• Release year: 2024
• Director: Kenji Kamiyama.
• Producers: Philippa Boyens, Joseph Chou, and Jason DeMarco.
• Screenplay by: Jeffrey Addiss, Will Matthews, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou.
• Animation Supervisor: Facu Escobedo.
• Music by: Stephen Gallagher.

Shotgun Commentary: the film that will make you remember why the Rohirrim are the coolest characters of The Lord of the Rings despite their clear need for therapy.

Review

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim tells the story of why Helm’s Deep (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 2002) is named so. Naturally, this story takes place before any of the films. This is a fact that is explicitly mentioned during a very confusing introduction.

While one certainly applauds the offhanded commentary of women being erased from history due to patriarchy, it is confusing that Eowyn (Miranda Otto), from the original trilogy, is the narrator of the story. Doesn’t that mean that the account has not, in fact, been erased from history?

Just go with it

Contradictions aside, the story is a wonderful tale of adventure, betrayal and war. The premise is… kinda weak, but it gets stronger as the film unravels. Let’s elaborate on that. The beginning is a beautiful introduction of your average “rebellious” princess who wants to live life on her own terms. Your average Merida (Brave, 2012) or Moana (Moana, 2016; and Moana 2, 2024), as it were. She is adventurous and daring, kind and a little bit in love with danger, her name: Hèra (Gaia Wise).

Everything is great, she has a lovely pair of brothers that look like alternate versions of Thor (Thor, 2011) and Jaskier (The Witcher, 2019 – present). Plus, a father who is kinda like Odin, pick your own reference because you won’t be too far off regardless. Soon enough, this peaceful life is disturbed by a horrible man, Freca (Shaun Dooley). He wants the council to get together for a mysterious matter.

Is it… though?

At this point, due to the family’s reaction of alarm and utter disgust, you are fully prepared to hate anything that comes out of this foul enemy’s mouth. Then, you realise that he is not an enemy, just an asocial ally with dubious morals at best. But right after hearing his proposal, it’s hard to stay mad at him. Sure, he is rude. However, it turns out all he wants is for the princess to marry his son, Wulf (Luca Pasqualino), rather than a stranger from Gondor, as the king wishes. In addition to this, said son is a very good-looking lad. He is childhood friends with her, and has been in love with her presumably his whole life.

While this author is all for women making their own decisions, isn’t a man you know and respect better than a complete stranger when it comes to arranged marriages…? Of course, if she doesn’t wish to marry at all, as she expresses after the initial commotion has taken place. This explains the situation a lot better. But that means that Freca’s initial assumption is wrong, so that should’ve been the end of that, right? Well, it would in a society of well-adjusted people but, much like in real life, Middle-Earth is anything but.

Therapy, anyone?

Instead, the men in her life decide to express their feelings on the matter through violence. Is the matter anyone’s business other than Hèra? Not really. Does that stop them from resorting to blows because they just don’t like each other? Again, not really.

Apparently, despite all the magic and fantastic creatures, there is no such thing as therapy in Rohan. This means that there are lots of unresolved feelings going around. Feelings that, expressed in the most toxic way possible, provoke an exponential escalation of a simple misunderstanding that results in epic battles and thousands of deaths, with admittedly a few pretty legendary moments.

The role of women in history

In such a society, it comes as no surprise that women are pretty much decorations. Completely ignored unless it is the last resort. Not only are they left out of their songs (the only known way of teaching history to the masses), but they are also forbidden from going to battle, even if they have been trained to do so.

As such, the Shield Maidens of the Borderlands, despite saving their people, are not regarded as warriors. Instead, they are thought of as women who fought when needs must and went right back to childbearing and cleaning right after the battle was over. This is presumably the reason why “there are none left”. In fact, one of the advisors goes as far as to comment that their shield should be taken down from the great hall of the palace. Considering Eowyn is known as THE shield maiden of Rohan, it can be safely assumed that said man eventually got what he wanted.

Animation nation

Sexism and an astonishing lack of mental health aside, the animation needs addressing. First things first, it is beautiful. In particular, there is a sunset in the mountains that will completely take your breath away. It never tries to imitate reality at all. You can see that it is animation at all times. Nevertheless, the detail is such that the result is a delightful fantasy journey that you’ll want to take over and over again.

Still, one can’t help but to wonder how a live-action version might have fared. As a spectator who tends to weep at the slightest act of bravery or injustice, this film had everything to be a non-stop two-hour crying session. Sadly, not a tear was shed, so it is fair to wonder whether the animation might be hindering the emotional potential of the story in favour of a lower budget. It would be wonderful to get a live-action version to compare, but this is highly unlikely, so it shall remain as a “what if”.

All in all, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a great fantasy tale that scratches the itch of LotR fans quite nicely. If you are a big fan of the Rohirrim and think they were unfairly ignored during the original trilogy, like yours truly, this is your moment. You’ll get a lot more than you expected, and it does not disappoint. While some parts of the story are a bit weak, the overall product delivers exactly what you expect, an epic battle that will make your inner nerd hella happy.

Thanks to Warner for early big screen access! The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will be released the 13th of October in UK and the US.

Advice to take from this movie:

• It’s perfectly acceptable to talk out a misunderstanding. Choosing words over violence doesn’t make you any less of a man.
• Sometimes, a king needs to be told no, and he needs to accept it. Otherwise, what’s the point of having advisors?
• There is nothing like a wedding with the right partner.

What’s your take? Have you watched The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