Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and traitorous lord of Rohan 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.
War of the Rohirrim expands Tolkien's appendix lore around Helm Hammerhand into a feature-length anime, which is a moderately interesting concept. The plot follows a fairly predictable siege narrative with little surprise in its beats — Wulf's vengeance arc and the Rohirrim's last stand are competent but thin. The voice acting is serviceable but unremarkable, with characters lacking depth. The animation blends anime aesthetics with Middle-earth iconography unevenly; some action sequences have visual energy but the overall cinematography lacks the grandeur of the live-action films. Novelty is limited — it's a prequel set in a familiar world using a familiar anime production style without a distinctive voice. The ending resolves the siege but feels rushed and emotionally undercooked, failing to deliver the catharsis the story sets up.