The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimis seeing mixed reviews and scores, which signals a disappointing streak for theLord of the Ringscinematic franchise.War of the Rohirrim’s storyand medium has the potential to herald a new era for J. R. R. Tolkiens' epic fantasy saga, testing the waters for a possible demand formoreLord of the Ringsanime moviesrecounting standalone tales of Middle-earth. The movie depicts Héra (Gaia Wise), daughter of the King of Rohan, leading her people during a terrible war, centuries before some famous Hobbits leave the Shire.
War of the Rohirrimis turning out to be one of the lower-rankedLord of the Ringsmovies,also falling generally below the acclaim of the prequel TV showThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. While die-hard Tolkien fans seem to be nonetheless pleased, there is no denying that the movie’s reception is troubling. In a time when high fantasy seems to be focused onTV shows trying to replaceGame of Thrones, offerings of actual movies are falling short, which is what happened the last timeLord of the Ringswas in theaters.
War Of The Rohirrim Is The Second Straight “Rotten” Lord Of The Rings Movie
The Last Middle-Earth Movie Released In Movie Theaters Also Has A “Rotten” Score
The cut-off for being “Rotten” on Rotten Tomatoes is 60%, andLord of the Ringsfeatured multiple movies that were startingly close to this before the back-to-back Rotten releases ofThe Hobbit: The Battle of the Five ArmiesandWar of the Rohirrim. Peter Jackson’s landmarkLord of the Ringstrilogy hardly needs to be explained, its Oscar-winning status and standard-setting approach to its fantasy world well-known to fans and unfamiliar observers alike. No one would be surprised to double-check these movies' scores and find that they are all comfortably within 90%.
Lord of the RingsMovie
2001
92%
2002
95%
2003
94%
2012
64%
2013
74%
2014
59%
2024
51%
Jackson then transformed the story ofThe Hobbitinto something tonally much more like hisLord of the Rings, which pushed it closer to the benchmark of 60% and ultimately below it. Middle-earth technically held its streak of “Fresh” scores — untilThe Battle of the Five Armies,when the bloated nature of the new trilogy seems to have caught up with it.War of the Rohirrimis the firstLord of the Rings-related movie to release since the lastHobbitinstallmentand could have represented a small comeback. Instead, it has started a new streak with two back-to-back movies determined to be “Rotten.”
Why War Of The Rohirrim’s Rotten Tomatoes Score & Reviews Are So Mixed
War Of The Rohirrim Is Facing Unfavorable Comparisons To Lord Of The Rings & Other Recent Animation
Reviews forWar of the Rohirrimsuggest that it is a fine movie, but it is not going to change Hollywood the way its predecessors did.War of the Rohirrimfailing to land with critics can be attributed to it being made more forLord of the Ringsfansthan general audiences. Peter Debruge ofVarietysays: “It may please the faithful, but it’s not quite epic enough to give less devoted viewers the same thrill they once felt from the live-action movies.” OtherWar of the Rohirrimreviews highlight its stunning visuals while generally praising its story.
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, that comparison to the old trilogy keeps coming up. Pete Hammond ofDeadlinedescribes it as “not hitting us emotionally on the scale of the live-action films,” while also saying that it fails to live up to other 2024 animated movies. Even beyond movies, the bar is high these days for adult animation thanks to shows likeArcaneandBlue Eye Samurai. On the other hand,War of the Rohirrimsimply not being as moving asFellowship of the Ringresonates with the struggles ofGladiator II, another recent release brought down by the legacy of its predecessor.
Lord Of The Rings' New Rotten Tomatoes Streak Is Disappointing After How The Franchise Started
Lord Of The Rings Was Once The Biggest Thing In The World, & Completely Deserved It
There was once a time when it seemed likeLord of the Ringscould do no wrong. The animated movie adaptations of Tolkien’sLord of the Ringsbooks from the late 1970s have their fervent admirers, but once Peter Jackson entered the scene going into the 2000s, he changed the fantasy genre forever.Lord of the Ringswas at the top of the world when the initial trilogy of movies was being released,embodying the platonic ideal of prestige fantasy and earning a seemingly endless string of nominations and awards, culminating inThe Return of the King’s historic Best Picture win.
In comparison,War of the Rohirrim’s “Rotten” status may leave a bad taste in an old fan’s mouth. It still proudly holds an 83% audience score, suggesting that there is something about it that impartial reviewers just don’t get. Yet theLord of the Ringsmovies have been sliding downward withThe Hobbithovering around the Rotten mark before finally stumbling. However, with the general praise for the TV show, new movies in development, andThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimproving to be a new beloved installment for longtime fans, the franchise isn’t going anywhere yet.
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.
