The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimis proving to be divisive among critics, with the reviews for the film mixed on several elements, from its pacing and narrative to action, animation, and characters. By the time ofThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim’s ending, the story neatly wraps up while leaving off teases for future projects in Middle-earth. Despite this, the reviews for the film have not been particularly glowing.The War of the Rohirrim’s box officehas also been disappointing, only matching its middling critical reception.
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes,The War of the Rohirrimhas a 50% critical approval rating based on 92 reviews. Critics are split exactly down the middle, giving the anime movie the title of being theworst-rankedLord of the Ringsmoviesince the original trilogy in the early 2000s. From elements like the film’s action scenes and its blend of 2D and 3D animation to how it presents its characters andThe War of the Rohirrim’s voice castthat brings them to life, critics cannot seem to agree aboutThe Lord of the Rings’newest animated film.
10The War Of The Rohirrim’s Animation Is More Negative Than Positive
“The animation doesn’t feel like it’s breaking Tolkien’s verses open or soaring beyond what we’ve already explored.” - Radheyan Simonpillai,Guardian
Easily one of the more divisive elements aboutThe War of the Rohirrimis its animation. The anime style of the film worked for many critics, but others found it flat and inconsistent. The blend of 2D and 3D animation that typically comes with anime pictures was described as notably jarring by many critics, including Tom Stone ofTimes (UK),as were the character animations. Sometimes, the characters on-screen moved well and were animated fluently, while other times they were found stale and uninspired.
The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim Review - More Franchises Should Take This Anime Film’s Example
If I am to return to the wider world of Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth, The War of the Rohirrim’s approach seems to me an ideal way to go about it.
However, where there are mixed reviews, there must be positive ones too. For some critics,The War of the Rohirrim’s animation worked. A lot of praise was directed at the painterly backdrops ofThe War of the Rohirrim,with superlatives like superb, gorgeous, and stunning being used to translate the look of the film by outlets likeKCCI,Free Press Journal (India),andMovieWeb. On the whole, though, aLord of the Ringsanimation needs one thing to work unequivocally before anything else: its animation. WhereThe War of the Rohirrimis concerned, this proved not to be the case.
9The War Of The Rohirrim’s Story Is Not Compelling Enough
“Due to its thin plot… War of the Rohirrim itself is a story that risks being forgotten.” - Joshua Stevens,Loud and Clear
While the animation inThe War of the Rohirrimwas mostly divisive, one element that proved to err on the side of negative than positive was its story. Some critics fromTimes (UK)described it as scraping the bottom of theLord of the Ringsbarrel, with some - likeKOIMOI-even stating the story is lousy. Others were found describing the story as inconsequential, given it is fairly self-contained as opposed to the world-altering battle against the ultimate evil of Sauron found inThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy.
Joshua Stevens ofLoud and Clearthen tied the film unfavorably to its central theme.Miranda Otto’sWar of the Rohirrimreturnsees her character, Éowyn, narrating how Héra’s story has long been forgotten by those in Middle-earth. Evidently,The War of the Rohirrimdid not prove compelling enough to make it unforgettable, ironically playing against its own message.
8The War Of The Rohirrim Offers A New Perspective Of The Lord Of The Rings Franchise
“The adaptation offers a new perspective on the Middle Earth universe.” - Victor Recinos,Cine Premiere
Perhaps the most appealing thing about ananime movie in theLord of the Ringsfranchiseis how the style of animation can offer a new perspective on an existing franchise. As it turns out, Kenji Kamiyama’s distinct directing style allowed for exactly this. While the animation, as proven, did not always work for every critic, many would agree that looking at Middle-earth through the eyes of another filmmaker than Peter Jackson was compelling, and proved to be a benefit ofThe War of the Rohirrim.
7The War Of The Rohirrim Is Action Packed
“The War of the Rohirrim is action-packed, has strong voice acting, and is well-directed…” - Sheraz Farooqi,Cinema Debate
Something that may be expected fromThe Lord of the Ringsfranchise after Jackson’s movies andPrime Video’sThe Rings of Poweris strong action. For the most part,The War of the Rohirrimaptly follows in these footsteps. In light of the negativity surrounding the story, pacing, and animation, the action sequences of the film were received much better by comparison.
Richard Crousewrites that the action scenes inThe War of the Rohirrimare faithful to what has come before, with even an overall negative review fromRendy Reviewsdescribing the movie as an"epic and action-packed cinematic experience.“This was to be expected given the titular conflict at the heart ofThe War of the Rohirrim, yet the film still needed to make each adrenaline-fueled moment work. If the film’s reviews are anything to go by, it seemsThe War of the Rohirrimsucceeded in this regard more often than not.
6The War Of The Rohirrim’s Characters Were Too Uneven
“The characters are as flat as their animated images.” - Soren Andersen,Seattle Times
Unfortunately forThe War of the Rohirrim, the characters at its center were somewhat uninspired and clichéd, if the critical reviews are to be believed. Soren Andersen of theSeattle Timescompares the characters unfavorably to the film’s animation, reinforcing both points aboutThe War of the Rohirrim’s mixed reviews. Beyond that, the characters of the film were called generic and full of clichés, with many critics agreeing they fell flat compared to those of Jackson’s movies.
9 Lord Of The Rings & The Hobbit Characters That Are Alive During 2024’s New Movie
The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim is set about 260 years before Frodo’s story, but there are still a few familiar characters around.
