THE Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim It's the franchise's first foray into animation in decades, and it also explores an exciting corner of the fantasy universe. Although JRR Tolkien is predominantly known for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbitits Middle Earth mythology is much deeper, resembling a history book but with dragons, orcs and dangerous jewels. Although Amazon The Rings of Power is enjoying more column inches in the Lord of the Rings prequel bets, other pre-Bilbo projects are in the pipeline.
Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim It represents a stark departure from the Tolkien fare that mainstream audiences are familiar with, but given New Line's previous success, there was still plenty of buzz surrounding the animated adaptation. Although Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim addresses a still unexplored corner of the beloved fantasy franchise, there was still plenty of familiarity with the newest adventure in Tolkien's universe.
Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim, critical reception and box office
A mixed response to the Lord of the Rings prequel
Despite being linked to one of the most beloved film and TV franchises of all time, The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim did not receive a particularly warm reception from critics. However Screen speech pointed to the film as an example of what franchises should do, others were not particularly enthusiastic. War of the Rohirrim only scored around 50% in Rotten tomatoesand many of these negative reviews summed up the film as tasteless and unnecessary. The Guardian was particularly harsh, considering the personalityless animation and the narrative as “painful and joyless.”
At the box office, things are also a bit bleak. After the film's opening weekend, the film only managed to gross around $10 million (via Mojo Box Office) against its $30 million budget. With a total cost estimated at around US$70 million (taking into account marketing/distribution costs), the animated adventure fell far short of expectations. While a recovery is always possible, the $10 million start may be too slow to make it a financial success.
Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim Cast
Brian Cox leads the voice cast
With the Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim cast comprised of recognizable stars, the animated adaptation is no different than its live-action counterparts. Successionof Brian Cox leads the voice cast as Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan. Furthermore, Miranda Otto narrates the film as she Lord of the Rings paper, Éowyn. Sage Gaia (Silent Witness) plays Helm's daughter Hera, while Luke Pasqualino (Skins) plays Wulf, the antagonistic leader of the Dunlendings.
Christopher Lee reprized his role as the wizard Saruman in the animated film. Although Lee passed away in 2015 at age 93, his vocal performance is based on previously recorded lines from The Hobbit trilogy. From a story point of view, Saruman was alive during the time of The War of the Rohirrimbut he was not yet Sauron's villainous ally.
The cast of The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim includes:
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Actor |
Role War of the Rohirrim |
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|---|---|---|
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Brian Cox |
Hammerhand Helm |
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Miranda Otto |
Éowyn |
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Lucas Pasqualino |
Wulf |
|
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Sage Gaia |
Hammerhand Hera |
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Laurence Ubong Williams |
Fréaláf Hildeson |
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Shaun Dooley |
Freca |
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Christopher Lee |
Saruman |
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Benjamin Wainwright |
Unknown |
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Michael Wildman |
Unknown |
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Jude Akuwudike |
Unknown |
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Bilal Hasna |
Unknown |
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Janine Duvitski |
Unknown |
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Lorena Ashbourne |
Unknown |
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Yazdan Qafouri |
Unknown |
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Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim Trailer
Watch the full trailer below
In anticipation of the film's December release date, Warner Bros. debuted a full trailer for The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim. After showing nostalgic footage from the classic live-action films, the trailer transitions to animation and introduces the conflict between Helm Hammerhand and the Dunlendings (through narration by Miranda Otto as Éowyn). Huge battle sequences are teased, and the trailer features a small glimpse of the One Ring as an extra tease.
Lord of the Rings: End of the War of the Rohirrim and spoilers
A small footnote in the history of Middle Earth
Unsurprisingly, The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim it wouldn't undergo major changes with the franchise's tradition because it's a prequeland the ending was equally uncontroversial. While it carefully wrapped up all of the characters' arcs in a succinct way, the ending doesn't really set up much beyond what we already know will come later in the season. Lord of the Rings timeline. However, the ending also doesn't leave much unexplored and strikes a delicate balance between tiptoeing around established lore and telling a complete story on its own.