Greater context to one of the most iconic battles in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy
It probably wasn’t the way fans were expecting to enjoy the return of The Lord of the Rings to the big screen, but, while we will still have to wait to see The Hunt For Gollumit is 2024 has seen the premiere of a new film within the franchise: The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrimthe first anime in the saga.
Released on December 5 in Spanish cinemas and with a not too effusive reception, the animated film has been directed by filmmaker Kenji Kamiyama for the first time as part of a project in the saga, but has had the collaboration close as a producer to one of the key figures in the franchise, Philippa Boyens, one of the screenwriters of both the original trilogy and The Hobbit.
And it was precisely Boyens who came up with the story, within Tolkien’s mythology, that the new film would address. This is what he told us in an interview with SensaCineexplaining that although they were always clear that they wanted to tell a new story with new characters, it wasn’t until the word “anime” was uttered that he thought of Rohan: “I immediately thought of this particular story. And I had the instinct that the culture of the Rohirrim would fit very naturally within the great tradition of Japanese storytelling.
Set almost 200 years before the original trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim It has nothing to do with Sauron or the One Ring, nor with hobbits, elves or dwarves. In it, a conflict between human communities is recounted, when Wulf, a Dunlending lord determined to avenge the death of his father, challenges and attacks the legendary king of Rohan, Helm Ironhand and forces his people to take refuge in the ancient fortress. of Hornburg, which would later be known as the Helm’s Deep.
A location that fans of The Lord of the Rings they know very well and which plays an important role in the second film of Peter Jackson’s film trilogy: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
From the hand of The Rohirrim War, We learn about the battle that gave rise to the name of the iconic site of Middle-earth and the ancestors of Éowynthe character of Miranda Otto, who serves as narrator in Kamiyama’s film and who Héra, the warrior princess protagonist of the new film, was an example from which to be inspired as a heroine.
In short, far from spoilers, it can be said that The War of the Rohirrim offers greater historical context and reinforces the Battle of Helm’s Deep, one of the most iconic scenes of The Two Towers, which now we will always enjoy with double emotion.
