THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM
Welcome back to Rohan, Middle-earth.
For the uninitiated, Rohan plays a critical role within Tolkien’s world, notably at Helm’s Deep from Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. And that is where we find ourselves. The events of The Lord Of The Rings: The War of the Rohirrim take place before the War of the Rings, give or take 200 years or so. It talks about how the ‘Hornburg Keep’ got its other name, ‘Helms Deep’.
In this adaptation of Tolkien’s work, the people of Rohan’s clans struggle to maintain an uneasy alliance as looming evil arrives on the horizon. For Gondor is still nowhere to be found.
This story is based on the war against the Dunlendings or Gwathuirim, ferocious and vicious wildmen that lived in Dunland, neighbors to Rohan, and how Helm Hammerhand, the First king of Rohan, took his people to refuge in the Hornburg Keep during the Long Winter of T.A. (Third Age) 2758–2759, 242 years before Frodo Baggins receives the One Ring.
Yes, in this piece, I will be THAT guy.
In 2001, Peter Jackson, for better or worse, became the singular pop-culture voice for ‘most’ things Lord of the Rings with the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. When it was announced that Jackson would be executive producing a new Lord of the Rings adaptation, I was, to say the least…intrigued.
When I learned of this concept, was I? Nah. I was hoping for an elf family saga of Elrond and Celebrían, Galadriel’s daughter, and their married life and the birth of Arwen, something involving the Ship-Kings of Gondor, or I wanted something fantastic that dug deep into Númenor. I know what you’re thinking. “But Philip, you could get that in Amazon’s The Rings of Power,” and to this, I say…”AND!”
I instead was treated to a story better suited for tavern stories told in the back rooms of a Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon brothel.
Let me first say that this work is stunning. The set pieces, the characters, and frankly, all the visuals reminded me of the first time I watched Lord of The Rings on the Big Screen. If it had been 20 years ago, I would have given this movie A’s, including the story. However, the story felt dated and like it wanted to cater more to a Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon audience than fans of Tolkien.
While a compelling character, Hera felt cliché in her struggle to be recognized by her father as a “real” warrior, which only comes when all male heirs become incapable of fulfilling their duties for various reasons. Realizing your daughter can face insurmountable evil when you don’t have any other choice because your male heirs can’t do it doesn’t count as an epiphany.
The story’s progression was predictable and unfun. While moments of her bravery were clearly shown, Hera’s hero journey felt more like that of a Disney princess coming into her own than that of a character from Middle-earth.
Overall, I expected more from this franchise after 20 years. The first time, they were discovering Middle-earth, so I forgave all the creative licenses that Jackson and Wingnut Productions took in making the original movies. This story felt safe, traditional, and by the numbers. In the end, I was watching a pointless filler episode in an anime series that was more a distraction from the actual story than an enhancement of it.
TL;DR, if you love the original movies, you will love the animated feature. Just don’t expect much.
And lastly…
STILL NO TOM BOMBADIL..!
