by Nick Ferro, Contributing Writer
My love of the Lord of the Rings franchise is, relative to others, not that old, but apparently the stupid calendar says it’s going on 25 years now, so I don’t love that. But in comparison to how long this property has existed, and the number of additional existing reading materials which I have never looked into, I think it’s safe to say that I casually love the franchise. There is something about this world that hits me with the right amount of awe and nostalgia, in that whenever I watch something new set in Middle-earth, I have an incredible soft spot for it. When The Rings of Power came out, I felt like one of the only people who actually enjoyed the show. I have seen Season One three times now, and while I can understand why people aren’t sold on it, it just gives me a feeling that makes me happy to live in this world which Tolkien created with words and Peter Jackson brought to life on the big screen. So when I saw the previews for the animated The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, I was sold — there was nothing that would stop me from seeing it as soon as humanly possible.
Set 183 years before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring, War of the Rohirrim is the “untold” story of Héra (Gaia Wise), daughter of king Helm “Hammerhand” of Rohan (Brian Cox). When she refuses to marry Wulf (Luca Pasqualino), son of Freca (Shaun Dooley), Freca takes offense and challenges Helm to a duel. Unfortunately for Freca, Helm kills him with all the difficulty that Elle Woods had getting into Harvard Law. This causes Wulf to declare war on Rohan, which forces Héra to abandon Edoras and lead her people to what fans of the series would call Helm’s Deep. The reason I put “untold” in quotes is because this story was taken from Tolkien’s appendices that catalogued the reign of King Helm Hammerhand. Héra is mentioned only as an unnamed daughter, and the appendices are very vague regarding the details of the events. One would think that the bones of this outline would make for an excellent story to expand into something grander. One would think.
Unfortunately, the story the filmmakers created in order to expand upon the lore is a bit undercooked for my liking. I am always a story-first kind of guy, and this one is lacking. There are some great moments, like the escape/rescue from Isengard, which features some excellent action moments. The ghost of Helm’s Deep sequence is also really well done and compelling. But the overall story is not new or interesting. Imagine all the slower parts of The Two Towers where the people are waiting for the orcs to attack Helm’s Deep, but then you never get that battle, nor do you get the intercutting with another interesting story like Sam and Frodo. You’re just stuck in Helm’s Deep waiting for something to happen. But like The Two Towers, this movie is also more than two hours long.
One thing I really wanted to love about War of the Rohirrim was the introduction of a new female lead to the franchise. The movie is narrated by Éowyn, with Miranda Otto returning to voice her character, and from the first minute, you can’t help but start to compare the best female character of the original trilogy to our new lead. Sadly, Héra just doesn’t match up to Éowyn in any way. Héra feels like a character written and animated by men who were encouraged by producers to create a “strong female lead” to attract teenage boys to the franchise. Right from the start, we are told that she was raised by men with her brothers, she rides horses and gets into fights and doesn’t do lady things! She’s rough! And likes dirt! And wears armor! But not practical armor — skintight, sexy armor! The whole thing is incredibly disappointing and rather degrading, especially in 2024 when women are finally being given a chance in movies and TV to be strong characters in their own right, written from the perspective of actual women. They aren’t just men in women suits anymore. And this annoys me, because as the father of two daughters who is trying desperately to introduce Lord of the Rings to them, I was hoping this would be the movie to turn them around on the franchise. They could see themselves on screen and say, “Hey, maybe this Lord of the Rings thing is for me.” But I don’t know if I want them taking the wrong lessons away from this movie. The “girl power” aspect of the film is too surface level and not genuine, and you can tell throughout.
On the flip side, what I did really like about this movie was the visuals of the animation. An interesting mix of CGI backgrounds and set pieces, and a hand-drawn character style are blended together almost seamlessly. I say almost, because it may take you a minute toward the beginning before you get used to it. However, once you do, the animation format is an interesting and creative choice. This isn’t animation that should win any awards, but it brings to life the setting in a way that suits the story. I also just love living in this world, so to see the plains of Rohan, Edoras, Isengard, and Helm’s Deep recreated in animation ran the risk of feeling fake, but I felt like I was back watching the original trilogy.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim may have been a movie made in haste in order for a studio to retain the film rights, but it wasn’t as big of a mess as it could have been. It was certainly not given the time and attention that it needed, nor did it have a writing team that was given enough time to deliver a solid script that would present us with a story as grand as the Lord of the Rings trilogy. But it also is as messy as The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies either, so that’s a win… right?
I think this would make a fine streaming movie, but I am glad I got to see in theaters. Unfortunately, it was given way too much esteem for what it actually ended up being. That is what tends to happen when a studio is desperate for attention. “Hey! Remember that thing you loved?” I don’t love that these big studios keep doing this, but I don’t see them stopping anytime soon. Maybe we’ll get lucky and an eagle will bring them a new franchise to abuse!
Rating: It Was Just Okay
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is currently playing in theaters
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