Film Review: The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Director: Kenji Kamiyama
Sola Entertainment, WingNut Films
In Theaters: 12.12

If you’re a fan of Peter Jackson’s adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved The Lord of the Rings trilogy, you likely remember the battle of Helm’s Deep in The Two Towers as one of the most gripping sections of the entire series. If you also recall the references to the great King Helm Hammerhand and have wanted to see his story, the first anime entry in the franchise, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, is for you.

The new film takes place 183 years before the events of The Lord of the Rings, though they are linked by a familiar voice: Éowyn, Princess of Rohan (Miranda Otto, returning in her most famous role), narrates the epic and tragic legend of King Helm Hammerhand (Brian Cox, Braveheart, Succession) and his family. The brutish Lord Freca of Westmarch (Shaun Dolley, Changing Ends) proposes an alliance of the kingdoms through a marriage between his son Wulf (Luke Pasqualino, The Musketeers) and Helm’s daughter Héra (Gaia Wise, A Walk in the Woods). The king refuses, and these are fighting words to Freca. When the men step outside for fisticuffs, the mighty Helm accidentally kills Freca with a single well-placed punch. Wulf is enraged, in part by the death of his father, but more so from being spurned by his unrequited love since childhood. His thirst for vengeance quickly leads to an all-out war. As Wulf’s forces lay siege to the Hornburg Fortress—later known as Helm’s Deep—the people of Rohan are forced to make a desperate stand. Amid the chaos, caught between Helm’s stubbornness and Wulf’s rage, Héra finds the strength to rise to the occasion and be the heroic figure that her people need to win the day.

Director Kenji Kamiyama (Ultraman, Ghost in the Shell) nicely works within the established scope and style of Jackson’s film (the movie gets a lot of mileage out of the choice to sample Howard Shore’s magnificent Helm’s Deep theme liberally), though he does so while remaining true to himself as a filmmaker, bringing plenty of his signature flair. The action is a lot of fun, and the fight sequences employ heightened anime sensibilities, with characters suddenly developing superhuman agility, strength and acrobatic skill. However, it’s not really any more outrageous than the over-the-top action in the second and third Hobbit films. The War of the Rohirrim has its fair share of action, though I’d stop short of categorizing it strictly as an action film, a war movie or even as fantasy. It’s perhaps best described as a legend, the kind that minstrels sing about and storytellers utter to a crowd gathered around a roaring fire. While the plot may seem a bit thin by the standards of the other films, it’s engaging and quite entertaining. For the most part, it avoids making the mistake the Hobbit trilogy did, trying to cram in more than is necessary, though it does have a couple of token Tolkien references to remind us that it’s all interconnected, foreshadowing what is to come. 

The voice cast is excellent, with Wise bringing a grand presence to Héra, and Lorraine Ashbourne (Blinded by the Light) shining in the role of Olwyn, the last of the famed warriors known as the shield maidens of Rohan. If Ashbourne’s name seems familiar to obsessive fans, it’s because Andy Serkis, perhaps the series’ most iconic actor, put a ring on her in 2002—though this is hardly stunt casting. Ashbourne proved with Hitpig! that she can do stellar work even with weak material, and she’s quickly becoming a personal favorite. Cox brings gravity and prestige as Helm, and the performance packs almost as much punch as Hammerhand himself.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim is somewhat of a niche movie since it’s unlikely to do much for you if you’re not already a fan. Nevertheless, it may draw in some anime lovers who aren’t necessarily die-hard Tolkien enthusiasts. As first animated installments go, it’s certainly stronger than the theatrical Star Wars: The Clone Wars film, and I wouldn’t mind seeing more in the same vein as Warner Bros. continues to mine the property, looking for another precious hit at the box office. –Patrick Gibbs 

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