Review of Iron Lung
By: V Stone Priesnitz
In an alternate future, all habitable planets and stars have been erased completely from existence, leaving the only remnants of humanity stranded aboard space stations seeking out any resources to stave off their extinction. Simon (Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach) is a convict sentenced to life in prison who has agreed to earn his freedom by going on an exploration mission on a dark moon to scout for resources. The catch is that he must be welded shut into a shoddy submarine, and the ocean he is delving into is a roiling sea of coagulating blood.
The film was directed and self-funded by the lead actor Markiplier, famous online for his “let’s play” style video content in which he mostly reacts to video games in the horror genre. In 2022, Markiplier recorded his gameplay of the video game Iron Lung. Markiplier was inspired to reach out to the game’s developer, David Szymanski, in order to obtain the film rights and receive advice from the creator of the game. This film was a passion project for Markiplier, working alongside a team of devoted filmmakers to create a product as close as possible to the source material. The question is: was Markiplier successful in his goal? And was accuracy a pitfall of the film’s function?
MINOR SPOILERS FOR THE FILM AHEAD!
Markiplier succeeded in creating a film that was accurate to the atmosphere and the plot beats of the source material. This is evident in the quality of the photography, set design, and makeup that practically oozes the ambition of those who crafted them. However, I believe that this devotion to accuracy led to issues in the flow of the film. The primary limitation on this accuracy is the lead himself. While Markiplier is not a bad actor per se, his developing acting skills were quite visible with him being the only performance present in the vast majority of the runtime. His line delivery was at times stilted and emotionally detached, and his facial expressions felt like they lacked a subtlety that a more experienced actor would be able to achieve. Again, this is really only because of the solo performance nature of the film. Markiplier felt like his internet personality at times, with his attitude feeling akin to his reactionary content in his video game playthroughs. There were times where his performance felt satisfying and strong, but this was not the norm for the majority of the film.
The other major flaw with the film was the runtime. With a runtime just over two hours, this film felt like a slog during the first and second acts. While the tedious and disoriented nature is true to the source material, it makes for unengaging stretches of time in the film. This is different in the third act where things greatly improve. With a crescendo in pace and action, the last half hour of the film presents anxieties and visual effects that made me and my fellow movie-goers squirm in our seats. While I did enjoy many segments of the film, I feel as if at least a half hour of filler could be cut from the film. This could be as small as reducing the amount of small establishing shots, or cutting down the pieces of the second act that demonstrate Simon’s ability to chart the ocean off of the known map.
The film has some elements that I was thoroughly impressed with, and they made the spectacle truly something worthwhile. As I briefly mentioned before, the set and props used in the film were excellent. CGI was used sparingly in the film, and I believe that was a very wise choice. The claustrophobia and sense of texture and space were elevated by the physical quality of the production. Body horror was effective in making me flinch with the use of great makeup and sound design. On the topic of sound, the musical score for the film was very satisfactory. Andrew Hulshult composed the score for the film, which was fitting considering his experience in making music for horror video games in the past. In terms of writing I was also satisfied. While many lines felt a little awkward or off, the development of plot felt respectful of the viewers’ intelligence. There was a fun “Chekhov’s gun” teased early in the film, and dialogue was used sparingly in moments where tension and atmosphere was being built.
I enjoyed this film despite some noticeable flaws, in part because of my knowledge and appreciation of those who worked on it, but also in part because of the noticeable love and care that was put into the project. I watched many vlogs and listened to many podcast episodes featuring Markiplier discussing the work he and his team performed, and it was truly inspiring. In a recent livestream, Markiplier stated that his goal in doing his content creation is to make people feel hopeful, and to inspire others to make things that they love. While this is not a great film by any means, it is a strong first step in what I hope is Markiplier’s journey into creating more polished films in the future. I would recommend giving this one a watch if you can manage to hold your breath. If you can keep expectations reasonable, it is a fun dive into the deep end.
GRADE: 6/10