I enjoyed it and will watch it again! I went into it already invested in Rohan where it sounds like you didn't (or at least not as much), and I wasn't expecting it to be a big-budget epic.
This is almost exactly what I felt walking out of the movie! There were some great moments, I got goosebumps a couple times, but it felt like it was mostly borrowing valor from the original trilogy rather than trying to create something memorable of its own. It works as a serviceable return to Middle Earth, but not necessarily a memorable one. I do agree that animation is a great genre for fantasy and I hope they make more animated Middle Earth movies, and maybe they'll be able to take a few more risks now that they have one under their belt.
This is a more of a nitpick, but I was really underwhelmed with the voice acting. I thought Brian Cox was the only good actor in the movie. Hera was well written enough to be a good character, and she was a decent protagonist despite her voice acting when she could have been a great one because of it.
I watched this over the weekend and enjoyed it! I agree with your assessment that it lacks some emotional resonance, I wished we spent more time fleshing out what it was like to live in Rohan and why we should root for the characters fighting to protect it, but overall I enjoyed the story and the characters. I think Olwyn is my favorite character from the movie.
I liked it more than you did but I understand your reservations. I also agree with you that I hope this is the first of many animated takes of the Tolkienās legendarium. Thereās so much material there.
Not going to lie, my husband and I were underwhelmed by even the preview. I wanted to be excited about seeing it, but, no. Like you said, maybe when we can stream it.
The difference between Tolkien and the writers who come after him can be stated as the difference between āI am no manā and āI need no manāā¦ I disagree with you that it was not agenda-driven - even allowing for the fact that portions of the plot are similar to what Tolkien wrote in the Appendix, Wulfās motivations toward the end seem to be more about getting revenge upon āherā and proving himself better than HĆ©ra (which he predictably fails at). Heās acting like an incel whoās been rejected by the Strong Feminist heroine. Thus HĆ©raās defeat of Wulf seems like the perfect feminist comeback to patriarchy and toxic incel culture. Thanks, but Tolkien already managed to make strong female characters who still loved males and got married, so thereās no need to try and convince me that these two things are mutually exclusive.
Also, HĆ©raās motivations remain exactly the same from start to finish, and she is exceptionally good at everything from swordfighting to mountaineering. Mary Sue, anyone?
P.S. Did they have to rip off Ćowyn and make the feminist rejection so on the nose with that scene? You know the one Iām talking about.
I enjoyed it and will watch it again! I went into it already invested in Rohan where it sounds like you didn't (or at least not as much), and I wasn't expecting it to be a big-budget epic.
Yes! Lack of heart is the reason I haven't really enjoyed anything LOTR-related after the 2000 Jackson trilogy..
I had the opposite reaction. I was left speechless, and could've immediately watched it again. š¤£
This is almost exactly what I felt walking out of the movie! There were some great moments, I got goosebumps a couple times, but it felt like it was mostly borrowing valor from the original trilogy rather than trying to create something memorable of its own. It works as a serviceable return to Middle Earth, but not necessarily a memorable one. I do agree that animation is a great genre for fantasy and I hope they make more animated Middle Earth movies, and maybe they'll be able to take a few more risks now that they have one under their belt.
This is a more of a nitpick, but I was really underwhelmed with the voice acting. I thought Brian Cox was the only good actor in the movie. Hera was well written enough to be a good character, and she was a decent protagonist despite her voice acting when she could have been a great one because of it.
I watched this over the weekend and enjoyed it! I agree with your assessment that it lacks some emotional resonance, I wished we spent more time fleshing out what it was like to live in Rohan and why we should root for the characters fighting to protect it, but overall I enjoyed the story and the characters. I think Olwyn is my favorite character from the movie.
I liked it more than you did but I understand your reservations. I also agree with you that I hope this is the first of many animated takes of the Tolkienās legendarium. Thereās so much material there.
Not going to lie, my husband and I were underwhelmed by even the preview. I wanted to be excited about seeing it, but, no. Like you said, maybe when we can stream it.