Fans of J. R. R. Tolkien’s famed fantasy universe are going to experience some of its lore in a whole new way when the prequel The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim hits the 2024 movie calendar. For the first time, anime is being used to expand Middle-earth, as the prequel will dive into a pivotal part of its previously unexplored history. First reactions to the new LOTR film had critics split, with many saying the animation was beautiful but the story was lacking — and long, with its runtime exceeding two hours. Now that they are able to expound on their initial thoughts, let’s see what they have to say.
The story centers around Helm Hammerhand (Brian Cox) and his daughter Héra (Gaia Wise), who must defend their kingdom from revenge-seeking Dunlendings. It takes place 183 years before the events of Peter Jackson’s trilogy, which is especially important to know if you want to watch The Lord of the Rings movies in order. Grab your completely impractical War of the Rohirrim popcorn bucket and see what the critics have to say.
Fred Topel of UPI calls this a satisfying entry into the LOTR saga, even saying it surpasses the live-action Hobbit series with its exciting action and gorgeous animation. Topel writes:
War of the Rohirrim is action-packed. [Director Kenji Kamiyama’s] team drew exciting sword fights, escapes from capture and horse pursuits by archers. The battles capture the epic feel of the live-action films. When giant elephants topple, the damage they do is palpable, even when it’s animated. … The artwork is beautiful. The mountains and rocks almost look real, while people and creatures look like those of Hayao Miyazaki or other anime artists.
David Ehrlich of IndieWire, meanwhile, says it was a good idea in theory to combine The Lord of the Rings with a Studio Ghibli homage, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Ehrlich gives the movie a C-, crediting the filmmakers for attempting to do something fresh, even if the result falls short. The critic says:
Most of the action here is far too stilted to engage with, and layering it with occasional echoes of Howard Shore’s immortal score for The Two Towers only enhances the vertigo-like prequelitis of a movie that makes it feel like Rohan’s best days are behind and ahead of it all at once. Needless to say, it makes all too much sense that Héra’s legend has been forgotten by the time that Aragorn and his friends arrive in her father’s kingdom some two centuries later.
Emma Stefansky of IGN gives it a “Good” 6 out of 10, while echoing the above assessment in saying the inspired idea behind the project is lacking in execution. The critic is conflicted, though, praising the “pretty good” story but admitting “I don’t think I’ll ever feel the need to watch this one again.” Stefansky continues:
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is more interesting as a concept than as a finished film, with a runtime that will test the limits of even the most seasoned anime fans. Director Kenji Kamiyama’s foray into the world of Middle-earth is thrilling at times, but dull at others, with a choppy animation style and a plot made up of recycled bits of more beloved films that only serve to remind you of something else you wish you were watching instead.
Josh Slater-Williams of GamesRadar gives the movie 2.5 out of 5 stars, saying The War of the Rohirrim is one of the more uninspired examples of an English-language property being given an anime makeover. The story feels like it was written by an algorithm, the critic says, continuing:
The War of the Rohirrim is an interesting case where a film’s potential strengths directly feed into its failings. On the one hand, it’s refreshing to get an ostensibly smaller-scale tale set in this universe, where the main antagonist is just a human rather than a magic-user or mythical creature. On the other hand, that this entry in a fantasy series is relatively light on fantastical elements … doesn’t help to disguise the lack of flavor to this lethargically-paced story. The assembled voice cast gives it their all, but none of these characters pop in a memorable way like even some of the supporting Rohirrim players from Jackson’s films.
Pete Hammond of Deadline says it’s clear in the LOTR: The War of the Rohirrim trailer that the filmmakers want to lure in the Peter Jackson faithful, and they might succeed, despite this being pretty far down on the list of this year’s best animated movies. Hammond continues:
Although not hitting us emotionally on the scale of the live action films, Kamiyama has produced a visual landscape that at times, through use of motion capture, models, and hand drawn animation do register a striking visual motif, not what we have previously associated with the cinematic efforts at Tolkein, but a world of its own merged with more allegiance to Jackson than Tolkein. The question is will fans buy it? As something of a passive observer, admirer yes, but not real devotee, I found it fairly gripping and compelling, but far down the list of what I think has been an exceptional year for animated films.
This style of animation is definitely going to give fans a different look at The Lord of the Rings’ Middle-earth, and if you want to be a part of this historic moment for the franchise, you can see LOTR: The War of the Mohirrim in theaters starting Friday, December 13.