REVIEW of War of the Rohirrim (spoilers)

Overview of Plot

The War of Rohirrim’s plot was well done and extremely book accurate which is so nice to see in an Middle-Earth adaptation. The movie starts out with Miranda Otto reprising her role as Eowyn to narrate the movie. Eowyn gets us back into the Middle-Earth mind set and sets up the time frame of the movie which is 183 years before the LotR. Eowyn also introduces us to one of the main characters, Hera, and how she was raised by a warrior king. Eowyn says do not look at the old songs for mention of her because there is none, and that is because in the original story she is just the unnamed daughter of Helm. The plot then ramps up into a brawl then a war. We saw all the lore monuments that we expected to see including the Brawl, the siege of the Hornburg, and the death of Helm; and in the end, a certain white wizard comes to take over Isengard. The plot flowed well even with the several time jumps which are hard to do but they all worked great.

Favorite Characters and Events

My top favorite character is Helm Hammerhand. His voice, played by Brain Cox, was great and what I imagined for his voice. The brawl scene and war council scene splendidly showed Helm’s arrogance and how he is not the best hero or king. The scene when he freezes to death fighting an army of Dunlendings was a stunning sequence where he somewhat redeems himself protecting his daughter and the gate.

Fréaláf was another great character. When he is scolded for making the wise plan of defense, he was outcast from the army even though his plan was a good one. To see him on the throne at the end was fitting and satisfying. Fréaláf at Dunharrow had great visuals; Dunharrow looked just like the stronghold from the original film despite this one being Anime.

I enjoyed the opening scenes and the visuals of the Hornburg; the ice and snow was cool (pun intended). I love how you did not immediately see Helm attack, and in a way, you felt the terror of the Dunlendings as the Wraith of Helm Hammerhand stalks you in the frozen night.

The two Orcs collecting rings was a fun original aspect. It worked well in the movie and did not contradict any lore. It made sense that Sauron, who desperately need his Ring back, would send out his orcs to collect rings in search of his or any other of the rings of power. It also makes sense how Sauron would not trust his orcs with the true knowledge of why they collected rings. And as a bonus, the orcs were ironically voiced by Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan (Merry and Pippin from the LotR films).

Least Favorite Characters and Events

I enjoyed all the characters very much—they all fit really well with the lore and the world of Middle-Earth. However, there was one character who looked more Anime than Middle-Earth in style. Hama, the son of Helm Hammerhand, had very Anime boyband style hair and also had earrings. This look didn’t fit with the rest of the Rohirrim.

One thing I did not like was the whole Eagle plot. In a way, it cheapens the role of the eagles in the other movies. If every time one thing goes wrong the eagles are always there, it shows people as helpless. Tolkien did not write his stories that way.

The battle outside of Edoras was not as impressive as in the LotT trilogy because you did not get to see the scale of the battle. This is probably just because it is harder to do that in an Anime film.

Also, in the end the movie shows Hera overpowering Wulf in their fight. Realistically, that could not happen. She is somehow really good at climbing really, really high mountains without any training? Then, she is proficient in jumping large distances to large distances? It was somewhat unbelievable.

Source Material

The movie was very lore accurate unlike some Amazon adaptations I have heard of. There were things they added (and almost every single one worked well), and there were no big lore cuts. I saw everything I wanted and expected to see lore-wise. I would venture to say this movie is more Lore accurate than the originals only because it has a lot less info to be true to. Despite this, I would still choose the originals over The War of the Rohirrim any day because Peter Jackson’s originals cannot be beat.

Overall Assessment

I really enjoyed the movie as a whole. It was so, so, so nice to get a good Tolkien adaptation after a gap of maybe 20 or more years. If the fact that it is anime bothers you, I encourage you to give it a shot. I have never liked Anime, but that was not a problem after the first 5 minutes. It was more Middle-Earth than Anime. I Give the War of the Rohirrim an 8 out of 10.

REVIEW of Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, by John Hendrix

The Mythmakers, by John Hendrix, is a new book in the graphic novel format telling the tale of the remarkable fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

Story

The content and storyline is amazing. The narrators, Mr. Goodwizard and Mr. Lion, walk the reader through the meaning and development through the meaning and development of the words myth, fairy tale, and fantasy. The narrators also show the lives of Lewis and Tolkien and how they created their respected stories. It captures their friendship perfectly, showing the sympathy and fellowship they had with each other.

