The first thing you should know about the new Lord of the Rings animated feature film, The War of the Rohirrim, is that it’s nothing like The Rings of Power. Yes, both are prequels to the more well-known core stories from J.R.R. Tolkien. And yes, both introduce brand-new characters into the lore of Middle-earth. But the difference with the protagonist of The War of the Rohirrim, hitherto unknown Hèra (Gaia Wise), is that we’re told, right away, that we’re not supposed to know about her. In a moving voiceover narration that pervades the entire movie, Miranda Otto (reprising her role as Éowyn from the Lord of the Rings movies) tells us, “Don’t look for her in old songs.” Hèra is very specifically a hidden character on a hidden adventure, and that’s okay.
In this way, The War of the Rohirrim avoids dot-connecting fan service, despite being deep in the Tolkien canon weeds by the very nature of its existence. And because it’s so well-crafted, this anime feature becomes a stand-alone Middle-earth adventure that is refreshing in both its simplicity and beauty. Tolkien fans may not have been clamoring for this movie, but they will love it now that it’s here.
