The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a fascinating experiment in adaptation. It's not adapting a novel of J.R.R. Tolkien's, but rather two pages from his Appendices, which lay out the last great stand of one of Rohan's most famed kings, Helm Hammerhand (voiced by Succession 's Brian Cox ).

Boyens says she learned one important thing from a letter Tolkien wrote to his son, editor, and archivist, Christopher Tolkien, that gave her a new appreciation for the professor.

The War of the Rohirrim" is a unique shift from traditional Middle-earth media. It's been decades since we got a Middle-earth adaptation in animated form. (You've got to go back to the '70s and '80s for those sub-par old Ralph Bakshi and Rankin/Bass "Lord of the Rings" and "Hobbit" adaptations to find something similar.

The War of the Rohirrim is based on a short section of Tolkien's appendices, in which Héra is but an unnamed daughter. However, in fleshing her out, the film is able to add new depth to the story, all while making sure Héra is the kind of person Éowyn would actually be telling a story about.

Issues delivered straight to your door or device Despite The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim taking place 183 years before Bilbo Baggins embarked on his grand quest far over the Misty Mountains,

Ted Danson appeared in almost all 12 seasons of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” as one of Larry David’s nemeses. Playing a pretentious and smug version of himself, the “Cheers” star became a fan-favorite on the show, most recently appearing in the series finale. But Danson was initially quite skeptical of the unscripted HBO sitcom — and only …

The War of Rohirrim” also feels conspicuously closer to 1990s direct-to-video release than an heir to some of the grandest big-screen fantasy storytelling of the past 25 years.

Director Kenji Kamiyama and executive producer Peter Jackson make sure this latest installment in the Tolkien universe looks great but it feels unnecessary

The War of the Rohirrim anime debuted in theaters on December 13, but you can already preorder the limited-edition 4K Blu-ray release for $38 at Amazon.