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The difficulty with spin-offs is always that they are based on an original work which brings the problem of how to make them stand on their own? Usually it requires that they are cohesive and artistically distinct and unique. Making an anime based on the Peter Jackson's trilogy seemed like a mad idea but it certainly tackles this problem well.

The director Kenji Kamiyama is best known for his recent directive work on the Blade Runner anime spin off as well a the classic sci-fi Ghost in The Shell Stand alone complex -series (which is also a spin off from an original anime film). He has also worked on classics such as Akira and Princess Mononoke (which is certainly the most important reference point for War of the Rohirrim) in smaller roles. The animation style in terms of anime is generic (safe for western audiences) with a mix of 3D graphics with drawn animation at times. The quality varies a lot from one scene to another and on can see that the there was a limited time frame available for some specific scenes. Given that this is an anime film, it would've needed some more dynamism and creativity how it was used. The film very much follows the Jackson's story board formula with some anime tropes but I think the possibilities of an anime style were underutilized here. If one decides to make an anime film, it does not really make it any better for any audience if the end result seems a bit too subtle. The score from Howard Shore brings the epic feel of the original PJ trilogy, though otherwise the universe here feels a bit different as a more high fantasy setting.

The story is based on a short appendix text from Tolkien himself so it's a very universal classic storyline, though very predictable. Aside from the main character, there are really not other interesting ones. The designs are very interesting though. I also liked the English voice acting overall.

The film manages to be its own thing with it's style and story, but it is hampered down by being too safe for western audiences, as well as some of the sub-par production. I'm not sure to who was this made for? A lot of Tolkien fans are nerds who are familiar with anime so being too safe here with the style does not really make sense here. Making the animation more bland does not make it more appealing for audiences who would not like it anyway, and makes the overall film less memorable and more like a generic action animation. It's not a bad film but not a very memorable either.

The film is both story about its main characters struggles as conservation activists as well as about their own relationship with nature. It's a film that views conservation activism from the point of view of the young "climate strike" generation who grew up when climate issues and other global crisis have become more well known and as the world is becoming ever increasingly interconnected. The cast openly talk why they were drawn to activism and also about their own subjective feelings about. It's a unique film in that through cinemography and amazing filming in nature with it's main cast is also able to tell an intimately the main characters own relationships with nature in a touching and beautiful way. The camera takes picturesque views from landscape but also goes into intimate spaces like inside tents and homes of the characters. As a subject oriented documentary sometimes it is hard to differentiate to what extent the people portrayed are giving some kind of interpretation of themselves and what is really genuine but overall they are portrayed humanely and there is an attempt to give different perspectives of them.

Gareth Edward seems to be the guy for high sci-fi war films as he delivers another gritty war sci-fi war film after surprisingly dark and well made Star Wars spin-off Rogue One (which was actually better than the new trilogy that came out around the same time). This film however is set in an original setting where humans are waging a war against AI controlled androids after a brief nuclear war. It's an interesting combination of Vietnam war films, as the film is mainly set somewhere in East Asia and a lot of filming was also made there and the film deals a lot with justification of wars, Blade Runner with it's cyberpunk elements and futuristic Japanese inspired cities and technology and Avatar with it's depiction of technology with nature and the heavy use of CGI. In my opinion this film actually looks better than the mentioned Avatar and is visually more varied and intersting, though it also shares a lot of its faults. The film is structured more like a video game than a film with action being the main focus of the film with some slower world building "cutscenes" in between. Characters are not as annoying as in Avatar, but share their blank nature unfortunately. Dealing with the interesting themes the film presents is not given enough exposure due to prioritization of action and glitter over substance and despite the moving opening scene theres no emotional connection to any of the characthers. Visually it has some stunning scenes and especially the interaction between nature human culture and technology is beautifully illustrated here. I think this had the potential to be more memorable but as it is, it's a sci-fi action film that looks great but is a bit too long.