The War of the Rohirrim
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a movie set in one corner of The Lord of the Rings Universe. Sadly, it's not a particularly interesting corner devoid of anyone other than the squabbling humans of Rohan. Providing the storyline of how Helm's Deep got its name, the story revolves around the pride of men and quest for vengeance that ends badly for all. Honestly, I'm bewildered why anyone thought this was the story to expand the universe of Tolkien beyond The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Our main character is Héra (Gaia Wise), daughter of King Helm Hammerhand (Brian Cox). While Héra may be the most interesting character in the story, the story doesn't give her all that much to do (and what is teased in the epilogue sounds far richer than the events covered in the film). The plot involves bad blood between her father and another nobleman (Luke Pasqualino) of the realm who swears vengeance for his father's death and raises an army of mercenaries in his ire-fueled quest to steal a throne.
The script plays fast and loose with the actions of characters boiling down their choices to little more than plot points to feed the story. There's no reason for our king to ignore his daughter's advice or shun valuable wisdom of others ahead of the battle which will cost him everything. There's no reason for Wulf's father to start the squabble that ends with his accidental death and very little reason for those events to turn Wulf into such a madman. All of this fits under the column of men are vengeful and prideful creatures, but none of it feels natural (let alone entertaining).
The film's animation is fine, but nothing that stands out. The tale lacks any of the creatures or other races of Tolkien's stories (partly because it's largely an original tale that, like its king, attempts a bit too adamantly to stand on its own), and only namedrops wizards at the end. Nor does the petulant Wulf (Pasqualino) measure up to villains of the various other films. It's just rather bland. While at times borderline passable, I'll admit finding even the better parts a slog to get through, even having to break up my viewing over two days.
Watch the trailer- Title: The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
- IMDb: link
