Twenty-three years ago, the first installment of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy debuted in theatres, setting off a cultural phenomenon that still resonates to this day. In a country still reeling from the September 11 attacks, Americans fell in love with J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy realm of Middle-earth with its noble human heroes, ethereal elves, stalwart dwarves, and down-to-earth hobbits. People related to the epic struggle of good versus evil and found comfort in the story’s message of enduring hope and strength against adversity.

The vast lands of Middle-earth have returned to the big screen this December, with the debut of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (PG-13). Set over 260 years before the events of Lord of the Rings, this animated feature focuses upon a dark and turbulent time during the history of the kingdom of Rohan. Helm, the King of Rohan, is approached by Lord Freca, a powerful lord who desires a marriage between his son, Wulf, and Helm’s daughter, Hera. Both Helm and Hera refuse this proposal, and Helm gets into a fistfight with Freca, whom he accidentally kills with a single blow of his mighty fist. Desiring vengeance for his father’s death, Wulf travels to the neighboring country of Dunland, where he musters his forces and launches an assault upon Rohan. The war that ensues is long and brutal, taking place during one of the worst winters in the history of Middle-earth.