Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Fight for your rights.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III February 18, 2025

Available alongside standard 4K and Blu-ray editions of the film, Warner Bros. also offers a 4K/Blu-ray Steelbook combo pack of Kenji Kamiyama The War of the Rohirrim, a recent anime-inspired prequel story from the The Lord of the Rings universe. It's a handsomely-designed package that suits the film's strong visuals with great A/V merits as well as a few brief extras, and it's also the only way to get both formats in one package. All on-disc contents are the same.

For a full synopsis and my take on the main feature, please see my recent review of WB's separate 4K edition. Our own Brian Orndorf was slightly more critical of the film and his theatrical review can also be read here.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For my thoughts on both the 4K (2160p/HDR10 - Dolby Vision) and Blu-ray (1080p/SDR) transfers included on each disc, please see my recent reviews of the separate standard editions linked above.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Similarly, my take on the excellent Dolby Atmos mix (identical on both discs) can be found at the reviews above.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a handsome semi-gloss Steelbook that hides most fingerprints and looks great in-hand. The front cover features several eye-catching reflective metallic highlights on Héra's sword and armor as well as the crown of Helm Hammerhand, who seems to be floating above the landscape in spirit on this evocative illustration. A more traditional and semi-reflective image of Hammerhand can be found on the back cover as he strikes a heroic pose. The interior is much different and features a hand-drawn map of Rohan as seen in the opening credits, offering a bit of contrast while still feeling appropriate, while both discs sit on overlapping hubs. It's a great-looking design that looks even better thanks to the lack of front cover text, which is printed on the removable J-card.

The extras listed below are identical on both discs and detailed in my review of the 4K edition.

• Return to Helm's Deep: History Becomes Legend (12:53)

• Middle-Earth & Anime: A Marriage of Creativity (6:52)

• Héra: A New Hero for Middle-Earth (6:53)

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Some fans initially decried The War of the Rohirrim as a cheap attempt by New Line Cinema to protect film rights, which is a fair point but undercuts what the animation team was able to achieve here. The world of The Lord of the Rings is unusually well-fit for animation and, despite a handful of script and narrative issues, the visuals and sound design work in tandem to make a real case for its existence, both briefly on the big screen and now on home video. Separate 4K and Blu-ray options are offered as stand-alone-releases, with each offering proportionately great A/V specs. This all-inclusive Steelbook combo pack is the recommended choice for die-hard fans and collectors.