The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim offers audiences a fresh perspective on The Two Towers. Though the recent animated Lord of the Rings prequel isn’t as highly rated by critics as Peter Jackson’s beloved trilogy, Kenji Kamiyama’s movie is still a delightful return to Middle-earth painted through a gorgeous new lens. On the Lord of the Rings timeline, War of the Rohirrim is set about 260 years before The War of the Ring occurs, and it offers some insight into the noble people of Rohan.

In Amazon Prime Video’s The Rings of Power, Rohan hasn’t been established as one of the main kingdoms in Middle-earth. The line of Rohan’s kings only began late in the Third Age, about 500 years before the War of the Ring. That’s an immensely long time for a kingdom to exist, though compared to the likes of Gondor, or even more so, the elves, it’s a blip. With that being said, the war between Helm Hammerhand and Wulf is a monumental event in their history, and it offers a fascinating reframing for Éowyn and her kin.

War Of The Rohirrim Connects To Many Moments In Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers

War Of The Rohirrim Sees A Siege At Helm’s Deep

Despite being set centuries prior, War of the Rohirrim follows many of the same beats as The Two Towers. The Rohirrim are forced to flee Edoras and take shelter in Helm’s Deep (called the Hornburg at the time). The Rohirrim face off against a faction of human invaders rather than Uruk-hai, though with Wulf’s superior numbers, they pose a similarly imposing threat. Without spoiling War of the Rohirrim’s ending, the movie takes many of the same beats from The Two Towers in how the battle plays out.

Though she doesn’t see battle until The Return of the King , Éowyn is every bit the hero Héra is

Importantly, Miranda Otto’s Éowyn narrates War of the Rohirrim, and her admiration for Héra and the shieldmaidens adds to her character. Her determination to fight and die defending her people in The Two Towers was always admirable, but now audiences know the story she was likely inspired by, looking at Héra as a legendary woman she could aspire to be like. Though she doesn’t see battle until The Return of the King, Éowyn is every bit the hero Héra is, and the connection between the two embellishes both stories.

War Of The Rohirrim Makes The Two Towers A Better Lord Of The Rings Movie

Understanding Rohan’s Plight Adds To The Attachment To Them

The Two Towers is already a masterpiece and one of the best Lord of the Rings movies, but it’s even better with the history of Rohan in mind. The Battle of Helm’s Deep is an iconic movie set piece, and now it’s bolstered by another historic siege to demonstrate the emotion attached to that location. Helm’s Deep is where the people of Rohan resort to in order to feel safe in the most perilous times, and they’re also a people that look to their strong leaders, like Héra in War of the Rohirrim or Théoden in The Two Towers.