Long before Peter Jackson screened The Lord of the Rings, audiences got a glimpse into the fantasy world of J. R. R. Tolkien through a trio of late-1970s animation projects: two Rankin/Bass animated television specials (of which no “The Hobbit” (still a fairly popular film) is a dark and ominous big picture directed by Ralph Bakshi (director of the sci-fi film “Wizards”). So not only is there precedent, there’s a certain kind of poetry for Jackson and screenwriter Philippa Boyens, who commissioned an intense, hand-drawn expansion of existing mythologies, such as that represented by “The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim.”
When I say “poetry,” I assume I’m referring to the weird kind you might find at your local Renaissance festival, accompanied by pipe music and a bunch of costumed weirdos performing a dance. The real selling point of “The War of the Rohirrim” isn’t that it’s anime, but that it is anime – as in the simplistic, adult-friendly style of Japanese TV series and films. Adding further credibility is that this film is directed by Kenji Kamiyama, who helmed Warner Bros.’ “Blade Runner: Black Lotus.” And “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” before that.
For those who can’t get enough of Middle-earth, here’s over two hours of deep backstory to satiate your appetite, centered around a siege on the stronghold that would later become known as Helm’s Deep (where we saw Saruman’s orcs dispossessed by Entes in “The Two Towers”). If all this sounds a bit technical, that’s consistent with the score, which is not so much modified as extrapolated from Tolkien’s dense writing. This movie may please viewers, but it’s not epic enough to give less devoted viewers the same thrill they once felt in live-action films.
Set nearly two centuries before The Hobbit, the film begins with a young woman with hair the color of Advil bars riding to the top of a mountain, where she feeds a giant pork hock to one of the great eagles. This is no ordinary girl, as the 360-degree panning shot and Eowyn’s opening narration confirm: “By her hand, many great deeds have been done. But look not for her tales in old songs. There are none. The familiar chorus-like score, composed by Stephen Gallagher (Jackson Films Music Editor) It may send a shiver down your spine If nothing else, “War” shows how exciting it can be to spend time in a dream space. Films that we consider Middle Earth.
But the writers (of which there are four, plus Bowens) have not gone out of their way to make “War of the Rohirrim” accessible to amateurs. The title refers to the people of Rohan, who are ruled by a large, white-bearded, Viking-like man named Helm Hammerhand, who can bludgeon opponents to death with a single blow – as he does in a confrontation with the leader of a rival clan. Helm is played by “Succession”‘s raspy-voiced star, Brian Cox, which seems like an appropriate choice, given that much of the plot concerns who will inherit Rohan once this imposing patriarch dies. He has two sons, but his red-headed daughter Hera (Jaia Wise) is clearly his favourite.
The trouble begins with that first encounter, which occurs when one of the leaders attempts to propose to his son, Wolf (Luke Pasqualino), in marriage — a demand that Hera should truly accept the proposal. A flashback reveals how Hera and Wolf were childhood playmates, and perhaps became lovers (although she gave him that neat scar over his left eye). Now, if Helm does not give up his kingdom through marriage, Wolf plans to seize it by force, leading a massive army filled with four-tusked, elephant-like beasts to storm the Great Hall.
Cleverly anticipating the attack, Hera evacuates the townspeople to the Hornberg, a massive bunker built into the side of the mountain. While the first half of the film proves engaging enough, the rest becomes exhausting as the Rohirrim take refuge, and Wolf – who is as handsome as he is shown, but irredeemably ruthless – tries to force his way in.
King Helm still swings his mighty hammer, but he cannot defeat the invaders alone. That leaves Hera, who prompts Bowens and Jackson to portray him as as brave and resourceful as any of the heroic men they’ve celebrated in the live-action films. Why not? Fantasy seems like the perfect forum to balance the male-dominated acts of heroism that dominate human history on Earth, where we will find no counterpart.
Meanwhile, in Middle-earth, Tolkien had already imagined Éowyn, Miranda’s character Otho, and the Shield of Rohan. Hera was clearly conceived in her image: another dynamic female archetype in a series that sporadically comes to life. “The War of the Rohirrim” won’t bring the film to life on its own (not enough to justify a theatrical release), but it bridges the gap between “The Hobbit” and Jackson’s upcoming “The Hunt for Gollum.” Here and there, fans will find some related references that most people shouldn’t have a hard time skipping. It seems that the lure of the ring is no longer what it used to be.