War of the Rohirrim reviews are so confusing

The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim is proving to be divisive among critics, with reviews of the film mixed on various elements, from its pacing and narrative to action, animation, and characters. At the time of The Lord of the Rings: War of the RohirrimAt the end of, the story ends perfectly, leaving teases for future projects in Middle-earth. Despite this, reviews for the film were not particularly complimentary. The War of the RohirrimThe box office was also disappointing, matching only the average critical reception.

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, The War of the Rohirrim it has a 50% critical approval rating based on 92 reviews. Critics are split exactly down the middle, giving the anime film the title of worst rated Lord of the Rings film since the original trilogy in the early 2000s. From elements like the film's action scenes and its mix of 2D and 3D animation to the way it presents its characters and The War of the Rohirrimvoice cast that brings them to life, critics can't seem to agree on The Lord of the Rings' newest animated film.

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The animation of the Rohirrim war is more negative than positive

“The animation doesn’t seem to be opening up Tolkien’s verse or going beyond what we’ve already explored.” – Radheyan Simonpillai, Guardian

Easily one of the most divisive elements about The War of the Rohirrim It's your animation. The film's anime style worked for many critics, but others found it dull and inconsistent. The mix of 2D and 3D animation that typically comes with anime footage has been described as notably jarring by many critics, including Tom Stone of Times (UK), as well as character animations. Sometimes the on-screen characters moved well and were animated fluently, while other times they were considered stale and uninspired.

However, where there are mixed reviews, there should also be positive reviews. For some critics, The War of the Rohirrimthe animation worked. Much praise was directed at the pictorial settings of The War of the Rohirrim, with superlatives like superb, beautiful and stunning being used to translate the film's look by outlets like KCCI, Free Press Newspaper (India), and FilmWeb. Overall, however, a Lord of the Rings animation needs one thing to work unambiguously before anything else: its animation. Where The War of the Rohirrim is concerned, this proved not to be the case.

9

The story of the Rohirrim war is not convincing enough

“Due to its thin plot… The War of the Rohirrim itself is a story in danger of being forgotten.” -Joshua Stevens, Loud and clear

While the animation in The War of the Rohirrim was mostly divisive, one element that proved to err more on the negative than the positive was its story. Some critics of Times (UK) described it as scraping the bottom of the Lord of the Rings barrel, with some – like KOIMOI – even telling the story is terrible. Others have been found describing the story as inconsequential, as it is quite self-contained, as opposed to the world-altering battle against Sauron's ultimate evil found in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Joshua Stevens Loud and clear then tied the film unfavorably to its central theme. Miranda Otto War of the Rohirrim return sees her character, Éowyn, narrating how the story of Héra has long been forgotten by those in Middle-earth. Evidently, The War of the Rohirrim it did not prove convincing enough to make it unforgettable, ironically playing against its own message.

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The War of the Rohirrim offers a new perspective on the Lord of the Rings franchise

“The adaptation offers a new perspective on the Middle Earth universe.” – Victor Recinos, Film premiere

Perhaps the most compelling thing about an anime film on Lord of the Rings Franchise is how the animation style can offer a new perspective on an existing franchise. It turns out that Kenji Kamiyama's distinctive directing style allowed for just that. While the animation, as proven, didn't always work for all critics, many would agree that looking at Middle-earth through the eyes of a filmmaker other than Peter Jackson was appealing and proved to be a benefit. The War of the Rohirrim.

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The Rohirrim war is action-packed

“The War of the Rohirrim is action-packed, has strong voice acting and is well directed…” – Sheraz Farooqi, Cinematic Debate

Something you can expect from The Lord of the Rings franchise after Jackson's films and Prime Video The Rings of Power It's a strong action. For the most part, The War of the Rohirrim follow these steps appropriately. In light of the negativity surrounding the story, pacing, and animation, the film's action sequences were received much better by comparison.

Richard Crouse writes that the action scenes in The War of the Rohirrim are faithful to what came before, even with a general negative review from Rendy Reviews describing the film as a “Epic, action-packed cinematic experience.” This was to be expected, given the titular conflict at the heart of The War of the Rohirrimbut the film still needed to make every adrenaline-pumping moment work. If the film's reviews are anything to go by, it seems The War of the Rohirrim was successful in this regard most of the time.

6

The characters of the Rohirrim war were very uneven

“The characters are as flat as their animated images.” -Soren Andersen, Seattle Times

Unfortunately for The War of the Rohirrimthe central characters were somewhat uninspired and clichéd, if the reviews are to be believed. Soren Andersen, from Seattle Times compares the characters unfavorably to the film's animation, reinforcing both points about The War of the Rohirrimhas mixed reviews. Additionally, the film's characters were called generic and full of clichés, with many critics agreeing that they were nothing compared to those in Jackson's films.

