The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a tale from J.R.R. Tolkien's appendices, specifically from the 'House of Eorl' section. Set nearly 200 years before the original trilogy, this film details the end of the reign of Helm Hammerhand and a moment of civil war within the lands of Rohan.
This film is nice as an invitation back into the world of Middle-earth, from the opening map sprawl there is a sense of return to a world that holds a lot of intrigue to the audience. When this film took the time to sit in the worldbuilding it was quite marvellous, it gave us such an incredible glimpse into the history of Rohan in particular. I loved seeing beasts like the Giant Eagles, the Orcs and even the Oliphaunts which placed us in the more fantastical elements of this setting. The political sparring (and physical) between Helm and his rival, Freca, resulted in a great moment of tension that created discord in the region for years after. Watching Wulf's campaign turn to this bloodthirsty revenge narrative poised to expunge Helm's line from the annals of history is a strong conflict and brings the feature to a neat boiling point.
Stephen Gallagher does the score for this film and it is the single greatest thing about the feature. The music draws on old scores from the original trilogy to evoke that familiarity with the world, but it paints a colourful tapestry in this work too. Moments of calamity will rattle you, tragedy is a mournful dirge and battle will fill you with adrenaline too. I must also note Paris Paloma's 'The Rider', which is a gorgeous credits track.
Lorraine Ashbourne, who voiced Olwyn, was one of my favourite characters in the film; she had a quiet fire to her that made you realise the full extent of her warrior background. Benjamin Wainwright, who voiced Haleth, isn't the most noteworthy character but he does feel like a classic hero; Wainwright really shines in moments of his battle where his character's voice gets to shine. Yazdan Qafouri, who voiced Hama, is a very gentle and almost elegant figure in this; he's not a warrior son of Helm but he still rises above so noble regardless. Laurence Ubong Williams, who voiced Fréalaf, is another favourite character of mine in the film; Williams' character radiates goodness and honour that make him a true champion of Rohan.
However, the best performance came from Brian Cox, who voiced Helm Hammerhand. There is something to be said for being the most seasoned and decorated actor in an otherwise quite inexperienced cast. Cox demands attention through Helm, he radiates power and authority in equal measure. This is the sort of character who holds his reign with an ironclad grip, quite literally in a few scenes. He speaks with genuine affection for his family and speaks to the honour of Rohan the way a figure of majesty would. Watching Cox present moments of grief for his sons, or apology to his on-screen daughter or even the challenge in Helm's last stand resulted in some of my very favourite scenes of the film.
There is a part of me that wonders if there is a more interesting story to tell or a better way for this one to be told. War of the Rohirrim exists in the space of a wider franchise and feels like a slighter offering when held against other cinematic entries. The reasoning is that the film just comes off as a bit simple at times, Héra's rebellion to normal gender roles isn't really given much central focus and it's hardly something new, even for Lord of the Rings. More than this the film is poised as a simple good versus evil, which is fine but could have been fleshed out more. It just boils down to Wulf versus Helm and his line, there'll be an ultimate winner and Rohan will go on. The film doesn't venture off this path and as a result, there aren't really any twists or turns for the audience. The film moves quite slowly, the entire second act is our main characters hiding in Helm's Deep, licking their wounds and talking about what happens next or hatching escape plans. It really drags the momentum down and the film comes to an uncomfortable crawl only offset by Helm's demise.
War of the Rohirrim is perhaps the ugliest adaptation of Tolkien's work I have watched thus far. The animation is jarring and often moves in an inorganic way. The character models feel off and don't do a very good job of planting me in the setting, with some fantasy elements feeling entirely contrary to the design of a Tolkien creation. The animation is what this film is built around and the fact that it doesn't work means this film becomes a very difficult piece to sit and watch at times.
Gaia Wise, who voiced Héra, isn't a particularly engaging protagonist for much of the movie; Wise really over-delivers on her lines making this character come off as quite heightened a lot. Miranda Otto, who voiced Éowyn, is a dull and inconsistent narrator; Otto's character in the original trilogy was great but there is never a moment in this film that justifies the need for having her as a narrator. Luca Pasqualino, who voiced Wulf, is a very generic antagonist performance; Pasqualino just shouts his lines and paints a very stereotypical revenge-motivated villain. Shaun Dooley, who voiced Freca, is a gruff and blustery voice that isn't particularly impressionable; Dooley gives a bully of a brute and the depth isn't much deeper than that. Michael Wildman, who voiced General Targg, is a bit too lacking in presence to make his mark in this film; the General has a few good moments to shine with Pasqualino's Wulf but they are blips in the narrative. Bilal Hasna, who voiced Lief, is a nice reminder that child characters in anime can oftentimes be the most annoying; this character was my least favourite in the cast by a mile.
A Tolkien adaptation is always put on such a pedestal that reaching such a high bar is difficult. I would give The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim a 6/10.
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