'Iron Lung' review: a passionate and ambitious directorial debut

When Markiplier first announced Iron lung as his directorial debut, my excitement was sky-high. Growing up watching him on youtube, it’s surreal to now sit in a cinema watching his first proper theatrical film. I am happy to report that I wasn’t disappointed. Credit where credit is due: this film is actually very well made.

Iron lung, based on the 2022 video game by David Szymanski, follows a convict named Simon (played by Markiplier, or Mark Fischbach) who is forced to pilot a tiny submarine through an ocean of blood on a desolate moon, following an apocalyptic event. To avoid spoilers, that’s all that really needs to be said. What matters most is the atmosphere, and this is where the film truly shines.

From a filmmaking stand point, it’s excellent: the cinematography is beautiful, the camera work is clever despite the extremely confined setting and the sound design creates an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia.

For me, the game sometimes struggled to convey its psychological horror, but the film does a good job there. The tiny submarine, the looming cosmic horror, the metallic score and oppressive atmosphere make this a (in the best sense!) genuinely quite an uncomfortable watch. You can tell the amount of time, love, effort and passion went into this project. And everyone involved, especially Fischbach himself, should be proud. Mark self-wrote, self-financed, directed, and starred in the film, even turning down a role in Five Nights at Freddy’s due to conflicting schedules. Fun fact: Iron lung also broke records for its use of fake blood, surpassing Evil Dead with over 80k gallons used, so much that Markiplier reportedly had to go to hospital after getting blood in his eyes.

All that said, the film isn’t perfect. At nearly two hours long, it often feels stretched too far and thin. Some scenes drag too much, and by the end, the story becomes almost incoherent. While the film enhances the game’s psychological horror effectively, not all of its ideas quite fully land. Fischbach’s acting is decent, but juggling the roles of writer, director, and lead actor clearly takes a toll.

Even so, there’s so much heart here that it hits harder than many other video game adaptations. I for one, respect Iron lung more than I enjoyed it. For a debut, it’s wildly ambitious and deeply passionate. Ultimately, if this is the kind of movie you want, it’s absolutely worth watching!