Art

The artwork and illustrations were high-quality. The cover looks stunning with the first-edition Hobbit background style and the four main characters of the book (Goodwizard, Lion, Tolkien, and Lewis). Throughout the book, the color theme is purple, yellow, and a dull blue, which look great when all together. Every character looks different, and it is really easy to tell them apart. Overall, I really enjoyed the art.

Favorite Part

I had many favorite scenes from the book. One is C.S. Lewis’ conversion on the Addison Walk on pages 90-95. Some others are the Inkling Meeting on 104-107 and the coin flip (Tolkien and Lewis’ wager on who would write space travel or time travel stories) on pages 109-111. SPOILER ALERT: The book’s ending shows the true friendship between Lewis and Tolkien, and how the rift between them was healed in the end. The last chapter in the book is called “The Shadowlands and the Gray Havens,” a title I really appreciated.

Least Favorite Part

I had high hopes for this book when I first learned of it, and The Mythmakers met those high hopes. The author, however, said in his note that there were more stories that he left out but wished he could have included. So, my least favorite part was that he didn’t do as many stories as he could have. An extended edition would be amazing, and I know many people would read it.

Conclusion

I give The Mythmakers a five out of five with its enthralling world, enchanting artwork, and entertaining story.

REVIEW of Rings of Power Season 2

Overview of Plot

The Rings of Power Season 2 plot was, for the most part, enjoyable and well-crafted. There were many good things about it, however, one of the lows was the Stranger/Harfoot/Rhun storyline. It was very disconnected to the rest of the world, and almost nothing significant happens compared to the other storylines. The first scene of the Stranger in the final episode was cut very strangely with no continuity from where we had last seen the Stranger with Tom Bombadil. I spent the entire scene thinking it was one of his visions or dreams, and I could not tell what was going on. Later in the episode, I realized the events of the scene had actually happened. I am not a fan of the Stranger turning out to be Gandalf. I was hoping for Blue not Grey. It is not how Gandalf was supposed to come to Middle Earth, and it is one age too early.

The Annatar/Celebrimbor part was by far the best thread. I liked how Annatar/Sauron played on Celebrimbor’s vices of pride and lust to create the best and most marvelous things of the age. Every time Celebrimbor started to catch on, Annatar manipulated him some more, making it Celebrimbor’s fault that the rings were flawed and turning the smiths and garrison of Eregion against him. It was enthralling to watch as Celebrimbor broke Sauron’s hold on his mind to get away and to prove whose will was mightier. In the end, he stood up against Sauron and died knowing that Sauron would one day be defeated.

The Southlands storyline served only to get Arondir to the siege of Eregion and make Theo in charge, and to introduce Isildur to his girlfriend who can’t go to Numenor with him (Boohoo!) At the ending of the Southlands story, it was fun to see Kemen demoted to the lowly task of dealing with the Southlanders after he messed everything up back home on Numenor with the Faithful and the Kingsmen.

The Khazad-Dum plot was good but could have been better. Durin IV was amazing. But Durin III’s ring obsession was too similar to the Bilbo scenes from the Peter Jackson LOTR trilogy. In the original story, the dwarven rings did not corrupt; they just enhanced wealth. But in Rings of Powers, they made the dwarven rings corrupt the king and drive him beyond sanity. During III’s last moments were moving as puts down the ring, tells his son he is strong, and jumps to strike the balrog. The balrog ends up killing the old king and collapses the passage. Although in the real lore, the balrog was not meant to be disturbed until much later, it was still an outstanding scene. The dwarf Narvi was nice to see, but it would have been nice to see more of him and Celebrimbor working together on the Doors of Durin and maybe even on the dwarven rings.

The Lindon, Elrond, and Galadriel plot was a fine plot–not the worst but not the best. Cirdan was a great canon character to see, and I really missed him in the second half of the season. I liked how Elrond was against using the rings, and it was fun to see him lead the charge of the Lindon army. Galadriel still needs improvement as a character, but she did get a lot, lot better. I enjoyed how when she sees the Eregion guards she puts them in their place by reminding them of Celebrimbor’s authority as the true lord of Eregion.

