Hal Kitchen
The works of J.R.R. Tolkien are currently going through what could generously be called a renaissance. They’re back in the zeitgeist, let’s say, with Amazon’s flagship Rings of Power series plowing ahead despite its divisive reception and falling viewership. It came out at the same time as House of the Dragon and while each episode of the latter had me more and more invested, I found myself caring less and less about the sprawling mess that Rings of Power was establishing itself as and tapped out around episode four to concentrate on shipping Caraxes and Syrax. In an attempt to capitalize on the “renewed interest” in Tolkien’s works, the studios behind the Lord of the Rings (New Line) and The Hobbit (Warner Bros) trilogies once again joined forces to squeeze some blood from the stones of Middle Earth. Here I’m drawn to House of the Dragon comparison again as like that series, based on George R.R. Martin’s fictional history delving into the backstory of the Targaryen throne Fire & Blood, The War of the Rohirrim is also based in the history books of middle earth, set almost exactly as long before the main series as House of the Dragon is. So no, that’s not Eowyn and Eomer and Theoden you see in the trailer, it’s their ancestors Hera, Frealaf and Helm. Yes, we are about to learn who Helm Hammerhand was and why Theoden thought it such a big deal for his “horn to sound in the deep once more”. Like House of the Dragon, The War of the Rohirrim takes in-universe legends whose function is principally to mirror events in the main series, and fleshing them out into their own largely original narrative.
The film opens with Hera (Gaia Wise) an original character constructed as point of view for the civil war between her father King Helm (Brian Cox) and rebellious exile Wulf (Luke Pasqualino). Wulf’s father Freca (Shaun Dooley) tries to arrange a marriage between childhood friends Wulf and Hera but Helm refuses, enraging Freca. A challenge ensues that leaves Freca dead and the wrathful Wulf exiled, determined to win vengeance for his father and his own promised bride. Thus the stage is set for war.
Animated adaptations of Tolkien have a checkered history, and it’s not hard to say that The War of the Rohirrim is the best of them yet. It would not however be difficult for a subsequent attempt to surpass it as it does have some major issues, but it’s consistent with its world, tone and animation in a way that something like Ralph Bakshi’s fascinating mess The Lord of the Rings just isn’t. In the hands of Kenji Kamiyama (Napping Princess) The War of the Rohirrim presents a vision of Rohan that is contiguous with that of the Peter Jackson version, while tipped with a more stoic, brutish edge. It’s less classic high-fantasy and more modern grim-dark, giving certain scenes a real unexpected gravitas. The conflict here is not between men and orcs but men and men, and so the battle here is less black and white, less conventionally heroic, and much morally greyer. In that too, it put me in mind of Martin’s writing, a high compliment. It’s here that The War of the Rohirrim excels the most, presenting the viewer with characters more conflicted, vainglorious and tragic than we are used to seeing in adaptations of Tolkein’s work. Helm is kingly and beloved but still a proud, stubborn tyrant. Wulf is brutal and consumed with bloodlust, but the world has undoubtedly treated him unfairly, made him the victim of prejudice and made him inherit his father’s sins. For her part, Hera is certainly the most heroic character in the story, her only real character flaw is that she is evidently afflicted with a curse that means she will drop dead if she is not serving hair, face, and body every moment she’s onscreen. Tens across the board Hera: just look at that dress!
The plot is a vague echo of the events of The Two Towers, with the film’s latter half devoted to the clash of two armies at the Hornburg (we shall see how it earns the name of Helm’s Deep), but the handling of these two set pieces gives us a clear indication of the different priorities of the two stories. The Two Towers gives us a violent climactic battle where our intrepid heroes hold out against a horde of monsters, while The War of the Rohirrim is an ugly protracted siege and even its acts of great heroism are tipped with tragedy and vanity. Wulf is a great antagonist, monstrous and pathetic in equal measure, and his determination to bring down a system that destroyed his family is catalyst to tremendous suffering.
The animation is where The War of the Rohirrim lets it down. It looks incredible in still images and yes it frequently is, the designs are memorable, the action is intense and impactful and some of these backgrounds are stunning, but the details of quieter moments, the way some characters move and the occasionally very awkward framing of some shots all leave something to be desired. The worst offender on this front is Freca, whose movements are so stiff and unnatural, he gestures so robotically.
The film does lean on its prequel status somewhat, though nowhere near as much as the trailer would suggest. We do get some slightly gratuitous appearances by the Mubak and The Watcher in the Water but a little bit of fan-service is forgivable as long as it is genuinely cool, as here. The marketing does seem desperate to link the story here to the Peter Jackson trilogy as much as possible, and there are even voice cameos by Miranda Otto, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd and even the late Christopher Lee via an old dialogue recording, not an A.I. replacement thank god! These additions are fairly unobtrusive for the most part, the story at hand is placed above nostalgia. Of the new voice cast the real standout is Brian Cox as the fearsome King Helm. His imposing voice is well utilized as the badass old warrior and he handles the moments of vulnerability especially well too.
The War of the Rohirrim does have issues but it’s strong enough where it counts. It has a focused story and well defined characters and though inconsistent, the animation is at least pretty. An anime adaptation of middle-earth has surely featured in a lot of people’s dreams and although it may not live up to the ideal, The War of the Rohirrim is a convincingly epic telling of a remote history of Tolkien’s world that should please fans and may well surprise casual viewers.
