Fantasy movies have always faced an upward battle at the box office, with the exception of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, which remains the most successful traditional fantasy series in movie history. However, like that other successful fantasy franchise, Harry Potter (which with its 90s setting isn’t the same sort of swords and sorcery as Tolkien’s masterpiece), once the books were all adapted, it was running out of gas. Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim was the franchise’s return to theaters, and though it was a box office disaster, now that it’s on Max, the standalone anime film has finally found an audience.
Before The War Of The Ring
The War of the Rohirrim explores the history of the kings of Rohan, dramatizing the saga of Helm Hammerhand’s daughter, Hera, loosely adapting the story from one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s appendices. As with Rings of Power, the film attempts to bring to life the history of Middle-Earth long before the return of Sauron, but while the series found its footing in Season 2, the anime film collapses under the weight of expectations. Removed from the trappings of Middle-Earth, and the story of Hera rising above society’s expectations to save her people in their darkest hour is classic fantasy catnip, but as part of a storied franchise, it failed to meet expectations.
Narrated by Eowyn herself, Miranda Otto, War of the Rohirrim finds the Kingdom of Rohan under siege by the Dunlendings after their leader, Wulf, is humiliated when he asks for Hera’s hand in marriage. Helm Hammerhand, voiced by Succession’s Brian Cox, attempts to wage war by himself, fighting a losing battle against the vast horde despite his strength and unyielding will. It’s an exciting part of the history of Middle-Earth, and is echoed in The Two Towers, but with a better plan and more backing from Warner Bros., it could have been a hit instead of being sent out to bomb.
When Good Isn’t Good Enough
That’s the true tragedy of War of the Rohirrim: it was created to fulfil a contract and to hold onto the film rights, and not because the studio thought it finally had a great story to tell in the world of Middle-Earth. Centering the film on Rohan was a smart move as the kingdom lends itself to the medium of anime, and though the animation itself isn’t as smooth as that of Demon Slayer, it’s perfectly serviceable and does a good job emulating the look of Jackson’s films. But “good enough” isn’t enough with one of the world’s largest franchises that happened to define the entire fantasy genre.
In theaters, The War of the Rohirrim earned $20 million worldwide, which would be considered great for an anime film, but it also had a budget of $30 million, even before taking into account marketing, which though slim, still cost millions. Removed from the cost of a ticket, it’s a lot easier for anyone curious to give the film a shot, and they have, powering it to debut as Max’s number one movie. The franchise will never hit the heights it did with Jackson’s trilogy, and though the film failed, an anime prequel was a bold move, and if nothing else, it’s better than Rings of Power Season 1.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is streaming on Max.
