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While it’s been a decade since Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth saga was first in theaters, the enduring legacy of his Lord of the Rings trilogy has not dimmed. Box office numbers have continued to grow with repertory screenings of the blockbusters, and the adventures in the Rings of Power streaming series have given audiences more fuel for their imaginations.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Release Date: December 13, 2024
Directed By: Kenji Kamiyama
Written By: Jeffrey Addiss & Will Matthews and Phoebe Gittins & Arty Papageorgiou
Starring: Brian Cox, Gaia Wise, Luke Pasqualino, Lorraine Ashbourne, Yazdan Qafouri, Benjamin Wainwright, Laurence Ubong Williams, Shaun Dooley, Michael Wildman, Jude Akuwudike, Bilal Hasna, Janine Duvitski, and Miranda Otto .
Rating: PG-13 for strong violence.
Runtime: 134 minutes
The Lord of the Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim: Release Date, Cast, And More We Know About The Animated Fantasy Prequel Movie
Keeping all of that in mind, it seemed pretty inevitable that the franchise would return to the big screen – even through the The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim’s pivoting of the saga into the medium of anime is a surprise. Still, the love and craftsmanship of the previous cinematic entries has not been lost in the realm of animation. Between legendary director Kenji Kamiyama, and the presence of many Rings vets in the writer’s room helping to make the change, the result is a pleasantly strong one.
Taking inspiration from one of Tolkien’s various appendices, The War of the Rohirrim is focused on the kingdom of Rohan almost 200 years before The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The reign of Helm Hammerhand (Brian Cox) is thrown into chaos as former ally and now challenger Wulf (Luke Pasqualino) is seeking the crown as well as the hand of Helm’s daughter Héra (Gaia Wise) in marriage. As the “tearaway child” resists such demands, a conflict starts to form that threatens to either conquer Rohan, or snuff it out entirely.
With a story developed by Rings producer/fan Philippa Boynes along with further fleshing out by writers Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou, the film features no sacrifice in scope with the change in medium. If anything, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is firm proof that this story can thrive in any form, especially when the result looks this good.
Director Kenji Kamiyama’s animated foray with The War of the Rohirrim is a worthy continuation of Peter Jackson’s vision.
Just as the world of filmmaking can claim Peter Jackson as a masterful talent that crafts exacting visions in live-action, director Kenji Kamiyama’s reputation in the world of anime is a direct analog. The man who’s shepherded such hits as Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Eden of the East into life through sweeping series-long narratives can now add the legacy of The Lord of the Rings to his resume, as The War of the Rohirrim acts as a worthy expansion of Jackson’s cinematic vision.
The animation used to tell what is ultimately Héra’s story is breathtaking from the very first moments of the picture and never lets up. As we see the familiar threads of royal intrigue, the longing for a simpler time, and characters in crisis finding their true selves, it’s never distracting to think about how this is an animated entry in a primarily live-action canon. Come to think of it, that sort of concern isn’t really breached, as the tale being told is so engrossing on all fronts.
The voice acting cast is a show stopping compliment of talent as well, with Gaia Wise lending her humanity and authority to Héra as she tries to help her people as best as she can. And naturally, having Brian Cox as the voice behind Helm Hammerhand only adds further gravitas to both halves of that equation, further tying together the entire ensemble.
While not as long as a typical Lord of the Rings movie, War of the Rohirrim is just as detailed and epic to watch.
On all fronts, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim gives the world more of J.R.R. Tolkien’s rich history of Middle-earth by carefully crafting a story that only enhances the existing canon. There is a mixture of characters known from the deep lore of the texts as well as figures like Héra that come from something as simple as a couple of lines mentioning an unnamed character.
Much like with Rings of Power, the strength in returning to this series comes from choosing a period of time that doesn’t land too closely to what we’ve seen before. And what’s more, the running time of the movie is only a little longer than two hours. Whether or not there’s an Extended Edition in the works remains to be seen, but as is, this film feels as triumphantly epic as its forebearers.
That also leads to a storytelling choice that is perhaps the greatest departure from the Peter Jackson films, which is the lack of focus on the One Ring. While there’s an amusing easter egg that establishes that the hunt for The Ring is on, War of the Rohirrim’s narrative is an independent and more grounded story. As one of the darkest moments of humanity’s journey through this fantasy universe is depicted, we’re treated to actual human drama being the proper fuel for all decisions made.
Nowhere is that better seen than in Luke Pasqualino’s performance as Wulf, the antagonist who starts out trying to wed his childhood friend and unrequited love. As his story progresses, the evil in his heart isn’t one of intoxication by the ultimate source of power but rather a very mortal greed and entitlement that consumes his soul. This brand of villainy works in the long view as well, as humanity’s reputation of corruption continues to blossom through such a convincing portrayal.
Both a refreshing departure and a comforting return, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim beautifully ushers in a new age of Tolkien-storytelling.
If anything, The Lord of the Rings: The War for the Rohirrim’s “street level” adventure in J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy universe might be the antidote for those who think the franchise has rested on its laurels. What’s even more interesting about this is the fact that while Peter Jackson never visited Middle-earth through animation, generations of fans had Ralph Bakshi’s versions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to grow up on.
For those loyalists, this could be considered a homecoming, as the grand vision has been allowed to stun us all with a colorfully vibrant anime spectacle. While it certainly won’t be an unwelcomed prospect for this iconic series of good and evil to eventually return to live-action, there should be great thought given to setting aside some more non-traditional tales that can still shine brightly in animated form.
With the live-action portion of this saga traditionally dropping in the December timeframe, it admittedly feels good to have a Lord of the Rings picture heading to theaters adhering to that sort of schedule. Thankfully, those good feelings aren’t limited to nostalgic warmth, as The War for the Rohirrim embodies its own heroine’s fiery nature. Blazing its own trail that parallels its flesh and blood siblings, while also respectfully doing its own thing, this is the sort of expansion that properly revitalizes a well-known franchise.