War of the Rohirrim: Worth the Hype?

    For geeks everywhere, The Lord of the Rings franchise is a monolith in fantasy literature and film, originating from J. R. R. Tolkien's richly imagined Middle-earth. Ever since the universe’s conception in The Silmarillion, Tolkien's works have transformed into a globally recognized tale of primordial evil and countless generations of heroism. Peter Jackson’s film adaptations of the original trilogy have established a high bar for the level of immersion and worldbuilding of Middle-earth, telling powerful stories of loss and hope that resonate with all types of fans. With its booming success, the Lord of the Rings franchise has enjoyed an expansion into a variety of formats, like video games, movies, and now an animated film. The latest addition, The War of the Rohirrim, explores the history of Rohan and the legendary battle of Helm's Deep, offering fans another look at ancient stories written in the all-encompassing Silmarillion. 

As a child, I read all of Tolkien’s books at my leisure, watching all of the films as they were released. I even braved the Silmarillion in middle school, a convoluted yet delightful mess of lore and history detailing the ancestry of all of my favorite characters. After the disappointment of Amazon Prime’s “Rings of Power”, I feared that any future adaptations of Tolkien’s vision were doomed. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the production quality of New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Animation’s newest work. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is set about 200 years before the events of the Fellowship, revolving around King Helm Hammerhand of Rohan and his daughter, Héra. This prequel reveals the untold story of the war at Helm’s Deep in a nostalgic 90s anime style, breaking into the media of animation within Tolkien’s world for the first time in decades.

Visually, it’s well executed. Overlooking some janky frames and frozen facial expressions, it’s gorgeous- the film’s landscapes are very immersive, and battle scenes are both well choreographed and well animated. However, the landscapes shine about the characters themselves. At times, the characters are very visibly on a different visual layer than the landscape, with their art styles differing just enough to be noticeable. Given the cohesiveness of the rest of the visuals, this difference feels unintentional, and takes away from the overall immersion somewhat. The character designs leave something to be desired, as well- they lack inspiration and creativity. Without knowing this was a LOTR film, it wouldn’t be easily distinguishable as a Tolkien work. In this way, it feels more like a knock-off than a spin-off of the original story, which isn’t necessarily a detriment to the production itself. This, however, is an important thing to keep in mind before watching it- maintaining standards on par to Jackson’s works is misguided, as far as this film is concerned.

While the plot is interesting on a first cursory look, it falls into predictability as the film progresses. I found myself predicting the ending far before Héra’s story was decided. A duel between her and Wulf was inevitable, and the outcome of the fight was obvious. The ending felt overly positive, especially in context of the misery of Helm’s Deep prior to the final confrontation. Despite these flaws, the film still maintains its emotional weight and suspenseful moments, especially at the emergence of Helm as a wraith-like figure wreaking havoc on Wulf’s troops.

For Tolkien fanboys and girls, The War of the Rohirrim is a welcome addition to the franchise’s lore. While it’s no Jackson production, it captures the essence of his vision, which is more than enough to make it a worthwhile watch. While it ultimately falls short of the achievements of its forerunners, managing expectations and appreciating new media inclusions is more important than any comparisons. Amidst the oversaturated genre of high fantasy, it stands its ground, and I predict it will continue to do so for years to come.