comments Beauty is the wind pushing "The Luminaries" through its six hours, and it is no weak gale. When the plot thins and reveals the ordinariness behind the narrative's pretensions it's usually enough to drink in the scenery as it's translated through cinematographer Denson Baker's lens. Sweeping shots capture every magnificent glint and spray the ocean offers up, veil the eyes with greenery, and drape the imagination with otherworldly lighting. New Zealand's tourism board should be pleased. As for how the viewer might feel, that depends on what you're expecting from the limited series. Advertisement: "The Luminaries" is based on Eleanor Catton's 2013 novel, a highly structured work that plays with the concept of circles within circles and progresses from very thick descriptive passages to segments that are increasingly pared down as it puts together a murder mystery through the perspectives of 12 men.