. The lampshading does get annoying at times and takes away from the strength of this story, but this prequel does a good job of expanding the world and lore or Rohan. Hammerhand is a strong and imposing figure who has one of the hardest scenes of heroism you will see in all The Lord of the Rings. His daughter, Hera, is the true hero of the story even if she comes off quite familiar (like Rey from A Force Awakens or even Galadriel from The Rings of Power). She doesn’t go through a lot of growth and is just looking for her chance to shine. The main inciting incident is revenge and unfortunately never feels deeper thanks to the petty and underwritten antagonist Wulf. That character gets quite annoying after a while and the illogical actions of everyone around his obvious devious behavior become annoying as well. There are plenty of narrative beats that feel wholly derivative of The Two Towers and a few characters feel shoehorned in for fan service. This is also a story that does not warrant its LONG runtime as this could have been quite a bit leaner in the end. 

But what are the elements that do stand out well? There are a pair of strong vocal performances that sell this film well. Brian Cox brings so much power and presence as Helm. His iconic voice is full of resonance and brings so much added wisdom and strength to a character who is defined by it. Gaia Wise is tasked with bringing the protagonist (Hera) to life. Even if her character is not the most dynamic or interesting, Wise brings plenty of earnestness to Hera. We can empathize with her thanks to the work by Wise. There is a nice inclusion of Miranda Otto who returns as the voice of Eowyn who narrates this story. That is a nice device borrowed from The Lord of the Rings that feels effective as she recounts the tale of this strong woman in the history of Rohan. There are some other characters like Olwyn (Hera’s right hand) who bring some charm to the story as well. The inclusion of the eagles is an exciting addition (even if they are mechanisms for convenience). 

Does The War of the Rohirrim get you excited for more adventures in Middle Earth? The anime approach was inspired as that is one of the biggest standouts of the film. A tighter and less bloated approach to the writing would be a big addition to any future projects. Underdeveloped elements of the story and characters keep this film from fully soaring. The visuals and action paired with some strong voice performances mix together to create a fine addition to the world of Middle Earth.