Iron Lung

by Remington Gonser

Photo: Markiplier Studios

Director: Mark Fischbach
Starring: Mark Fischbach, Caroline Rose Kaplan & Troy Baker
Rated: R (language, bloody images & some gore)
Runtime: 2 hours & 7 minutes

 
“Iron Lung” is an indie game with a relatively simple premise. You are sealed away in a submarine on a strange moon that is covered in an ocean of blood - navigate and document the ocean floor while surviving whatever threats might be down there with you.
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When I heard that YouTuber Markiplier (Mark Fischbach) was going to adapt this game into a movie, I was immediately interested and wanted to see what feature-length story could come from such a quick but unique gaming experience.

To set your entire film in one location, with (mostly) one actor on screen for the entire movie, while also trying to hold an audience's attention for two hours, is a major leap to take. I’m glad to say that I think it pays off in “Iron Lung.” You feel as trapped as the protagonist does within this strange metal vessel. There are scenes that made me hold my breath because they felt so cramped and claustrophobic. Although it is small, the space is very well thought out and remains faithful to the design of its reference material. They really played in that cramped space too - opting for a lot of “fly on the wall” shots that trap you in a ship with a man losing his mind. 

Speaking of a man losing his mind, let’s talk about performance. I genuinely think Fischbach is a good actor. I did have Markiplier-Blindness for the first few minutes of the film, being that it felt hard to say, “This isn’t Mark, this is Simon (his character).” It did feel like I was going to wait for him to do something silly to lighten the tense mood, but I’m glad to say that that feeling faded away fairly quickly. Fischbach really got into it for this one - a mirror of how he got into performing a similar role while actually playing the game on his channel. He shifts the weight of his performance very well. Being trapped in a metal tube at the bottom of a blood ocean obviously calls for very heavy and stressful scenes, but Fischbach finds a way to balance those scenes with flecks of humor and sympathy that don’t take you out of the moment. He feels very human in a film where his humanity is being held captive. 

David Szymanski’s games all have such unique designs and vibes. Lots of blood, twisted gods and the unnerving presence of the unknown. As previously mentioned, the submarine is a faithful adaptation of the ship from the original game, but this film really takes flight in how it expands the world of “Iron Lung.” We get a lot of lore thrown out in chunks that are relatively easy to follow, even for those without prior knowledge of the game’s lore; however, I can definitely see how people might get lost in all of it. We get a better idea of the kind of people who would weld someone into a death trap before throwing them into the unknown, and of what you would have to do to meet that fate. But it all really shines with my favorite Szymanski staple: the horror of the unknown. An old god haunting you and hunting you from the depths of a blood ocean is such a sick concept that “Iron Lung” plays with. I enjoy the fact that we got to lean more into that eldritch aspect, both through the insanity and CO2 poisoning of our protagonist, as well as through the presence of such a massive, mind-splitting entity that claims to be a god. And the monster design is top-notch. Moving from PSX graphics to a feature film with such a clear translation of what you intend for the monster to be is one of the home runs of this whole production. Massive kudos to Fischbach and his team for really capturing the essence of this indie horror game in a film.

The soundtrack for this film is astounding. It evokes the ship's heavy, creaking nature while also playing on the fact that our protagonist is alone in an unknown world. The soundtrack really makes you feel like you are traveling into that deep and dark unknown. Kudos to Andrew Hulshult on capturing such an eerie vibe.

I also feel like a lot of this could be an allegory of cancer. I know cancer has affected Fischbach’s life in the past, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this film has nods to that. I have seen so many loved ones go through that fight with cancer that I can’t help but see a lot of that in this film. Being plunged into such an unknown world. Not knowing whether you will make it out. The dread and loneliness of going through this on your own. Accompany all of this with some of the latter body horror of the film - your body shifting against your will and becoming unrecognizable while remaining human - and I can’t help but see that horrible unknown that is cancer. Again, I don’t know if it was intentional. I could be reading way too far into this, but I have major respect for it either way.

This film has done the unthinkable and become a mass-released indie film that is self-produced, published, directed and written by one creative and his team. This could have crazy implications for the future of cinema. As an aspiring filmmaker and actor, I hope this will open the door to more indie films receiving wider releases. Now - yes - this was an indie release by probably one of the most recognizable YouTubers out there, but it’s still a statement. Take more risks. Work with passion. Don’t be afraid of the obscure. I hope this film lights a spark that will continue to grow in a healthy direction.

Markiplier’s big screen debut was a success. I think it took a big swing with a lot of risks and still came out the other side as the victor. I loved the designs, the energy and the presentation.