Labyrinth

This 2012 two-part miniseries is based on Kate Mosse's 2005 novel, which apparently placed as the number two bestseller in the U.K. in 2006 after The Da Vinci Code. Here, a peering, wide-eyed archaeologist (Vanessa Kirby) stumbles across a special ring, enters a creepy cave, and discovers a past world set during the Cathar religious massacres in medieval France. Shift to Crusades-era France, where a waif-ish heroine (Jessica Brown Findlay) helps protect Holy Grail-ish books while also dealing with her cad husband and evil half-sister. Bouncing back and forth between these two timelines (presumably through the archaeologist's visions), Labyrinth should be more interesting than it is, especially with the boost of Harry Potter alumni John Hurt and Tom Felton. But the disjointed storyline is jam-packed with shrug-worthy moments as it moves between contemporary attempts to discover the secrets of the book, slow-motion battles, and countless instances of people being tortured for information—not to mention some gratuitous nudity (one especially off-putting sex scene includes pointed eye contact with a dog) that adds nothing to the story. Extras include a “making-of” featurette. Not a necessary purchase. (J. Williams-Wood)