The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Film
Full of fresh energy but familiar spirit, Kenji Kamiyama's The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim offers a bold new vision of Middle-Earth. While it doesn’t quite match the grandeur of Peter Jackson's trilogy, Kamiyama's film evokes the visual storytelling of Hayao Miyazaki. The attention to Middle-Earth’s small, mystical details feels like a love letter to Tolkien’s world, giving audiences an experience that’s as enchanting as it is visually striking. Héra (Gaia Wise) is the adventurous and headstrong female lead, a common theme across Miyazaki's films, but these couple inspirations are where the comparisons end. While Kamiyama's film is gorgeous in its animation, thriving in the kinetic anime-styled action sequences, its story is stretched too thin to justify a two-plus hour runtime. A small amount of nostalgia-filled moments will give goosebumps to fans of Jackson's work, but it isn't enough to carry The War of the Rohirrim across the finish line.
Almost 200 years before Bilbo Baggins stumbles upon the one ring, The War of the Rohirrim takes us through familiar territory: the land of the horse lords, Rohan. Ruled by Helm Hammerhand (Brian Cox), yes that Helm, the land, and its inhabitants have a festering distaste for Gondor, especially the Dunlendian Lord Freca (Shaun Dooley), who finds extra grievances when he hears Helm's daughter Héra is to be wed to a Gondorian prince. Offering his son Wulf (Luca Pasqualino) to wed Héra instead, Helm sees through his veil of uniting Rohan as a means of taking the throne for his own. Insulted, Helm fights Freca outside the Great Hall, where he accidentally kills Freca with one blow, then banishes Wulf after his attempted vengeance. As the years pass, Wulf is nowhere to be seen, but his banishment has led to enemies of Rohan gathering at Isengard, threatening to engulf the land in war.
Kamiyama's vision and the visual team's stellar work perfectly complement the mythical nature of Tolkien's work. Combined with the brutal physicality of anime, the art forms work perfectly in tandem to amplify the strength of Helm Hammerhand, the swiftness of the horses, or the rage of a mûmakil in battle. Transposing the animation over gorgeous, realistic landscapes provides the characters with more lifelike resemblances and movement while maintaining the overall style. The result is a delightfully vintage aesthetic that matches the source material's vibe perfectly.
This animation style reaches even greater heights when The War of the Rohirrim, much like Jackson's predecessors (we're not talking about The Hobbit), engages in riveting large-scale action. Kamiyama's direction presents a more intimate view, most of the time focusing on one-on-one fights, but the kinetic energy of the scenes will keep you on the edge of your seat. Feeling every swing of the blade.
Unfortunately, The War of the Rohirrim is all show and no substance. Albeit there are some nice twists to try to keep you guessing, but its all too predictable. It is a story of how Helm's Deep earned its name, which becomes incredibly trivial in the first fifteen minutes when you meet Helm Hammerhand, even if it tries to keep the focus on Héra. While the newly adapted elements struggle to stand out, Kamiyama's film cleverly taps into nostalgia to reignite the magic of Middle-Earth. Moments like the homage to Howard Shore's legendary score will stir even the most lukewarm fans. But, alas, these high points are too few and far between to muster any cohesion across the story and film as a whole.
Even with its flaws, I can't help but be drawn to the existence of another The Lord of the Rings film that once again sets a standard for technical prowess. The animation is otherworldly and alone makes the film something that should be seen, but the voice acting is extraordinary as well. Brian Cox may have been the most inspired casting choice for Helm Hammerhand. His gravelly tenor adds gravitas to the role, and his emotional range is fully displayed during Helm's quieter moments. Wise's Héra is also fantastic, and it is always good to hear Miranda Otto's Éowyn once again, even if only for narration.
Yes, The War of the Rohirrim has its flaws, but it is also a wonderfully entertaining film that can take you back to the early 2000s when Jackson's trilogy was exhilarating audiences. Even if nostalgia is all it has to offer, it’s a journey worth taking. The War of the Rohirrim reminds us why Middle-Earth remains a place we never tire of revisiting.
Froth
As I said, The War of the Rohirrim hinges on the history of Helm's Deep, or the Hornburg as it was called. Avoiding spoilers, much the Hornburg's time on screen is in a blanket of snow during one of Rohan's worst winter's imaginable.
Talk about the perfect aesthetic for enjoying a nice stout, right?
Slight insensitivities to the people of Rohan aside, the atmosphere Kamiyama buries the Hornburg in is as beautiful as it is desolate. The only appropriate beverage to match the intense cold and impending doom is a stout, specifically the Moon Tower Stout by Hellbent Brewing. Not only is the antagonist hellbent on destroying Rohan, but the moon plays a strong role in one of the biggest moments of the film so it felt appropriate to pair The War of the Rohirrim with a beer not only in style, but in name as well. It's silky smooth, caramel forward taste warms the heart and moves the soul while a drier finish keeps you locked in for more. While Hellbent Brewing might have designed this as a summer leaning stout, it still hits the spot in the cold of winter.
