Why the series "Luminaries" will appeal to fans of detective stories, mysticism and Eva Green, but not to fans of the book

On May 17, the BBC (in Russia - on Amediateka) will launch a series based on the bestseller of the same name by Eleanor Catton. In 2013, the novel conquered millions of readers, and then even took the Booker Prize, setting two records at once. The Luminaries is the longest book ever to receive this award, and Catton is the youngest author, at 28 years old at the time of publication.

Of course, the major TV channels immediately picked up the popular idea for the film adaptation. Moreover, the script for the series was written by Eleanor Catton herself. And once again she confirmed that the author is not interested in re-telling the plot (remember the film "Turkish Gambit", where Boris Akunin himself replaced the villain?).

The TV Luminaries have the same characters as in the book, but the structure and development of the action are strikingly different. And that doesn't make the show any worse. It's just good as a separate work, and the mixture of several genres perfectly confuses the viewer and constantly keeps him in suspense. Admirers of the literary original are better off abstracting from their knowledge.

Classic detective

The novel "Luminaries" begins with the fact that a certain Walter Madi, who has just arrived in New Zealand, meets at a hotel with 12 guests. Each has a mysterious story in store for a new acquaintance, connected with the death of a gold miner.

The serial version departs from this classic detective storytelling technique. And then he replaces it with another. First, the audience is shown how the girl runs away from the pursuer at night and shoots at him. And then the action is postponed nine months ago.

But the plot doesn't turn into one long flashback. The story is told in parallel in two timelines. In the past, Anna Weatherrell (Eve Hewson) comes from London to New Zealand. While on the ship, she meets a pleasant man Emery Staines (Himesh Patel).

Getting down to the ground, the girl immediately gets into trouble. They take the heroine to a brothel run by Lydia Wells (Eva Green).

In the present, Anna is trying to remember the events of the night when she shot a man, and constantly discovers new and amazing facts. Gradually, the action connects the two lines.

A tip for those who are often distracted when watching: The later and darker timeline is shown in pale cool tones. And this greatly distinguishes it from light flashbacks.

The authors follow the classic principles of a detective story: almost all important characters are shown at the very beginning, but they are in no hurry to talk about their role. And the viewer will have to guess on their own who is the villain in this story.

It is clear that it is impossible to reveal all the dozen characters from the book in six hour-long episodes. Therefore, the creators of the series intelligently singled out the main pair and began to gradually add all the others. But literally everyone who appears in the frame for even a few minutes will play a role in the story.

Romance and bright actors

The emphasis on Eve Hewson and Himesh Patel made the melodramatic line an important part of the series. Their story develops according to all the rules of romantic cinema: affection at first sight, parting and long attempts to meet again.

Moreover, the heroes literally run after each other on the heels, but can not intersect in any way. Separating this story from the rest of the story would make a great melodrama. Well, then new acquaintances, affections, falling into the abyss of temptations.

Actors do an excellent job of portraying naive people in difficult circumstances. And even for the best that Hewson and Patel are not yet known to every viewer. Although the former played excellently in Steven Soderbergh's Knickerbocker Hospital, the latter became famous after Danny Boyle's Yesterday.

Well, Eva Green was not in vain placed on all the posters of the series. She even in a secondary role draws all the attention to herself in general scenes. Of course, it is not complete without smoking (Green even walked with a pipe in Miss Peregrine's Children's Home for Peculiar Children) and predatory glances from under his brows. In general, the fans of the actress will be happy.

The rest of the heroes came out, perhaps somewhat clichéd, like the entourage. "Luminaries" sometimes look too theatrical. But still this is just a background. The main action is shown very vividly.

Mysticism and influence of the planets

The novel "Luminaries" is distinguished from the rest by the abundance of references to astrology. The chapters begin with explanations like "Mercury in Sagittarius", and all events are associated with the signs of the zodiac.

This, by the way, divided the audience into two camps: some were delighted with such elaboration, while others believed that such explanations had no effect on the main plot.

In the series, the importance of astrology has greatly diminished. The heroes periodically mention the constellations and the influence of the planets, but somehow in passing, as if simply justifying the very name "Luminary".

But there is one mystical line that is directly related to what is happening. The two characters reveal a kind of supernatural connection between themselves. Everyone literally feels what is happening to the second. And from a certain moment it is even difficult to separate the memories of one hero from what happened to another.

Together with all other genres and twists, mysticism makes the viewer expect literally anything from the plot. It is impossible to predict: everything will be explained logically or there will be room for the intervention of higher powers.

"Luminaries" can hardly be called a breakthrough series or some very bright event. For example, the BBC has many more unexpected and unusual projects.

But still, this is a pretty solid story, in which detective, drama, historical context and a little mysticism are mixed. She will surely captivate literally from the first episode and make you look forward to the finale. Well, after that it will be possible to compare the series with the book.