In true mixed fashion, however, there were some critics who praisedThe War of the Rohirrim’s characters. Some reviews outlined how the character development was handled well, particularly that of the main character, Héra. Beyond that, the word compelling was often used to describe the film’s central players, despite the overall consensus being that they do not live up to the iconic characters that have come before.
5The War Of The Rohirrim Feels Like A Lord Of The Rings Placeholder
“The War of the Rohirrim” exists more as a minor placeholder than a significant contribution to the franchise.” - Nate Adams,The Only Critic
Undoubtedly, one of the more pressing concerns aboutThe War of the Rohirrimis the fact it was made at all. Reports have been released around the film’s theatrical debut stating that it was crafted by Warner Bros. as a way to keep hold of the film rights for theLord of the Ringsfranchise. With a newlive-action movie likeThe Hunt for Gollumcoming in 2026 and more planned beyond that, this criticism becomes somewhat of a harsh reality forThe War of the Rohirrim.
Zachary Lee ofRoger Ebertreinforces this idea:“Worse “art” has been made in the name of a studio trying to retain the rights to a franchise.“Other reviews label the film as inconsequential, withThe Daily Beastdescribing it as such in direct relation to its status as a placeholder for Warner Bros. One cannot help but think that if this information was not common knowledge, that being Warner Bros.' need to retain the Middle-earth rights, the film may have received a less mixed reception and been more positively reviewed.
4The War Of The Rohirrim Compares Unfavorably To The Original Lord Of The Rings Trilogy
“This prequel to the Oscar-winning ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy falls very short of expectations.” - Carla Hay,Culture Mix
As the age-old adage goes, comparison is the thief of joy. As it turns out, this is one of the reasons behindThe War of the Rohirrim’s middling reviews. As part of theLord of the Ringsfranchise, the film was always going to face comparisons to the original Jackson movies, just asThe Rings of Powerhas across its two-season run thus far.
ConcerningThe War of the Rohirrim, its inability to surpass the originalLord of the Ringstrilogy is a source of its more negative reviews.Timesdescribes the film as crude in comparison to Jackson’s works, while Dylan Roth ofObserverstates it lacks the overall widespread appeal the original trilogy possessed. WithWar of the Rohirrim’s Easter eggsconstantly reminding viewers of Jackson’s trilogy, the film only drew attention to its inferior nature, according to most critics.
3The War Of The Rohirrim Is Regarded As Better Than The Hobbit Movies
“It is certainly a heck of a lot better than the over-extended Hobbit trilogy.” - Donald Clarke,Irish Times
Where comparison can be negative, it can also breed positives.The War of the Rohirrimmay not live up to Jackson’s original trilogy, but many agree that it stands above the New Zealand filmmaker’s return to Middle-earth withThe Hobbit. John Kirk ofOriginal Cinremarks thatThe War of the Rohirrimis better than any of theLord of the Ringsprequels concocted thus far, includingThe Hobbit. Similarly, Sebastian Zavala Kahn ofMe gusta el Cineclaims it is far better than any ofThe Hobbitmovies.
While the first two installments ofThe Hobbittrilogy were mostly positively received, the final entry was more divided. Public perception ofThe Hobbitmovies has admittedly increased since the early 2010s, but many in the critical world still do not hold much reverence for them. This is proven above all else by the reaction toThe War of the Rohirrim;while it may not stand tall with Jackson’s originalLord of the Ringsseries, it can at least claim to be better thanThe Hobbitin the eyes of some.
2The War Of The Rohirrim Has Pacing Issues
“You’ll be bored of these ‘Rings’.” - Scott Mendelson,The Outside Scoop (Substack)
Concerning narrative and pacing,The War of the Rohirrimis being mostly criticized. The word “boring” appears in several reviews, claiming thatThe War of the Rohirrimdoes not have the necessary forward propulsion in its narrative to maintain its long runtime. After all, the film clocks in at 134 minutes, which is a significant length for an animated movie.
Many critics have describedThe War of the Rohirrimas too long and accused it of stretching the small section of Rohan lore from the source material too thin. Tanner Gordon ofSpectrum Cultureinsists the film is exhausting in its runtime, with other reviews describing it as sluggish, slow, and belabored. IfThe War of the Rohirrimhad been 30 or 40 minutes shorter, its reception may have leaned more positive than negative. Unfortunately, though, critics claim pacing issues are aplenty with the movie.
1The War Of The Rohirrim Has Plenty Of Tolkien Connections & Easter Eggs
“The War of the Rohirrim mostly thrills as an anime chapter that will delight the Tolkien faithful.” - Julian Roman,MovieWeb
Whether it be the negative or positive reviews ofThe War of the Rohirrim, critics seem to agree that the film will please fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s original work. Almost every review logged for the film on Rotten Tomatoes mentions Tolkien’s influences, stating that there is much to enjoy for those looking for a return to Middle-earth. References, Easter eggs, locations, weapons, designs, and even characters from Tolkien’s world crop up inThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, making for a universally liked positive element of the film’s overall mixed reviews.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Cast
Set before the events of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an animated action-adventure fantasy film that follows a King of Rohan named Helm Hammerhand. When his home comes under siege by Dunlendings, Hammerhand prepares himself and his allies to fight back against them, with the war leading to the eventual establishment of Helm’s Deep.
