A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan, and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg.

Animation and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ have history, with Ralph Bakshi’s 1970s animation predating the megahits that were Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy at the beginning of the 21^st century. ‘The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim’ is a new animated movie set in Middle Earth, although on this occasion we’re going back hundreds of years in the past as opposed to telling a story set within the timeframe most are familiar with. In this movie, the focus is on the people of Rohan, and a civil war that broke out and played a large part in the great fortress Helm’s Deep getting its name.

That said, the story is undoubtedly familiar and it’s hard to see this as too far removed from ‘The Two Towers’, albeit animated and with less ents and less hobbits. The beats are much the same in that it centres around a siege of Helm’s Deep (known as the Hornburg at this point in time) and a battle between ‘good’ and ‘evil’, with a lot of the characters having clear reference points in those we’re familiar with from ‘The Lord of the Rings’. The animation style borrows a lot from anime, with Japanese director Kenji Kamiyama’s previous work in anime a clear influence, as is the works of Studio Ghibli (‘Princess Mononoke’ the most explicit reference point). I did think the animation style looked a little cheap which perhaps reflected the relatively low budget, but it didn’t help make this feel as epic and cinematic as you expected from a movie carrying ‘The Lord of the Rings’ tagline (despite Howard Shore’s legendary score appearing to get the hairs on the back of the neck standing from time to time!).

The highlight of the movie is undoubtedly Brian Cox’s voicework as Helm Hammerhand, the ill tempered but strong king of Rohan, but that only served to emphasise how so-so the rest of the voicework was. This may all sound like I didn’t like the movie but I did, largely as I enjoy most material set in this world (although ‘Rings of Power’ is stretching that view!), but if I’m trying to be impartial I’m not really sure this adds too much of interest to the lore of Middle Earth. I’d say ‘The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim’ has plenty to enjoy for fans of the series, but I doubt it’s going to convert any non-believers and its appeal beyond a small curio is likely to be limited.

Rating: 3/5

Directed By: Kenji Kamiyama

Starring: Brian Cox, Gaia Wise, Luke Pasqualino, Miranda Otto, Lorraine Ashbourne, Yazdan Qafouri, Benjamin Wainwright, Shaun Dooley, Laurence Ubong Williams, Michael Wildman, Jude Akuwudike, Bilal Hasna and Janine Duvitski

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt14824600/