First Reactions Surface for THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM

The first reaction have hit social media for Warner Bros. upcoming Middle-earth anime film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. 

This is a movie I’ve been excited about and these first reactions are calling it “Breathtaking,” “Epic,” “Stunning,” “Masterful,” “Mesmerizing,” and more.

Other reviews say it’s “Lengthy,” “Unengaging,” “Lethargic,” and the story “Lacks Surprise.” So, the reviews are a bit mixed, but I’m still excited to see it as some people loved it!

You can read through the reactions below and let us know what you think.

Rama’s Screen: “I really enjoyed LOTR: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM. Epic, grand, mesmerizing! The anime-style animation was exquisite. Felt so good returning to middle-earth. I didn’t realize how much I had missed it. One of my favorite films this year.”

Mike Reyes: “#LordOfTheRings War of the Rohirrim is a breathtaking jump into anime for the Middle-earth Saga. There is so much to love for the animated return of Tolkien's #LOTR mythology; and it feels every bit as epic and stirring as you'd want. I cannot wait to see this again.”

Shahbaz: “The War of the Rohirrim captures the beauty of Middle-earth with stunning animation, perfect for an anime. But despite my love for this series, its lengthy runtime and unengaging story kept me from fully connecting with it.”

Tessa Smith: “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a great addition to the iconic franchise. Perfect for families with teens & Tolkien fans, it has deeper exploration of lore, delivers an empowering story, offers up insane action & features exciting cameos.”

Jonathan Sim: “LORD OF THE RINGS: WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM is a gorgeously animated return to Middle-Earth. It features well-defined characters and masterful battle sequences, but occasional predictability and unearned moments can hold it back.”

Ezra Cubero: “THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM has glimpses of that Middle-Earth magic, but proves that it can only be as powerful as the characters we follow which are sadly unengaging. The intrigue in its story lacks surprise and it's got a lethargic pace. I was let down.”

Sean Boelman: “My biggest question about THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM is why they used a medium as wide open as anime to tell a story in the world of Man. It's not bad, but it's less engaging and unique than I would have hoped. Probably a fans-only affair.”

Set 183 years before the events chronicled in the original trilogy of films, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim tells the “fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan. 

“A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg—a mighty fortress that will later come to be known as Helm’s Deep.

“Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Héra, the daughter of Helm, must summon the will to lead the resistance against a deadly enemy intent on their total destruction.”

New Line Cinema’s original anime feature The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim comes from award-winning filmmaker Kenji Kamiyama (Blade Runner: Black Lotus and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex TV series).

Screenwriter Philippa Boyens, who wrote Peter Jackson’s live-action films, said: “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim works for anime because it is character-driven and contained within its own world, two things that work beautifully with Japanese storytelling, and there’s no better storyteller in this medium than Kenji Kamiyama.”

The rest of the voice cast includes Brian Cox as Helm Hammerhand the king of Rohan, Gaia Wise as Héra of Rohan, Luke Pasqualino as Wulf, Lorraine Ashbourne (Netflix’s Bridgerton), Yazdan Qafouri (I Came By), Benjamin Wainwright (BBC One’s World on Fire), Laurence Ubong Williams (Gateway), Shaun Dooley (Netflix’s The Witcher), Michael Wildman(Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw), Jude Akuwudike (Beasts of No Nation), Bilal Hasna (BBC’s Sparks), and Janine Duvitski (ITV’s Benidorm).

With Kamiyama at the helm, the original feature is being produced by Boyens, from the screenwriting team behind The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies, alongside Jason DeMarco and Joseph Chou, who, in addition to their many separate animation projects, collaborated on the Blade Runner: Black Lotus series.

The executive producers are Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson, Sam Register, Carolyn Blackwood and Toby Emmerich. 

The screenplay is by Jeffrey Addiss, Will Matthews,Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou, with a story by Addiss & Matthews and Boyens, based on characters createdby J.R.R. Tolkien. 

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim be released theatrically worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures on December 13th, 2024, and internationally beginning 11 December 2024.