The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is 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 of The 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 office has also been disappointing, only matching its middling critical reception.
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On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, The War of the Rohirrim has a 50% critical approval rating based on 92 reviews. Critics are split exactly down the middle, giving the anime movie the title of being the worst-ranked Lord of the Rings movie since 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 and The War of the Rohirrim‘s voice cast that brings them to life, critics cannot seem to agree about The Lord of the Rings’ newest animated film.
10 The 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
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Easily one of the more divisive elements about The War of the Rohirrim is 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 of Times (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.
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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 of The War of the Rohirrim, with superlatives like superb, gorgeous, and stunning being used to translate the look of the film by outlets like KCCI, Free Press Journal (India), and MovieWeb. On the whole, though, a Lord of the Rings animation needs one thing to work unequivocally before anything else: its animation. Where The War of the Rohirrim is concerned, this proved not to be the case.
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9 The 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
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While the animation in The War of the Rohirrim was mostly divisive, one element that proved to err on the side of negative than positive was its story. Some critics from Times (UK) described it as scraping the bottom of the Lord of the Rings barrel, with some – like KOIMOI – 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 in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Joshua Stevens of Loud and Clear then tied the film unfavorably to its central theme. Miranda Otto’s War of the Rohirrim return sees her character, Éowyn, narrating how Héra’s story has long been forgotten by those in Middle-earth. Evidently, The War of the Rohirrim did not prove compelling enough to make it unforgettable, ironically playing against its own message.
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8 The 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
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Perhaps the most appealing thing about an anime movie in the Lord of the Rings franchise is 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 of The War of the Rohirrim.
7 The 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
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Something that may be expected from The Lord of the Rings franchise after Jackson’s movies and Prime Video’s The Rings of Power is strong action. For the most part, The War of the Rohirrim aptly 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 Crouse writes that the action scenes in The War of the Rohirrim are faithful to what has come before, with even an overall negative review from Rendy Reviews describing the movie as an “epic and action-packed cinematic experience.” This was to be expected given the titular conflict at the heart of The 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 seems The War of the Rohirrim succeeded in this regard more often than not.
6 The War Of The Rohirrim’s Characters Were Too Uneven
“The characters are as flat as their animated images.” – Soren Andersen, Seattle Times
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Unfortunately for The 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 the Seattle Times compares the characters unfavorably to the film’s animation, reinforcing both points about The 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.
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In true mixed fashion, however, there were some critics who praised The 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.
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5 The 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
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Undoubtedly, one of the more pressing concerns about The War of the Rohirrim is 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 the Lord of the Rings franchise. With a new live-action movie like The Hunt for Gollum coming in 2026 and more planned beyond that, this criticism becomes somewhat of a harsh reality for The War of the Rohirrim.
Zachary Lee of Roger Ebert reinforces 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, with The Daily Beast describing 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.
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4 The 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
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As the age-old adage goes, comparison is the thief of joy. As it turns out, this is one of the reasons behind The War of the Rohirrim‘s middling reviews. As part of the Lord of the Rings franchise, the film was always going to face comparisons to the original Jackson movies, just as The Rings of Power has across its two-season run thus far.
Concerning The War of the Rohirrim, its inability to surpass the original Lord of the Rings trilogy is a source of its more negative reviews. Times describes the film as crude in comparison to Jackson’s works, while Dylan Roth of Observer states it lacks the overall widespread appeal the original trilogy possessed. With War of the Rohirrim‘s Easter eggs constantly reminding viewers of Jackson’s trilogy, the film only drew attention to its inferior nature, according to most critics.
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3 The 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
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Where comparison can be negative, it can also breed positives. The War of the Rohirrim may not live up to Jackson’s original trilogy, but many agree that it stands above the New Zealand filmmaker’s return to Middle-earth with The Hobbit. John Kirk of Original Cin remarks that The War of the Rohirrim is better than any of the Lord of the Rings prequels concocted thus far, including The Hobbit. Similarly, Sebastian Zavala Kahn of Me gusta el Cine claims it is far better than any of The Hobbit movies.
While the first two installments of The Hobbit trilogy were mostly positively received, the final entry was more divided. Public perception of The Hobbit movies 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 to The War of the Rohirrim; while it may not stand tall with Jackson’s original Lord of the Rings series, it can at least claim to be better than The Hobbit in the eyes of some.
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2 The 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 Rohirrim is being mostly criticized. The word “boring” appears in several reviews, claiming that The War of the Rohirrim does 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 described The War of the Rohirrim as too long and accused it of stretching the small section of Rohan lore from the source material too thin. Tanner Gordon of Spectrum Culture insists the film is exhausting in its runtime, with other reviews describing it as sluggish, slow, and belabored. If The War of the Rohirrim had 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.
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1 The 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
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Whether it be the negative or positive reviews of The 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 in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, making for a universally liked positive element of the film’s overall mixed reviews.
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7/10 14 5.7/10 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim PG-13
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.
Release Date December 13, 2024 Runtime 134 Minutes Cast Brian Cox , Miranda Otto , Gaia Wise , Luke Pasqualino , Laurence Ubong , Shaun Dooley Director Kenji Kamiyama
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Source: https://truongnguyenbinhkhiem.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment