Based on the book series by legendary author, J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film series directed by Peter Jackson were and still are some of the greatest movies in cinema history, earning them many awards. The franchise then received a television series exclusive to Amazon Prime Video with The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which began in 2022 with season 3 on its way. 2024, the franchise receives an anime adaptation directed by famed Japanese filmmaker, Kenji Kamiyama with The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim now showing in cinemas worldwide.

Set 183 years before the events of 2001’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The War of the Rohirrim tells the story of Helm Hammerhand, a legendary king of Rohan, and his family as they defend their kingdom against an army of Dunlendings. A sudden attack by Wulf, a ruthless Dunlending lord, forces Helm Hammerhand and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of Hornburg. Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Helm’s daughter, Héra, must lead the resistance against a deadly enemy whose intent is on destruction.

The film features a talented voice cast that includes Brian Cox, Gaia Wise, and Luke Pasqualino to name a few. Brian Cox stars as Helm Hammerhand, the hot-tempered king of Rohan with unbelievable strength, who attempts to protect his people. Cox does an excellent job portraying a king and battle-hardened veteran who has been through so much and his temper gets him into trouble not knowing his own strength but trying to do everything with the best intentions for his people. His story in the film is a lesson about responsibility and power.

Gaia Wise voices Héra, the film’s main protagonist. She is Helm’s daughter and helps him defend their people. From beginning to end, she shows so much character development, making her a strong female character. Her rebellious and complicated nature helps set her apart from other female heroes and she is great to watch on screen, whether she’s interacting with other characters or in various battles.

Luke Pasqualino lends his voice to the film’s main antagonist, Wulf. He is the ruthless leader of the Dunlendings who seeks revenge against Rohan for the death of his father. Unlike the other antagonists in the Lord of the Rings franchise, Wulf is just a human rather than an evil wizard or a dark lord which is a big change, making him more interesting and dangerous. In a way, he is kind of reflective of a lot of the crises that we’re facing in the real world today. His presence on screen portrays him as a true villain hellbent on destruction and the fact that he can inflict so much chaos without magical powers, makes him a unique villain to the franchise.

The talented voice cast is what will keep audiences engaged. Various other stars also lend their voices to the diverse cast of characters including Miranda Otto as Éowyn, Lorraine Ashbourne as Olwyn, Yazdan Qafouri as Hama, Benjamin Wainwright as Haleth, Laurence Ubong Williams as Fréaláf Hildeson, Shaun Dooley as Freca, Michael Wildman as General Targg, Jude Akuwudike as Lord Thorne, Bilal Hasna as Lief, and Janine Duvitski as Old Pennicruik.

Without giving anything away, they all have their memorable moments throughout the film thanks to their talented voice work. The film also includes a very special cameo from the original films that Lord of the Rings fans will appreciate.

The story of The War of the Rohirrim isn’t based on a specific book, but it is based on characters and events from the book series and expands on their stories. As a story, it doesn’t feel it quite lives up to its full potential, compared to the other films, but it still has some big memorable moments full of emotion, triumph and tragedy.

A scene that easily could’ve been the film’s climax, it sets things up nicely creating an opportunity for another character to step up and become the hero and leader the people need. The film also isn’t as long as the others, at just 2 hours and 14 minutes instead of the usual 3 hours and does a good job of giving you just enough and not too little. It’s also a film that can be enjoyed without watching the original trilogy, but it’s also made for diehard LOTR fans.

An anime adaptation of The Lord of the Rings franchise created a lot of intrigue amongst fans of LOTR and anime. Despite its long and rich history, anime isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, so this also made a lot of LOTR fans sceptical before this film’s release. I hate to say it, but as good as the film looks in trailers and still images, this isn’t the best example of an anime film. Action scenes are where anime shines the most but, in this film, it’s where it shows its weakness. The way the animation is done, it looks to have low frame rates making it look out of place and a little outdated.

There is a long list of anime films and even TV series that have shown the full potential of what anime is capable of and a prime example is the Studio Ghibli films. If this film was made before the 90s, it would’ve been ahead of its time, so there isn’t much excuse for the animation quality of the film. Despite all this, it doesn’t take away the raw emotion, excitement and intensity in all the action scenes, it would’ve been nice to give audiences who don’t normally watch anime a better example of it.

The character designs stay true to the Lord of the Rings style and presentation, and everyone has a unique appearance that matches their personality. The soundtrack features Stephen Gallagher, the composer from The Hobbit trilogy, who continued the style of original composer, Howard Shore and reprised his Rohan theme from the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Fans of the films will feel right at home hearing some familiar tunes with a few new ones.

Director Kenji Kamiyama has an impressive resume that includes Ghost in the Shell, Akira, and Kiki’s Delivery Service to name a few and it’s clear to see what he was aiming for in this anime adaptation of Lord of the Rings. It’s a shame the animation quality doesn’t match his vision for the film, but it still does a fantastic job portraying raw emotion and creating exciting anime-style action scenes. The talented voice cast and great storytelling will keep audiences engaged from beginning to end. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim may not live up to its full potential and could’ve been so much more, but it is still an excellent film for The Lord of the Rings franchise.

Written by: Sammy Hanson