December 14, 2024 | 10:47am
MANILA, Philippines — “The Lord of the Rings” returns to the big screen in animated form with “The War of the Rohirrim,” a prequel that expands footnotes in J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved books.
The movie takes place about 200 years before the events of “The Lord of the Rings” films, when the king of Rohan Helm Hammerhand (Brian Cox) battles against a banished constituent who has sworn revenge for the death of his father.
Central to the story is Helm’s only daughter Hera (Gaia Wise) who continues the protection of her people at the Hornbug, the location that will later be named Helm’s Deep.
Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” franchise made such a legacy in both high fantasy adaptations and movies as a whole, heights that some would say were too high for “The Hobbit” trilogy.
Given the constant popularity of Tolkien’s work, it comes as no surprise New Line Cinema wants to dive into his stories again, though it was also a security measure to keep hold of film adaptation rights.
The decision to giving “The War of the Rohirrim” an anime spin isn’t that strange, with Tolkien animation works coming out many decades ago, plus it’s an opportunity to give a fresh look at Middle-earth.
Under the helm of Kenji Kamiyama, best known for several “Ghost in the Shell” projects, this new anime film does a visually creative way of expanding Tolkien’s vision even though the story remains formulaic.
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Anime always stands out as an animation form and “Lord of the Rings” benefits from such a style, however its capacities can only go so far.
It’s a different sensation from the visual effects that partially brought down “The Hobbit” films, and the lore still feels rich given the imagination put into creating Rohan.
Cox’s voice and tone fits very well with in this universe while narration by Miranda Otto, Eowyn from Jackson’s movies, helps bridge even the most casual of fans.
In a way this also serves as an appetizer given the impending arrival of more “Lord of the Rings” content in “The Hunt for Gollum” movie plus the still ongoing Prime Video series “The Rings of Power.”
“Lord of the Rings” is such a high standard in an industry dominated by milking intellectual property but good fortunes have come out of it more than subpar results.
With that, one only hopes Tolkien’s juice remains fresh for years to come.
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