What’s it about?

200-ish years before the events of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The War of the Rohirrim follows Héra, the (some say) wild daughter of Rohan’s King, as they defend their kingdom against a familiar enemy.

What’d we think?

The super quick version is that this was a really pleasant surprise. The movie manages to tap into the magic of Peter Jackson’s Middle Earth, and a really strong story more than makes up for some inconsistent animation.

The story has an air of myth and legend to it, with narration from Miranda Otto as Eowyn adding to the bittersweet tone (and alludes to the similarities with our lead character). The story of Héra is one of selflessness and sacrifice, and does a wonderful job of portraying Héra’s strength without feeling overly contemporary.

It nails the feeling and tone of Peter Jackson’s Middle Earth, and the details in the environments and costumes demonstrates that a lot of care was put into the design. When the blend of 3D backgrounds and 2D animation works, it’s absolutely stunning. It’s sadly quite inconsistent however, and there’s a number of times where the animation looks wonky enough to actually pull me out of the movie.

With that said, my criticisms are all lessened by the fact it’s something that feels a bit different. If studios are going to keep revisiting their existing IP, then at least do something fun with it. If you were on the fence, take this as me nudging you over to seeing it.