We will see how the return to Middle-earth turns out. I watched the action fantasy anime movie The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, released on December 3, 2024. Directed by Kenji Kamiyama, it takes place in the fictional world of Middle-earth. Starring Gaia Wise, Brian Cox, and Luke Pasqualino, it is rated PG-13.
Set 200 years before Bilbo Baggins found the One Ring in The Hobbit, Rohan’s king Helm Hammerhand’s daughter Héra is a free spirit. Then one day, a Dunlending lord named Freca tries to force Helm to have Héra marry his son Wulf, who was friends with her in childhood. When the leaders engage in a fistfight to settle things, Freca is accidentally killed. Years afterwards, Wulf swears revenge, declaring war on Rohan. How will things turn out for Rohan?
It was cool to get another movie set in Middle-earth, being 10 years since the release of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. As for how it is, I have to go through the different elements of the movie. I will start with the animation style. While this is modeled after the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings movies, they switched from live-action to animation. I am fine with that, as both are good styles in their own right. I also liked that it was an anime style. It brings something different to these movies that is still enjoyable. The downside is mainly that the animation looks more like something from a Fire Emblem game than a Lord of the Rings movie. Though that makes it unique in its own right too.
The story itself brings up interesting new material. This is based on information that was written in the Appendices of The Lord of the Rings book. They do portray things differently than the trilogy did. While the fantasy elements are still intact, the focus is mainly on humans fighting in a war. Even the war itself, while still having awesome moments, moreso depicts the dark effects of war. The realism might not be for everyone, but I think it adds something even if not improving on the originals. It is additionally nice to get a backstory on the area of Helm’s Deep that was shown off in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. This is one of those stories preaching about standing up to a dangerous power, which I think it does alright with.
The last thing to talk about are the characters. I would say that the main characters are great, while everyone else is just there. Héra is an interesting character, as, like mentioned above, she is a free spirit. The conflict comes with her having to prove herself, which I think is done well. She is also designed to be different from other female fighters in Middle-earth. Helm is quite the epic king, who will not stand down to those who threaten him. He still is allowed to make some pretty bad mistakes to show him as human. Wulf is an intimidating villain. His reasoning is understandable, but his commitment turns him into a figurative monster. The rest of the characters I found to be decent at best.
Overall, what did I think of this movie? I would not call this a masterpiece like I would the trilogy. This film is fine for what it is. It is not great, but I think it has a lot of fun to it. I am just not sure if I would ever rewatch it. It still is better than what I expected from the online reviews.
This is normally the part where I would talk about a relevant social issue, but I decided to do something different. Rather than encouraging to partake in a cause, I will encourage to partake in another way to improve the world. I just want you to be nice to a stranger. Do it as much as you can. Even when you think it means nothing, it can mean everything to someone. It can turn their life around in a way you did not even know was possible. If you are not someone who can commit to fighting injustice, which is fine if you are, this is certainly a doable task that can make a big difference. Kindness matters.
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