“The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim”: An Animated Return to Middle-earth
This co-production between the United States and Japan takes inspiration from Peter Jackson’s famous adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work.
Summary
183 years before The Fellowship of the Ring, a conflict between Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan, and a Dundenling lord escalates into a war. Danger forces Helm and his people to take refuge in the Hornbug—a fortress that would later be known as Helm’s Deep.
When terrible loses desolate them, Hera, daughter of Helm, must find the strength to lead her people and save them from destruction.
Lord of the Rings Has Another Prequel
After being blessed with the second season of Amazon’s Rings of Power, the entertainment industry was good enough to provide us with yet another LOTR project. As a disclaimer, I’m not an expert in neither Tolkien’s work nor in anime, which should be kept in mind.
If I had to give a general opinion, it would be positive. Even though I was probably not the target audience, I had a good time watching this. However, in terms of rhythm, the film falters from time to time, becoming boring at moments. It’s also way too long for its own good, extending for over two hours.
The plot is alright. There are quite a few things that seem to happen only because the script says so (conveniently, when the protagonist needs it) but are never as painfully obvious as to ruin the experience.
To my untrained eyes, the animation looks good, even impressive at some points, but I’ve been hearing people that know more about anime than me criticizing it, the first few minutes of the film in particular.
Hera: A Courageous Protagonist or Mary Sue?
This is one of the points that divided the audiences the most: is our main character a feminist insert into Tolkien’s world? That’s hard to answer, but I suppose there must be some reason why the people behind this film chose to invent a character from zero. Had they told the story of Helm Hammerhand, it would have been better received by fans.
Hera is written to be extraordinary. As every independent protagonist, she doesn’t want to get married; she is a wonderful rider, and can fight when necessary, even against people much bigger than her. She is the one who knows what to do at every turn, but men usually don’t listen to her. The film even starts with Éowyn’s voice saying Hera’s story and name would not be remembered in great tales or songs. Why would that be? The evil patriarchy will probably erase her out of jealousy for her greatness.
However, all these things don’t sit badly with you while you’re watching the movie. At least not as badly as they could. And that is because Hera is not really a disagreeable character. She doesn’t have a very defined personality (besides being the smartest and most capable person in the room), but there are some redeemable qualities that can be pointed at. She is kind, unlike the typical rude and bossy feminist, and she has a deep love for her father and brothers. In fact, losing them is a challenge she has to overcome during the story.
Box Office Results
Unfortunately for The War of the Rohirrim, the box office results are nothing to be excited about. The global gross amounts to over $10.000.000, with a budget of around $30.000.000, according to the rumors.
And I know the motivation behind this project was making sure New Line Cinema could protect the rights to adapt the source material, but having such a modest response for something Lord of the Rings-related is sad. It doesn’t have to do with a lack of interest in Tolkien’s work, but with a lack of interest in what Hollywood is making with it. The Hobbit films are not remembered warmly, and don’t get me started on The Rings of Power. Why would people show up to watch a new project with that precedent?
I’ve become interested in Lord of the Rings myself not that long ago. I watched all three of Peter Jackson’s movies back to back when they were re-released in theaters last year, and I was mesmerized. The experience even encouraged me to read the books, which I’m currently doing (I’m half-way through The Two Towers). The connection with the story was instantaneous. While The War of the Rohirrim is not bad at all, it’s incapable of achieving that kind of impact on the audience.
On the bright side, at least it’s better than The Rings of Power.
