The Shining, except in a Lighthouse. Weird things happen when you put grown men on an isolated island, tending a lighthouse. Lots of dark clues leading up to the violent climax. Reminded me of the 'Lighthouse' film with Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattison. My favorite scene is in the opening, the perfect Nautical character: Double-breasted blue peacoat with brass buttons, Captain's hat, beard, smoking a pipe.

The Vanishing starts off strong, building a tense and atmospheric mystery inspired by the real-life disappearance of three lighthouse keepers on the Flannan Isles. The setup is gripping: three men find a mysterious chest, leading to paranoia, violence, and psychological unraveling. However, the film loses its way after a pivotal moment: the killing of the boy. Up until that point, the tension is engaging, but afterward, the story meanders without a clear direction. Instead of escalating into a satisfying climax, it drags out the characters’ inevitable descent into madness without adding anything meaningful. The ending, in particular, feels empty and fails to leave a lasting impact. Despite strong performances from Gerard Butler, Peter Mullan, and Connor Swindells, The Vanishing ultimately doesn’t justify its slow-burn approach. With a more focused second half and a more compelling resolution, it could have been a memorable psychological thriller. Instead, it fades into forgettable territory.

Retrata de maneira fictícia o Mistério do Farol das Ilhas Flannan (o desaparecimento nunca desvendado), também lindamente representado em forma de terror no maravilhoso The Lighthouse, 2019 (indicado ao Oscar baseado em Allan Poe). Ótimo suspense psicológico ficcional, sobre o que poderia ter acontecido, improvável, mas muito criativo e cativante, com boa trama, linda fotografia, poderia ter sido locado no próprio Farol, para dar mais realismo, entretanto, adoravelmente misterioso e agradável.

Spoiled by bad language not representative of its time clearly aimed at the current foul bad language times. Keepers back then were hard working God fearing Christians who knew the Sea and the Land.

I had high hopes for this having 2 of my favorite actors in it. Sadly it did not deliver. I found that it was far too dragged out, The storyline was frankly ridiculous and I ended up watching it in 3 partds because I found myself drifting off in the middle of it. I stuck with it but frankly at the end I still had no idea what it was really about! other than a lot of murders!

I really loved this Movie. Very creepy. I saw it twice and want to see it again.

First half of the movie is interesting but the second half is absurd, depressing, and boring. Skipped about 30 minutes of the movie because it was so boring. James character makes no sense in the second half and the ending is scientifically impossible. (one hand on the head? yeah right. his survival instincts would have kicked in and he would have thrashed back up or swam down and away. the guy was huge)

One of a kind ending! Can't believe Gerard Butler can act.

Another half baked drama that started good and fell apart towards the end. I kept wondering what I could have done to fix the plot and how things progressed could have been been more positive or interesting. It was sad. Saw it on Netflix.

The Lighthouse for people who couldn't stand watching The Lighthouse. Atmospheric, slow, and with a focus on character, but very little to unpack a very straightforward script.

This is a good movie. The only problem I have with it is the "inspired by true events" part. In reality, the only true events are the tiniest part of the movie: that 3 lighthouse keepers disappeared. That's it. The rest is just wild hyperbole, conjecture and pure fiction. That said, it's good and enjoyable fiction. I just think it's kind of misleading to imply that this is what really happened since nobody could corroborate any of the events in the movie, except for the disappearance of 3 lighthouse keepers- period. Bearing that in mind, I liked this well-acted and dark movie. I especially thought Gerard Butler's performance was good.

The only part of this "based on a true story" plot was that 3 men disappeared from the lighthouse island. I found it to be cliche with not enough backstory to understand the 3 main characters.

Oh so much better than the Willem Dafoe / Robert Pattison attempt (& I usually love Dafoe - mind you the COVID shutdown undermined that premise handily). Shout out to my favourite Icelander Olaf Olaffson who flexes his spooky muscles - subtitles list him as speaking Norwegian but I bet it's Islenska. Spoiler, tho: like The Perfect Storm, all but the first few minutes are sheer invention. Compelling & character-driven nonetheless. Star Trek references: zero.

This was an excellent film with wonderfully powerful acting. Some said it was slow but some people need explosions every two seconds to keep their razor thin attention spans active. The epitome of a slow burn but worth the wait.

I'm not sure why there's such a large discrepancy between the critics and audience but this is a fantastic drama. Many twists and turns, fantastic acting. This movie takes you for a ride.

Great acting and scenic, but not very uplifting!

The Vanishing tells a gripping and realistic account of what might have happened. Reminds me of Alien in some ways in terms of horror and suspense.

Fantastic acting, suspense, scenery, plot. ...I just wish I had seen at the theater.

Had no idea where this movie was headed. Lots of atmosphere, suspense, and fine acting from the three leads. Not much of a woman's movie, but the story kept me going and not predictable in any way. Gerard Butler was almost unrecognizable and by the end of the film he gives an absolutely heartbreaking performance. A physical and internal transformation. I wish he would do more independent films and period pieces like this. I want to like the other stuff he does, but not much he can work with from an acting standpoint. Stay with this one as it pays off, but most disturbing and violent. The older lighthouse keeper also gives quite a performance, but I'm not as familiar with his work. It would be lovely if Mr. Butler could get back to his acting roots as this performance is extraordinary and we can clearly see that he has it in him with the right material, actors, and direction.

What a waste of real potential. I found it semi-boring (slow-moving) , with periodic suspenseful and entertaining parts, only to be confused by the end and very let down. It could have been great. If these 3 'vanished', then we don't know what happened, and can't really write a movie about...what happened?! Boo.