Reel Rundown: ‘Chief of War’ blends fiction with fact in retelling of Kamehameha’s control of islands

Anyone familiar with the history of Hawaii knows the name Kamehameha, the great conqueror and unifier of the islands.

That is about all most people know, though, as the larger story of the man and all he accomplished is obscured by the fact that much of early Hawaiian history was passed on through oral storytelling. And as is often the case, oral histories tend to get imbued by legend.

The creators of “Chief of War,” a nine-episode series now streaming in full on Apple TV+, have blended fiction and legend with historical fact in their retelling of Kamehameha’s efforts to bring the islands under his sole control.

For one thing, those creators and co-screenwriters – the actor Jason Momoa and Thomas Pa’a Sibbett – focus less on Kamehameha himself than they do on a Hawaiian ali’i (or one of noble birth) named Ka’iana. It was he, as portrayed by Momoa, who helped Kamehameha achieve his quest.

And much of what follows does seem to conform largely to accepted history, both in the sequence in which events happened and some of the real-life characters who were involved – including Ka’iana.

A native son of Hawaii’s Big Island, Ka’iana was once a Maui war chief. But having relinquished his position, Ka’iana and his family left for, perhaps fled to, Kaui. When he runs afoul of Maui’s chief Kahekili (Temuera Morrison), he ends up on a British ship and eventually learns about firearms.

Which ends up being important to Kamehameha’s mission, even as he mulls over the advice given to him by his new wife, Ka’ahumanu (Luciane Buchanan). Meanwhile, as Ka’iana struggles to return home, his family must decide how to proceed in his absence, and Maui’s chief Kahekili and the Big Island’s chief Keoua (Cliff Cutris) pursue ambitions that, ultimately, will conflict with Kamehameha – and Ka’iana.

Naturally, as is the way with historical epics, the dialogue was invented. But what makes “Chief of War” unique is that most of what the native characters say is communicated through the Hawaiian language. This may cause some discomfort to those viewers who dislike having to read subtitles.

But despite the lapses from actual history, and the necessity of subtitles, “Chief of War” has much to recommend it.

For one thing, it honors the legacy and ways of the people who populated the islands long before Europeans arrived. Just the use of the language, likely a first for a major series, is one sign of that. But the portrayal of those people, showing them to be proud yet flawed as most humans are, shows that Momoa and Sibbett are more interested in showing them realistically rather than ideally.

And while Momoa is a recognized figure to American audiences, having starred in Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” movies and as “Aquaman,” others in the cast are international stars. New Zealand actors Morrison and Curtis have long lists of credits. Their efforts fit in well with those less familiar cast members, such as Buchanan, To Ao o Hinepehinga (who plays Ka’iana’s wife Kupuohi) and Te Kohe Tuhaka (who plays Ka’iana’s brother).

In all, four different directors worked on the series, with Momoa co-writing, acting and helming the ninth and final episode. And while all the episodes are visually stunning, they represent another fiction since most scenes – except for the finale – were filmed not in Hawaii but in New Zealand.

Apple TV+ hasn’t yet announced whether “Chief of War” will continue, but Momoa has said in interviews that he has already planned out future episodes.

“Whether we get greenlit or not,” Momoa told the Hollywood Reporter, “my intentions are there. So there’s a lot of foreshadowing, there’s a lot of things that I want to happen in the future.”

A future in which he’s working hard to recapture the past.