It’s been more than 20 years since Peter Jackson wrapped up his Lord of the Rings trilogy with the Oscar-winning Return of the King. It’s been a decade since the last of the films in the Hobbit sequel series debuted in theaters. And yet, enthusiasm for the world has never waned.
On the small screen, we’ve gotten two seasons of the Rings of Power, which takes the action back before the stories we’ve previously seen. Now, in a new film, The War of the Rohirrim follows that pattern, sharing the story of how Helm’s Deep got its name.
The fortress at Helm’s Deep played a big role in The Two Towers, one of the most popular of the feature films. This new film focuses on the people of Rohan years before the war of the rings, focusing on King Helm (Brian Cox) and his daughter Hera (Gaia Wise).
As we begin, Hera is the king’s only daughter, but she prefers to spend her days riding and training. While her brothers, Hama (Yazdan Qafouri) and Haleth (Benjamin Wainright), are being trained to be the future for Rohan, Hera’s future is more of a question. When one of her father’s Lords, Freca (Shaun Dooley), proposes that Hera wed his son, Wulf (Luca Pasqualino), it touches off a nerve.
In the ensuing fight, Freca is killed by Helm. When Wulf tries to avenge his father, he’s banished. Hera tries to find Wulf, but he disappears. Years later, he returns with an army seeking revenge and Helm’s crown. While the battle rages, Hera leads her people away to the stronghold at Hornburg. There, Wulf lays siege and the battle rages.
There is plenty of history of Middle Earth to be mined for films and TV, and it’s clear there is still demand for these stories. This new film is produced by Peter Jackson and begins with the familiar Lord of the Rings title card and music. But this is a different kind of tale, albeit one that returns to a site that’s familiar to fans.
This is an animated film, with a style that hews closer to anime than your typical Pixar film. That style works well here to create an interesting and engaging story. Director Kenji Kamiyama does a nice job of telling the story and building the tension.
I liked the story here, too, culminating in a great battle at the site that reminded me of my favorite sequence from the original Lord of the Rings films. I liked Cox as the lead voice and I thought Wise did a nice job as Hera, too. There is action, drama, and a fun third act that will keep you hooked to the end.
For fans of Middle Earth stories, this will be a welcome return to the world that’s worth checking out in theaters this holiday season. Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is now playing nationwide.