Mark Fischbach, known to most as Markiplier, has been one of my favorite YouTubers since I started regularly watching at a young age. So when it was announced that not only would he be writing a movie adaptation of a game he had played, but also starring in it, I was thrilled. Fischbach’s “Iron Lung” is a surprisingly creative indie horror flick that, despite its inherent flaws, is a remarkable film debut and a great time for fans.
It’s rare to see a film endeavor from a popular internet figure actually turn out well, and “Iron Lung” manages to be one of the few to beat the odds. The film starts with an interesting take on the locked-room-mystery-esque genre and goes from there.
“Iron Lung” follows a convict who is promised his freedom in exchange for descending into an ocean of blood to gain more information on its happenings. The game the movie is based on, released in 2022, has a similar plot and the same name, though it’s only around an hour rather than two and a half like the movie.
The film’s runtime is undoubtedly the biggest issue I had. Considering the game is short, and it’s typical for a movie to end around an hour and thirty minutes, I still struggle to understand why over an hour of extra content was added when most of it was fakeout endings or repeated plot points.
I typically don’t mind a movie on the longer side, as David Lynch is one of my favorite directors and makes notoriously long content, but it has to have a purpose. There were at least three times when I was convinced the movie was at its end, only to realize we had over 15 minutes to go.
Despite the staggering runtime, the content itself is mostly very well constructed, especially for a directorial debut. This is evident by the “Evil Dead”-esque bloodbath delivered at the end. The special effects were astounding — some of the gore was so uniquely grotesque I had to look away for a moment. “Iron Lung” was at its strongest when it focused on the horror aspects rather than the characters.
That isn’t to say the characters are useless or boring. I was excited to see how the characters outside of the protagonist would impact the story, and all the actors take their parts in stride, but their purpose wasn’t necessarily clear.
Caroline Kaplan does a fantastic job as Ava, but we don’t get enough solid information about her or her ending to be satisfied with her character as a whole. This point applies to the other minor characters as well.
The style of directing used throughout the film is genuinely impressive, considering Fischbach’s prior directorial experience consisted only of YouTube limited series. Shots are well-balanced and well done, both cinematically and framing-wise, especially considering almost all of the film is set in a confined space.
The only issue with this setting is that after a while, the shots inevitably begin to repeat, though one could argue they lead to the viewer feeling the same monotonous dread as the protagonist.
It’s important to note, though, that “Iron Lung” comes off as a movie for Fischbach’s fans rather than a blockbuster. That’s not meant to demean or undermine the work put into the making of it. It’s just an acknowledgment that this project will be most thoroughly enjoyed by those who are fans of the game or fans of the creator himself. When standing by itself without the needed background, it’s just an OK-written movie with some truly awesome special effects and actors.
Overall, I did sincerely enjoy “Iron Lung” as a longtime fan; it just struggles to properly balance its slow-burning goals with effective plot devices. It’s a decent film for the average movie-goer, and an unforgettable experience for those seeing their favorite internet guy on the big screen at last.
