Rated PG-13

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM mines Tolkien’s appendices for the history of Helm’s Deep, the site of a major battle in THE TWO TOWERS. We go back in Middle Earth’s history when a conflict between two houses sends one on the run. Childhood friends on either side must try to reconcile their differences to save their families.

The choice of traditional 2D animation, led by famous anime director Kenji Kamiyama, brings The Lord of the Rings full circle with Ralph Bakshi’s 1978 theatrical film and THE HOBBIT TV movie. It’s an entirely appropriate medium that allows the film to embody its own universe without relying on special effects gimmickry.

The voice cast is strong, and the action in animated form is impressive. However we have seen a lot of this before, and the complex background may be lost on anyone but die-hard Tolkien fans.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM gets three and a half swords out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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