Like the Prime streaming series, The War of the Rohirrim<\/strong> was adapted from the appendixes of the Lord of the Rings<\/strong> trilogy, which outlined the early history of Middle Earth. Screenwriters Jeffrey Addiss, Will Matthews, and Phoebe Gittins had considerable blanks to fill in, including the name of their heroine, Hera, the daughter of King Helm Hammerhand. Yes, that Helm. At this point, his celebrated fortress is still known as the Hornburg. It acquires its more famous nickname, \u201cHelm\u2019s Deep,\u201d over the course of the Dunlending siege.
Arguably, the Battle of Helm\u2019s Deep in The Two Towers<\/strong> is one of the most celebrated battles in all epic fantasy literature (having served as a reasonably satisfying conclusion to Ralph Bakshi\u2019s 1978 animated adaptation). As a result, this prequel should mean much more to Tolkien readers than the streaming series. In fact, you will be able to identify the real Tolkienists in the audience, because they will pump their fists in the air when Hera finally utters the term \u201cHelm\u2019s Deep.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
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\u00a9Courtesy of Warner Brothers\u00a0
Getting there will be an appropriately epic journey. Befitting a high fantasy with tragic sweep, King Helm\u2019s own wrath and hubris contributed to his rift with the Dunlendings. Freca, their lord, sought to marry his son Wulf to Hera, so he could eventually succeed the King\u2014presumably after assassinating her brothers, Haleth and Hama. Yet, Helm refuses, recognizing Freca\u2019s ruthless ambitions.
Unfortunately, Helm accidentally kills Freca in a duel and banishes Wulf when he intemperately curses the king. Clearly, the prodigal son will grow into a powerful enemy, even though he probably still carries a torch for Hera. Indeed, her rejection hurts even more than Helm\u2019s scorn. By the time Wulf strikes, Helm\u2019s overconfidence nearly proves his undoing. Nevertheless, Hera\u2019s decisive action facilitates their retreat to the Hornburg, where the walls are strong, but the provisions are low.
Admittedly, the screenwriters took some liberties fleshing out the details of the War with the Dunlendings, but the film clearly understands Tolkien\u2019s themes and their evergreen appeal to fantasy consumers. In truth, they largely created Hera\u2019s personality from scratch, but she is not a Mary Sue stock figure. Her tragic flaws and heroic nobility are very much in keeping with Tolkien\u2019s worldview, while her relationships with her father and brothers and largely shape her outlook and values.![\"The](\"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/The-Lord-of-the-Rings-The-War-of-the-Rohirrim3.png\")
\u00a9Courtesy of Warner Brothers\u00a0
Kamiyama and the animation team create some stunning otherworldly creature designs and fantasycapes worthy of some of Studio Ghibli\u2019s fantastical classics. Their human-figures reflect an anime aesthetic, but that helps set War of the Rohirrim<\/strong> apart from the Bakshi and Rankin-Bass animated films, which all had a more cartoony style.
Of course, Brian Cox\u2019s booming voice sounds commandingly regal and ferociously bossy as Helm Hammerhand. He is clearly the biggest vocal talent heard throughout the film, except perhaps the late Sir Christopher Lee, whose estate allowed past recordings to be used to reprise his original role of Saruman, who only serves as a bystander to the events of the film. In addition, Miranda Otto supplies a further apostolic link to the Peter Jackson trilogy, narrating the film, in the persona of Eowyn, the shieldmaiden.
Fans should indeed feel reassured by Jackson\u2019s seal of approval as a \u201cpresenting\u201d executive producer. Plus, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, his co-screenwriters on the live-action Lord of the Rings<\/strong> and Hobbit<\/strong> trilogies are also on-board in producing roles. The vision and vibe remain true to Tolkien\u2019s source material, but more importantly for casual audiences, Kamiyama stages one heck of a rousing animated fantasy adventure. This is what the streaming series should be more like, but sadly isn\u2019t. Very highly recommended for all fantasy and anime fans, The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim<\/strong> opens this Friday (12\/13) in theaters.<\/p>\r\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/The-Lord-of-the-Rings-The-War-of-the-Rohirrim4.png\")
\u00a9Courtesy of Warner Brothers\u00a0
Grade: A<\/p>\r\n