Ten years after the last Hobbit part is runningBattle of the Rohirrim
There is currently another feature film from the Tolkien universe in cinemas. The film about the adventures of the king's daughter Hera Hammerhand and her famous father Helm wants to present itself as a prequel to the Lord of the Rings - but is only convincing to a limited extent.
Although the soundtrack and Middle-earth atmosphere are perfect, the plot is largely disappointing due to its lack of ideas. You'll find out why.
For our author Jesko, however, this is not the biggest problem with the film. In order to build up the character of Hera, the film ignores the existing Tolkien lore. The great shield maiden Hera is a creation of the filmmakers. However, this raises the question of what happens to this character after the film.
And answers this questionThe Battle of the Rohirrim
simply no answer.
New Hera, new happiness
In the run-up to the theatrical release ofBattle of the Rohirrim
You could read in some places on the internet that Hera Hammerhand was a pure invention of the filmmakers.However, that is only half the truth.
Because even in Tolkien, King Helm Hammerhand has a daughter. And as in the film, she, or rather the courting of the Dunlander Wulf for her hand in marriage, is the reason for a bloody war between Rohan and Dunland, in the course of which Helm's sons Haleth and Háma also die.
The Battle of the Rohirrim
starts with this daughter of Helm, who was still unnamed by Tolkien, and expands her role. Director Kenji Kamiyama told us in an interview that the team chose this character as the protagonist because they felt she captured the imagination and wanted to tell Helm's story from her perspective. The name Hera also comes from the film team.
Some details from Tolkien lore were then rewritten for the film.Helm's son Háma dies much later in the book and Dunlander Prince Wulf is killed by Helm's nephew Fréaláf in Tolkien's book instead of by Hera. For the film, however, the makers wanted to give her room for heroic deeds and make her a great leader of her people.
Where is the problem?
Basically, I have no problem with reinterpreting or rewriting established book templates.If the end product is consistent, I don't care about such changes. Even the great Peter Jackson ultimately took some creative liberties with his interpretation of The Lord of the Rings, which fans consider sacred. So I don't want to discuss hair-splitting things like the manner and time of death of fictional characters here.
The Battle of the Rohirrim
However, it is not Lord of the Rings, even if the film would like to be. Because the film, with its free interpretation of the book, raises more questions than it can answer. So if Hera is supposed to be a legendary heroine of Rohan, why haven't we ever heard of her?
Admittedly, almost every prequel has this problem.The Battle of the Rohirrim
However, at the beginning it can be expected that he will present a satisfactory answer to the gap in the lore that has arisen.The film even addresses the problem:But you will not find the story of Hera written down in any chronicle of Middle-earth
, Eowyn's voice whispers in our ears right at the beginning - and grabs me as a viewer with this premise. After all, I want to know the reason why Hera disappeared in the realm of legends.
Lots of questions, no answers
However, this question is not answered at all in the film.Contrary to the book, Hera defeats the evil Dunlanders in the film and thereby restores law and order in Rohan. And that leaves me as a viewer with a big question mark over my head, because Hera's story doesn't find a conclusion.
Instead of letting her die at the end (as my colleague Sören suspected when he first saw the film) and thus putting a kind of end to the role of Hera, the filmmakers promote the originally nameless peripheral character to the heroine. On top of that, she even rides towards further great adventures together with the wizard Gandalf; At least that's what the finale suggests.
Actually, Hera should be a legend, worthy of being sung about in the songs of Rohan. After such heroic deeds, shouldn't her people have crowned her queen?
But the film owes us an explanationwhat happens after the final battle with Hera, opening up space for new lore complications. The fact that the makers didn't have the courage to present a coherent explanation frustrates me as a Lord of the Rings fan.
But even regardless of Hera's fate, there are narrative problems in the new Lord of the Rings anime. The story cannot detach itself from Peter Jackson's films for long stretches and in many respects is a retelling ofThe two towers
. Even some scenes were copied 1 to 1.
Instead of giving Hera real character development like her obvious role model Eowyn in the Lord of the Rings, the makers here cobble together an unrealistic hero icon who already has all the skills to save Middle-earth from the start. The problem withBattle of the Rohirrim
is therefore not that the film tries to tell the story of a woman who successfully fights back against prejudices in a male-dominated world and follows her dreams.
The problem is that he doesn't dare to tell this story consistently. With courage for character development, your own narrative ideas or possibly even the death of your own main character. Because that's what Hera did with Rohan's traditional battle cry -TOOOOOD!
- already swore loyalty in the film.
