The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review - A heroic tale

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is the first animated movie inspired by the iconic J.R.R Tolkien novels since The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 1980.

Being the first animated The Lord of the Rings movie in nearly 45 years, a lot is riding on The War of the Rohirrim to hit the ground running, but with acclaimed anime director Kenji Kamiyama - who previously worked on various Ghost in the Shell projects, as well as Star Wars: Visions and Blade Runner: Black Lotus - it certainly stands a fighting chance to live up to expectations.

Check out The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim trailer below!

As soon as The War of the Rohirrim began and I heard the first few notes of the theme ‘One Ring to Rule Them All’ originally composed by Howard Shore, now edited by Stephen Gallagher, I was hit with goosebumps as I saw a Great Eagle fly over the stunning landscapes of Rohan, I knew instantly, that I was about to watch something special.

At the centre of its story is Hèra Hammerhead (played by Gaia Wise), daughter of the ninth King of Rohan, Helm Hammerhead. What makes Hèra an interesting choice to be the first female lead character in any Lord of the Rings movie is that she only previously featured briefly in the appendix of a book from J.R.R Tolkien as an unnamed character.

The War of the Rohirrim starts with a bang when Lord Freca staked his claim to rule over Rohan and when that plan does not go as intended, the kingdom is thrown into turmoil and Hèra is forced to become the reluctant leader whom she had no desire to be but destiny thought otherwise.

A subplot of The War of the Rohirrim follows the Shieldmaidens, a legendary clan of female warriors who once defended Rohan until their last breath. In terms of The Lord of the Rings movies, not much is known about the Shieldmaidens and only previously hinted at by Éowyn in The Two Towers (2002), a noblewoman, said to be the last of the legendary warriors.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Hèra is a very capable fighter but when I thought of how she might fare against much stronger and larger men, not to mention Orcs, admittedly, I was concerned that she might unrealistically over-power such foes and thus take me out of the moment. Without giving too much away, Hèra gets her ass kicked quite a lot in the movie but she’s able to outwit her enemies using her instincts, intelligence and exploiting those that underestimate her.

Hèra quickly becomes a hero that I rooted for, because she’s never asked to be a leader and she’s battling against odds, not in her favour. As such, there were various points in the movie that I was on the edge of my seat fearing for her safety, concerned that she might not make it out of her situation alive or perhaps not even survive until the end credits rolled.

The War of the Rohirrim is not only visually stunning supported by an amazing cast of actors and soundtrack, but its well-written tale will keep you hooked from start to finish. Some may be put off by this not being a live-action movie but I can assure you, it captures every bit of essence from the Peter Jackson movies and if anything, it’s a perfect entry point for new fans of The Lord of the Rings with it being a prequel set under 200 years before The Fellowship of the Ring.

The War of the Rohirrim is every bit the adaptation that I hoped it would be, and then some. It’s a tale that has finally been told on the silver screen and I can’t wait to see if we’ll get more movies inspired by the Shieldmaidens with Kenji Kamiyama returning at the helm. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a captivating story brought to life with its heroic story, stunning animation and excellent performances from top to bottom, and I can’t wait to watch it again and again.

Be sure to read my interviews with the director Kenji Kamiyama and the stars of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, Gaia Wise and Laurence Ubong Williams.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim arrives in cinemas on 13 December 2024.