Lord of the Rings, The: The War of the Rohirrim (4K UHD Review)
- Review Date: Mar 12, 2025
- Format: 4K Ultra HD
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Director
Kenji KamiyamaRelease Date(s)
2024 (February 18, 2025)Studio(s)
New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. Animation/WingNut Films (Warner Bros./Studio Distribution Services)- Film/Program Grade: C+
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: C-
Review
Despite the box office disappointment that befell the release of 2024’s The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and scholars of his legendarium were no doubt inquisitive as to how closely it would adhere to the tale of Helm Hammerhand, as recalled briefly in the Appendices section of The Return of the King. Much time had passed since Peter Jackson’s groundbreaking original The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and most forays into Middle-Earth since then had been middling to disappointing, despite careful attention to detail and some very fine performances. It had also been some time since the world of Tolkien had been seen in animated form, not since Ralph Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings adaptation in 1978, as well as the 1977 version of The Hobbit and 1980 version of The Return of the King, the latter two being TV movies created by Rankin/Bass. The time seemed ripe for another crack at animated Middle-Earth lore, but this time under the watchful eye of Peter Jackson, pen of co-writer Philippa Boyens, and direction of Kenji Kamiyama, director of a pair of Ghost in the Shell adaptations, the Netflix Ultraman series, and Blade Runner: Black Lotus.
Set 200 years before the events of The Hobbit, The War of the Rohirrim tells of Héra (Gaia Wise), a young shieldmaiden of Rohan, as well as daughter of King Helm (Brian Cox). Freca of Dunland (Shaun Dooley) arrives at Edoras and attempts to force Helm into arranging a marriage between Héra and his son Wulf (Luke Pasqualino), which both Helm and Héra refuse. During a combative quarrel, Helm accidentally kills Freca with a single punch, hence his Hammerhand namesake. Wulf, who now seeks vengeance against Helm and his people, forces them to evacuate and flee to the Hornburg, a stronghold that would later be renamed Helm’s Deep in the aftermath, but also where Héra will eventually prove her valor. Also among the cast are Lorraine Ashbourne as Olwyn, Laurence Ubong Williams as Fréaláf, and Yazdan Qafouri and Benjamin Wainwright as Helm’s sons Hama and Haleth. Returning from The Lord of the Rings trilogy are Christopher Lee as Saruman, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan as the orcs Shank and Wrot, and Miranda Otto as Éowyn, the latter of whom provides narration for the film.
The good news about The War of the Rohirrim is that outside of bulking up the character of Héra, as well as giving her a name, it’s fairly faithful to the events as told in the Appendices, which are very brief and meant to cover the histories of the many kings and realms of Middle-Earth more fully than in the main text of The Lord of the Rings. The War of the Rohirrim certainly embellishes upon it, but the main spine of that particular piece of Tolkien history is told in full. Héra is a nameless part of that story, and for all intents and purposes, plays no part in it outside of the initial setup. Here she’s front and center, involved in every dramatic event, but in this version, her deeds are more or less “forgotten” to history. This story also alludes to and sets up future events, such as Gandalf researching why Orcs are so interested in recovering rings, and Saruman being given the key of Orthanc, complete with a vintage recording of the late Christopher Lee so that Saruman himself can make a short but no less welcome appearance.
The biggest hurdle that this film has to jump over is that it assumes you know all of these characters before delving into their stories. We never really get a chance to meet all of them and understand their relationships with each other before the story gets underway, which is almost immediately. And because we’re playing catch-up for much of the opening thirty minutes or so, it makes the overly dramatic circumstances feel hollow, despite being well-animated and acted. The style of the animation is reminiscent of Netflix’s excellent adaptation of the Castlevania video game series, but in service of a story that takes too much time to heat up... if ever, depending upon your investment. Even as someone who considers himself a bit of a Tolkien geek, I found myself bored with what felt mostly like a boilerplate story with a female-centric slant. I’m certainly not against that, but not setting up the characters before launching into the story is a misfire.
