The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim takes us back to the storied fortress of Helm’s Deep, tracing its origins in an epic animated prequel set roughly 200 years before Peter Jackson’s beloved film trilogy. 

 

This time, we follow the fearless king Helm Hammerhand (Brian Cox) as he defends his people from the ruthless Dunlending lord Wulf (Luke Pasqualino), who seeks to avenge his late father. When Hammerhand is gravely wounded and his people are driven back to an ancient stronghold, young Princess Héra (Gaia Wise) must step up and save her people from total annihilation.

 

Directed by Kenji Kamiyama (Blade Runner: Black Lotus, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex), the film’s visuals are frequently stunning, blending Kamiyama’s Studio Ghibli background and influences with cutting-edge technology. Reportedly, the actors performed motion-capture for the entire script, and the animation team then created models using the Unreal Engine – technology that has powered best-selling video games for over a decade and has been used in live-action projects from The Mandalorian to Dune.

 

The result is a lush, hand-painted look that often recalls the magic of classic Ghibli, though there are a few moments where scenes take on a “video game” quality – particularly in wide shots – that can be slightly jarring. Despite these quirks, the animation is largely a visual feast, paying homage to both traditional anime and modern CGI.

 

A talented voice cast, led by Cox and Wise, brings some serious emotional weight to the storyline, while Miranda Otto’s narration as Éowyn adds a sense of continuity to the live-action films. What’s more, the sound design and score help amplify the scale, making each clash of swords and hoofbeat feel thunderous and massive. The overall production is big-budget, immersive, and surprisingly intense, with battle sequences that feel darker and more visceral than what some Tolkien fans might expect.

 

That intensity often brings a grimmer tone. The War of the Rohirrim has shades of Game of Thrones, with a high body count and some serious violence.

Watching this with a die-hard fan, some of the complaints were that this didn't feel up to the scale of the original trilogy. The overall story does feel smaller, there is less diversity of the different races that you'd find in Lord of the Rings, and there’s less magic and high fantasy – even though there are some interesting new creatures and fun cameos like Orcs and Oliphaunts.

 

For this casual fan, The War of the Rohirrim was a fascinating and visually arresting addition to Middle-earth lore that’s as much a character study as it is an action epic. While it may not dethrone the Peter Jackson films or reimagine Tolkien’s universe, it offers a beautifully crafted side-story that deepens the lore.

 

Bottom line: The War of the Rohirrim is a compelling adventure – not the boldest or grandest, but an undeniably entertaining return to Tolkien’s world, and a testament to modern animation technology.