Magic, mythical creatures and the eternal struggle of good versus evil: over the next 10 weeks, a clash of the titans is brewing as two big budget fantasy adaptations battle it out in the streaming wars. While we’ve recently returned to the world of Westeros in HBO’s Game Of Thrones prequel House Of The Dragon, today we venture back to Middle Earth for Amazon Prime Video’s hotly-anticipated Lord Of The Rings spin-off, The Rings Of Power.

“Amazon has spent US$60 million per episode on the new Tolkien drama, and trust me, it shows,” says Stylist’s entertainment editor Christobel Hastings. “It’s a spectacle in every sense of the word as it journeys from the sweeping vistas of Valinor to the immense kingdom of Khazad-dûm, delving into the doomed scheme to forge powerful magical rings. While there’s no Frodo or the Fellowship this time around, it’s thoroughly entertaining getting to know the new cast of elves, dwarves, humans and harfoots. Aside from the visual effects and sumptuous costumes, a special mention must go to the women, especially the young Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) as a 3,000-year old elven commander on a revenge mission, and the equally brilliant Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi), a single mother and villager healer who has a forbidden romance with an elf warrior – both of whom think nothing of slaying orcs, snow trolls and sea monsters. Is it the Next Big Thing in TV? Based on the first two episodes, I’d have to say yes.” Watch now on Amazon Prime Video