The other unfortunate aspect of The War of the Rohirrim is its title. The Lord of the Rings now appears to be a franchise catch-all in that any and every story must have that moniker at the front of it. Not only that, but at some point each story must reference the events of The Lord of the Rings in some way. It feels a bit like the Star Wars franchise in that nearly every permeation must somehow reference Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader, or include them somehow. It feels like a wink at the audience and its just plain unnecessary. A more appropriate title would be something like Tales of Middle-Earth: The War of the Rohirrim. Not only would it help keep audiences’ expectations in check, but also allow the world of Tolkien to open up to a broader canvas. After all, audiences are just as familiar with Middle-Earth as a term, but because The Lord of the Rings is now a franchise, it has to be titled that instead. More’s the pity.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim was animated and finished digitally in 2K, and presented theatrically in the aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The Warner Bros. 4K Ultra HD debut sources the film’s 2K Digital Intermediate, which has been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and presented on a triple-layered BD-100 disc. For whatever flaws the story may have, there’s nothing wrong with its visuals, even upscaled. Details are abundant with solid line work and bitrates that sit between 60 and 80Mbps for the majority of the running time. The palette is fully aided by the HDR, widening the gamut for winding countrysides, lush forests, and rocky terrains, as well deep, inky blacks with perfect contrast. There are no signs of artificial sharpening or digital artifacts brought on by poor compression to be found anywhere. It’s rendered beautifully. Some may be taken aback by the animation style in terms of its frame rate, which is less smooth than may be accustomed to, but the 4K presentation overall leaves nothing to complain about.
The main audio option is an English Dolby Atmos (7.1 TrueHD compatible) track. It’s a highly spacious sound experience, offering frequent atmospheric activity all around, from chatter during crowd scenes to dueling weapons and distant wailing during various battles. Dialogue is up front and in charge, and LFE, while not overly potent, gives plenty of additional muscle to the larger scale events. Stephen Gallagher’s score, which repurposes many thematics from Howard Shore’s epic The Lord of the Rings trilogy score, is also given an ample boost. It’s a very satisfying track. Additional audio options include English 5.1 Dolby Digital, two English Audio Descriptive 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks for the US and UK, and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital. Subtitle options include English SDH, French, and Spanish.
The single-disc 4K Ultra HD release of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim sits in a black Amaray case alongside a Digital Code on a paper insert, with a slipcover upon its initial pressing. There’s also a Steelbook option featuring alternate artwork, as well as a 1080p Blu-ray. The following extras are included, all in HD:
- Return to Helm’s Deep: History Becomes Legend (12:53)
- Middle-Earth and Anime: A Marriage of Creativity (6:52)
- Héra: A New Hero for Middle-Earth (6:53)
The bonus materials include three featurettes. The first, Return to Helm’s Deep, explores the film’s story and how it was adapted for the screen. Middle-Earth and Anime delves into the style of the film and how it was used to tell its story. Héra focuses on the newly-enhanced character for the film. Many members of the production team, and cast and crew are interviewed. While in many ways this material is more fluff than substance, we do get plenty of behind-the-scenes moments. We see glimpses of the planning stages, storyboards, animation in progress, recording sessions, and audio mixing. It’s nowhere near as encompassing as the Appendices from the home video releases of the original trilogy, but it’s a pleasant enough overview.
It’s fair to say that none of the film or streaming projects post-The Lord of the Rings trilogy have come anywhere close to capturing the same excitement and interest, but perhaps that’s just a Misty Mountain too high to climb. It’s clear that the team behind The War of the Rohirrim really put forth a strong effort to make something worthwhile, and though they don’t quite hit the mark, it’s still an admirable attempt, and will likely improve with future viewings. In that sense, the Warner Bros. 4K UHD release of the film is certainly the finest way available to do just that.
- Tim Salmons
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