An entertaining, stand-alone spinoff could have used some better character development.

The War of the Rohirrim is the latest foray into the ever-growing Lord of the Rings cinematic universe. Despite a reportedly rushed production commissioned solely to keep the film rights from expiring, it was an entertaining stand-alone story that fit nicely into the established universe. It reminded me a lot of Rogue One in the way it tied into familiar events while focusing entirely on fresh faces and a story only previously hinted at.

Set a few hundred years before the LoTR films, this story centers around the royal family of Rohan: King Helm Hammerhand, his sons Haleth and Hama, and his daughter Hera. At the start of the film, the neighboring Dunlendings turn up and propose marriage between Hera and her childhood friend Wulf. Helm rejects the offer (not because Hera wishes to stay unwed, of course, but because it would put Wulf in a position to steal the throne from his sons). Things escalate, and pretty soon the two kingdoms are at war. This leads to a siege that will later earn Helm's Deep (the castle where Aragorn and company make their stand in Two Towers) its name.

It's a perfectly fine story. There are cool fight scenes, some emotional moments, and satisfying callbacks to the original films. The problem is that it's centered on the wrong character. Just as the Rohan part of Two Towers was primarily King Theoden's journey, this is primarily King Helm's story. It's his pride (and "hammerhand") that brought hem to war; he's the one leading his forces into battle; he's the one who gets the keep named after him. Even the emotional beats could be framed from his perspective, focusing on his relationship with and hopes for his children.

Instead, the movie centers on Hera. Now don't get me wrong, I like Hera. She's tough, independent, brave, and devoted to her family and her people. Her story is an important piece of the larger tale, just as Eowyn's was. It's only awkward that Rohirrim tries to make it the only story, or even the most important one.

There's a line at the beginning of the film that almost suggests this is intentional, when Eowyn (via voiceover) notes, "Do not look for tales of [Hera] in the old songs, there are none." There was an opportunity here to say something insightful about how women's perspectives are too-often overlooked by history books, but that doesn't quite feel earned here. I think the film was mostly just trying to justify building an entire story around a character so insignificant, she wasn't even named in Tolkein's original lore.

The characters are a little thin. Wulf takes a sharp left from "bestie with unrequited love" into mustache-twirling villain, Helm is mostly relegated to "stoic king" mode, and not enough attention is paid to Hera's relationship with her family. Hera also doesn't really change or grow throughout the story. At the beginning, she's the princess who wants to ride horses and not get married and do her own thing, and that's pretty much who she is at the end. On the up side, there is a cool friendship between Hera and her (maid? governess? it wasn't entirely clear), a retired shieldmaiden. I love to see older lady characters kicking butt.

Shortcomings aside, the film was solid entertainment for our whole family. My daughter (not into LoTR at all) loved the anime-inspired animation, and followed the story just fine. My son (a LoTR megafan) enjoyed it despite its departures from established lore, which he happily detailed to me afterward. As a mom of teens with varied interests, I consider that a win.

Side note: the song The Rider from the soundtrack is absolutely awesome.

Ratings

• Princess Power:
• Overall:
• Bechdel Test: Pass

Learn about my Ratings System.

Family Content

• Violence/Scariness: Some scary monster scenes, intense battles, and impactful deaths. Definitely earns its PG-13 rating IMHO.
• Language: None that I recall.
• Romance/Sex: Discussion of arranged marriages, but otherwise no romantic subplots.