A Tolkien nerd and a girl who has never seen a single “Lord of the Rings” movie walk into a theater to see “The Lord of The Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” together. This is not a setup for a poor joke but the exact circumstances I experienced on Tuesday.
Except I am a huge fan, and I dragged my friend along with me.
Released on Dec. 13, the newest entry in the Lord of the Rings filmography took a new approach to the world of Middle Earth — an anime epic depicting the history of the Kingdom of Rohan.
With Kenji Kamiyama at the director’s helm, who previously worked as a writer for the “Ghost in the Shell” movies and an animator on “Akira,” the movie takes a step into the past of J.R.R. Tolkien’s world through the lens of a high-fantasy anime.
The movie is presented as an old legend told around the campfires of Rohan, with Miranda Otto reprising her role as Eowyn, the narrator.
Taking place 183 years before the events of the original trilogy, the story follows the first line of kings and their fall.
Led by its patriarch, Helm Hammerhand, voiced by Brian Cox, the House of Hammerhand is divided by his three children — the perfect firstborn son Hama, voiced by Yazdan Qafouri, the bard and quintessential middle child Haleth, voiced by Benjamin Wainwright, and the wild daughter Hera, voiced by Gaia Wise.
The family and their people are thrown into conflict with the ruthless Wulf, voiced by Luke Pasqualino, in a war for the throne and revenge. Each side is intent on the destruction of the other, as the people are left in a conflict made by the ones who were supposed to be their protectors.
Revisiting the Hornhurn stronghold, later named Helm’s Deep, the story follows similar themes to what was already shown in “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.” Frankly, if you are familiar with the second movie of the original trilogy, certain story themes will be recognizable.
The parallels between the films may be an intentional choice to draw lines between the past and future events, but the story fails to stand on its own. There are certain points where I felt I was simply rewatching a shot-for-shot remake of a significantly better movie.
However, I believe the curse of “callbacks” and referential shots is inevitable in our world of neverending remakes, sequels and prequels.
That is not to say I did not enjoy the movie. I found the animation to be beautiful, the character’s likable and the voice acting to be incredibly powerful. Cox and Wise both shine in their portrait of a strained father-daughter relationship, as Hera’s willful independence war against Helm’s fatherly stubbornness.
And of course, I will never complain about a new piece of media set in Middle Earth.
As a fan, it was fun to point at the screen at familiar lines or the mention of iconic characters. Especially when sitting next to someone completely new to the world.
The movie serves as a return to form, capturing the vastness of Tolkien’s original world paired with Peter Jackson’s warmth in a unique way. The grand animation transports its audience into the legend, opening the storybook and inviting the audience inside.