In truly mixed fashion, however, there were some critics who praised The War of the Rohirrimcharacters. Some reviews described how the character development was well handled, especially that of the main character, Héra. Additionally, the word compelling was often used to describe the film's central actors, despite the general consensus being that they don't measure up to the iconic characters who came before.

5

The War of the Rohirrim feels like a Lord of the Rings placeholder

“The War of the Rohirrim” exists more as a minor placeholder than a significant contribution to the franchise.” – Nate Adams, The only critic

Without a doubt, one of the most pressing concerns The War of the Rohirrim it's the fact that it was done. Reports were circulated surrounding the film's theatrical release stating that it was created by Warner Bros. as a way to maintain the rights to the film for the Lord of the Rings franchise. With a new live-action film like The Hunt for Gollum arriving in 2026 and further planned beyond that, this criticism becomes a harsh reality for The War of the Rohirrim.

Zachary Lee from Roger Ebert reinforces this idea: “Worst “art” was made in the name of a studio trying to retain the rights to a franchise.” Other reviews classify the film as inconsequential, with The Daily Beast describing it as such in direct relation to its status as a placeholder for Warner Bros. One can't help but think that if this information wasn't common knowledge, it would be Warner Bros. need to retain the Middle Earth rights, the film may have received a less mixed reception and been reviewed more positively.

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The War of the Rohirrim compares unfavorably to the original Lord of the Rings trilogy

“This prequel to the Oscar-winning 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy falls far short of expectations.” -Carla Hay, Culture Mix

As the old saying goes, comparison is the thief of joy. Turns out this is one of the reasons behind The War of the Rohirrimaverage reviews. As part of the Lord of the Rings franchise, the film was always going to face comparisons to Jackson's original films, as well as The Rings of Power has throughout its two seasons so far.

Relative The War of the Rohirrimits inability to surpass the original Lord of the Rings the trilogy is a source of its most negative reviews. Times describes the film as crude in comparison to Jackson's works, while Dylan Roth of Observer states that it lacks the widespread general appeal that the original trilogy possessed. With War of the RohirrimWith Easter eggs constantly reminding viewers of Jackson's trilogy, the film only drew attention to its inferior nature, according to most critics.

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The War of the Rohirrim is considered better than the Hobbit films

“It's certainly much better than the extensive Hobbit trilogy.” -Donald Clarke, Irish times

Where comparison can be negative, it can also generate positive results. The War of the Rohirrim may not live up to Jackson's original trilogy, but many agree it stands above the New Zealand filmmaker's return to Middle-earth with The Hobbit. John Kirk of Original cin notes that The War of the Rohirrim is better than any of the Lord of the Rings prequels invented so far, including The Hobbit. Likewise, Sebastian Zavala Kahn of I like Cinema claims it is much better than any of the The Hobbit films.

Although the first two installments of the The Hobbit trilogy were mostly positively received, the final entry was more divided. Public perception of The Hobbit Admittedly, the number of films has increased since the early 2010s, but many in the critical world still don't have much reverence for them. This is proved above all by the reaction to The War of the Rohirrim; although it may not match Jackson's original Lord of the Rings series, can at least claim to be better than The Hobbit in the eyes of some.

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Rohirrim War Has Pacing Problems

“You're going to get bored with these 'rings'.” -Scott Mendelson, The Outer Spoon (Substack)

Regarding the narrative and pacing, The War of the Rohirrim is mostly being criticized. The word “boring” appears in several reviews, claiming that The War of the Rohirrim it doesn't have the necessary propulsion in its narrative to maintain its long running time. After all, the film is 134 minutes long, a significant length for an animated film.

Many critics described The War of the Rohirrim as too long and accused him of overstretching the small section of Rohan's lore from the source material. Tanner Gordon Spectrum Culture insists that the film is exhausting in its length, with other reviews describing it as slow, plodding and laborious. If The War of the Rohirrim Had it been 30 or 40 minutes shorter, its reception may have been more positive than negative. Unfortunately, however, critics claim that there are many pacing problems in the film.

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The War of the Rohirrim has many Tolkien connections and Easter eggs

“The War of the Rohirrim thrills primarily as an anime chapter that will delight the Tolkien faithful.” – Juliano Romano, FilmWeb

Whether negative or positive reviews from The War of the RohirrimCritics seem to agree that the film will please fans of JRR Tolkien's original work. Almost every review recorded for the film on Rotten Tomatoes mentions Tolkien's influences, stating that there is much to enjoy for those looking for a return to Middle-earth. References, Easter eggs, locations, weapons, designs and even characters from Tolkien's world appear in The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrimconstituting a universally appreciated positive element in the film's mixed reviews.