The Lighthouse

Montero Jun 1, 2022

5

If you are interested in the 2019 horror movie The Lighthouse, do not read this manga. It’s a compilation of some of the iconic scenes in the movie, but without any of the context or tension that gives them weight, making this a confusing read for newcomers and fans of the movie alike. Having seen the movie didn't really make the experience much better though since the only enjoyment you will be getting is pointing at the screen and going “Oh look it’s the scene from the movie” which just makes me want to go watch it instead. As a result, this is a piece of media that fails as a standalone piece, while also spoiling its source material if you happen to read it first. It very clearly is just promotional material that Japanese audiences got when they went to see the film so I don’t want to be too harsh on it, but don’t expect anything other than one of those annoying hype trailers that spoils all of the interesting scenes of the movie in manga form. If you’re a fan of the movie and have 2 minutes to kill it may be novel to flick through it and look at the pretty art, but that’s about it. I wish Junji Ito had spent more time trying to make these scenes work in the medium he’s working in, instead of adapting 1:1 from screen to panel. The problem with this is that manga is not cinema, and since the shot composition is the same as the movie, this just is an inferior copy of the original, like an extremely detailed storyboard. Seems like Junji Ito getting an easy paycheck. I can’t say I blame the man? You go king.