The Lord Of The Rings isn’t the first animated movie set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Legendarium (fans will remember Ralph Bakshi’s 1978 animated movie) but it does have the distinction of being the first theatrical movie to not be an adaptation of The Hobbit or The Lord Of The Rings books. How does it fare, then? Read on to find out.

Legend Of Rohan

The Lord Of The Rings The War Of The Rohirrim feels very much like a self-contained and standalone story that viewers won’t even need to have watched any of the previous films or have knowledge of the source material to be able to enjoy. That being said, there are a few easter eggs and references (though surprisingly not many) throughout the movie. Oh, and this isn’t a spoiler (since it was revealed by the filmmakers themselves) but it’s nice to hear the late Sir Christopher Lee’s voice as Saruman again and it’s even nicer that it was achieved not through AI but via the use of existing old archived audio.

This movie takes itself very seriously, despite being an animated film. There’s almost none of the franchise’s comedy from Peter Jackson’s films but the movie focuses on the drama and action from the beginning to the end, sort of like a very Game Of Thrones vibe. While the movie is over two hours long, it does feel a bit draggy, especially in the middle. The movie could still have benefited from being around 15 minutes shorter. Animated movies are often better when they’re not overly long, not everything needs to have an extended duration.

The highlights of The Lord Of The Rings The War Of The Rohirrim are the animation and the music. The animation can be beautiful, as the horses in the movie are especially well-animated, which is great because the Riders Of Rohan are well, synonymous, with their horses. Plus, it’s really rare for 2D animated movies to have theatrical releases these days (except for pure anime movies) so it’s fun to be able to experience one in a cinema again. Besides that, the absolute best part of the movie is the music and score. It features some of the iconic music from the original trilogy (especially Howard Shore’s The King Of The Golden Hall theme from The Lord Of The Rings The Two Towers) and some of the new songs sound suitably epic as well (kudos to the movie’s composer, Stephen Gallagher). As a Tolkien fan, it felt nostalgic and magical to be able to listen to Howard Shore’s score echo through a cinema hall again. Great music has always been part of what made Tolkien adaptations so memorable and legendary; they’re inseparable.

Perhaps the biggest flaw of The Lord Of The Rings The War Of The Rohirrim is that you basically get what you see from the title and trailers. The movie solely focuses on Rohan and their conflict, with only two settings featured in the entire movie (Edoras and Hornburg AKA the future Helm’s Deep). This is a bit disappointing considering the Tolkien live-action movies (both The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit trilogies) did more in two hours with a bigger sense of scale and adventure. In comparison, The War Of The Rohirrim feels severely limited in scope.

Forth, Eorlingas

The Lord Of The Rings The War Of The Rohirrim might play it too safe in terms of narrative and setting but it will probably bring a smile to the faces of Tolkien fans. It’s still a movie worth watching for those who miss delving into Middle-Earth but want to sink their teeth into something new. It’s not the most shocking or most amazing film, and it’s nowhere near the level of Peter Jackson’s live-action adaptations but The Lord Of The Rings The War Of The Rohirrim serves its purpose well enough.

P.S.: The Lord Of The Rings The War Of The Rohirrim doesn’t have a post-credits scene but it does have a touching tribute to the late Bernard Hill who passed away earlier this year. He played King Theoden of Rohan in The Lord Of The Rings film trilogy.

FINAL SCORE: 70/100

We attended a press screening of The Lord Of The Rings The War Of The Rohirrim courtesy of Warner Bros. Discovery Malaysia. The Lord Of The Rings The War Of The Rohirrim premieres in Malaysian cinemas on 12 December 2024.