The Numenor plot was amazing, one of the best, how Ar-Pharazon steals Miriel’s eagle and throne and how the political infighting becomes serious. One nice part was when Elendil turned in his sword as he was stripped of his position, and Valandil said, “Captain leaving deck.” All the Faithful sailors turned and saluted in a dramatic gesture which made Kemen upset. Another great part was when Kemen killed Valandil and blamed Elendil for starting the fight. Elendil’s unwavering moral compass was nice and accurate of his character. He said lines like: “Faith is not faith unless it is lived,” making the Numenor plot great to watch.

Favorite Characters and Events

My first and most favorite character from Season 2 is Elendil. We got to see who he really was at his core this season, how when everyone else says Yes, he says No. He knows what is right and what is wrong. He lets nothing get in the way of his faith, even his family. The actor Lloyd Owens captured Elendil perfectly.

My second favorite character is Annatar, Lord of Gifts (Sauron). It was nice to finally get this plot back to canon, the way it should have been in Season 1. I like how he says that he will choose good, but every time a choice comes, he chooses evil. His romance with Mirdania is just a tool. When the time comes, he throws her off the wall, making it look like Celebrimbor did it. He manipulates nearly everyone in the show.

Some other great characters are Elrond, Arondir with his cool elf stunts, Cirdan, and Celebrimbor. These actors had amazing acting talents.

One of my favorite scenes is the Elendil trial where he says, “Yes, I will renounce my crimes. No, I will not pledge loyalty to Ar-Pharazon the traitor.” The tension and the Numenorean music playing in the background turns it into one of the best scenes.

Another great scene is when Narvi says to Durin IV, “There’s an elf that needs to talk to you,” and Durin says, “Let him in!” Narvi says, “We need to do it quietly, for this elf has been banished from all dwarven realms.” The Watcher and Durin both realize that it is Elrond at the same time, and we feel their deep connection.

A fun scene is where Arondir and Isildur kill the Nameless Thing and Arondir says: “There are many nameless things in the deeps of this world. This one we shall call…supper.” It was fun to see the grim and serious Arondir make a joke.

Least Favorite Characters and Events

My least favorite character is the Stranger because his story is boring and takes away from the Numenor and Eregion story, Oh yeah, and also because he is Gandalf.

I still dislike Nori (the Harfoot) a lot.

Tom Bombadil was cool to see. The actor looks like how I imagined him. But his outfit was poorly done. His bright blue jacket was more a pale, faded, ragged outer robe than “bright blue his jacket is.” His boots were yellowish leather, not really “big yellow boots.” His hat was not the pilgrim-style hat I imagined it to be. Also, his singing skills need to improve. It shouldn’t be non-emotional mumbles. It should be loud and jolly.

One thing I noticed in both seasons is that Galadriel really likes to take advantage of her “plot armor.” In Season 1, she walks into a volcano with no ill effects. In Season 2, she jumps off a cliff.

Hopes and Fears

I’m still hoping for my “Dead Men of Dunharrow” theory.

I enjoyed seeing Gil-galad fighting in the siege of Eregion and can’t wait to see him and Elendil team up against Sauron in the Battle of the Last Alliance.

I am scared where the Stranger…I mean, “Gandalf” storyline is going.

I hope Galadriel is done with being a rage monster for good.

Source Material

It was great to see key canon book moments like the forging of the rings of power, the siege of Eregion, the reign of Ar-Pharazon, and the finding of Rivendell.

I did not like the many out of place story bits like “Gandalf,” the balrog (although it was really cool), Tom Bombadil, barrow wights, and more.

There are several original aspects of the show such as Arondir’s thread, Isildur being stuck in Middle-earth, the majority of the dwarven plot, but they worked better with the world than the out-of-place, unchronological pieces of lore that were shoved into the second age.

Overall Assessment

Season 2 of Rings of Power was enormously better than its predecessor, Season 1. It had better canon moments and better storylines altogether. It wasn’t relying on one good storyline to hold up the rest of the show’s flaws, but had many strong threads that were enjoyable to watch.

I give it six out of seven dwarven rings, 7.5 out of 9 rings for men, and most of the hair on a hobbit’s toes.

Overall, it was a pretty good season. Cheers!