I’m a huge Lord of the Rings fan. But after The Battle of the Five Armies and a lack lustre season two of The Rings of Power, I felt the franchise was dead. On this occasion, I’m happy to say I was wrong. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is exactly what we need right now.

This films a love letter to fans, with plenty of little winks and nods to those of us who have given this franchise our hearts and souls. But if you want to know more, I warn you that this review will contain spoilers.

Let’s get the obvious bit out of the way. Yes, this does kind of break, lore. The film tells the history of the War between Rohan and Dunland. This war was caused when Helm Hammerhand refused to allow Freca Lord of the West-march to arrange a marriage between his son and Helm’s daughter. This refusal leads to the two men getting into a fist fight, and Helm wins, leading to Frecas son Wulf swearing vengeance.

In the original story, Helm’s daughter is unnamed and plays a very passive role in the story. But I think this makes her the perfect blank slate to craft the character of Hera onto. So yes, she is a strong female protagonist, but if you know the history of Rohan and its people, you will know this is nothing special.

The team did a fantastic job introducing Héra to the franchise. She is fierce and independent but never impetuous or childish. She is a good fighter, but not unbelievably good, and her wins are well earned. She perfectly encapsulates everything I love about Rohan. Plus, through her, we get to see how great Helm Hammerhand truly is. Originally, I’d wanted him to be the protagonist, but that just would not make any sense. It had to be her.

Having Kenji Kamiyama, someone who has done a lot to keep the Ghost in the Shell franchise going on board, was the perfect choice. Héra is easily as badass as Motoko Kusanagi.

Mix that was Kamiyamas’ fantastic direction and art style, and well, you have one of the years most beautiful films.

The fight sequences are stunning, the nods to further lore are very welcome, and having a fresh perspective for the series is a nice change. I’m hoping that in the futire we get more of this type of story.