The War of the Rohirrim: A Fresh Idea With Stiff Execution

The War of the Rohirrim has an appealing idea: returning to Middle-earth through anime rather than repeating the familiar live-action form. I enjoy the older animation style, but the execution often falls short of that refreshing premise.

The story follows Helm Hammerhand and his daughter Héra during a conflict with the Dunlendings, long before the original trilogy. The mythology provides material with potential scale and emotion. The characters remain too schematic to make full use of it.

Helm is powerful and proud without much development. Héra has determination, but her motivations and inner conflicts rarely become sufficiently complex. Their emotional impact is limited further by stiff animation. In some dialogue scenes, only a mouth seems to move within an otherwise almost static image.

The battles can be hectic and difficult to follow. They lack the epic weight I expect from this world. Stephen Gallagher's music is a brighter element, capturing an atmosphere the images do not always provide.

For me, this is a disappointing realization of a promising concept. Dedicated fans may enjoy the return to Rohan, but its narrative and visual weaknesses remain substantial. An anime approach could have been a strength; it does not excuse the lack of vitality in the finished film.