The tales of The Lord of the Rings continue to glow. The wind blows through the early days of the backstory in a franchise the world loves. This presentation has a crispness and audacity that feels faithful. It is a cinematic wonder of kings and leadership. There is a lot to hash out and revisit in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, an animated film which is the storyline to the franchise directed by Kenji Kamiyama. The graphics in this animated feature deliver an ambience of grandeur. I had the opportunity to see this at the British Film Institute IMAX in the Waterloo area of London on the biggest screen in all of Europe. The film may leave audiences with some mixed feelings but the immersive moments in The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim stuck with me.

The plot takes place almost two-hundred years prior to the events in the original trilogy. It is presented in an animated form that is carefully constructed. Its characters are Wulf (voiced by Luca Pasqualino), Helm (voiced by Brian Cox), and Hera (voiced by Gaia Wise). The early days of Rohan are at risk and there is vengeance that collides. This is a journey that goes way back to a time before the moving parts of the original trilogyoccur. During this era of fighting monsters and protecting rings, there is a more foundational approach which plays out using a unique form of animation.

The overall experience of the film was just above average. It seemed rushed to find a combat mode to deliver exhilaration for audiences. I am amazed the movie was only a little over two hours long which is well below the three-hour mark of the other films in the trilogy. The IMAX experience at the British Film Institute made me feel immersed into many previous events I was unaware of which happened before the trilogy I grew up with. The giant screen around me made me feel the animated sequences due to the immense sound. I felt I was riding in aworld of animation. The leadership and adventures of Hera are wonderous. The film is slightly hurried, but its grandeur should not be dismissed. In the end, it faithfully delivers something different than what its large fan-base is used to. Three out of four stars.