Holy Shit, is that Markiplier!??!?! - Iron Lung
6.6 IMDB, 59% Rotten Tomatoes, 91% Audience Popcorn meter, 5/5 Movie Insider
The sea of blood in Markiplier's new film, Iron Lung, is from the blood bath of Hollywood’s future. Originally set to only hit 50 theatres nationwide, Iron Lung was able to spread its influence fully across the country due to the director’s fame. A brainchild of the mid-2000’s digital celebrity Markiplier, he wrote, directed, and starred in his $3.2 million privately funded film based on the hit indie horror game of the same title by David Szymanski. Despite advertising restricted to word of mouth, during the first week of release, the film made over $21 million at the box office and is growing. A record breaker for indie films, Markiplier has shaken Hollywood and set precedents.
A legendary YouTuber who is still active today, widely recognized by Gen Z, Markiplier (Mark Edward Fischbach) gained mainstream attention in 2014 as a pioneer in gaming let's play videos with popular gameplay of indie horror games, most notably 5 Nights at Freddy’s. In 2022, Markiplier released his 44-minute video playing the small game Iron Lung. After releasing the video, the game gained popularity, and Markiplier decided to take the lore of the game and expand it into a full-motion film.
After watching the film with hesitation, I can say it rose from the depths of my doubts, and that Markiplier executed the film with creativity and technical skill. While it contains some flaws, the film was an intense and immersive grimly experience. The opening scene, one of the few poorly done, features a submarine being lowered into an ocean of blood. As this is happening, a voice provides exposition to the dying universe of the film; all inhabitable planets are gone, humanity is dying, they have found a planet that is entirely an ocean of blood, and they are sending a convict in a welded shut submarine to explore it. The premise is jarring and pulls the viewer in, sticking true to the source material. The convict (played by Markiplier), Simon, is left in solitude in his iron coffin deep in the belly of the ocean. The film is a slow burn that mainly shows Simon completing data collection tasks. A huge turn in the last 30 minutes thrusts the viewer into grotesque horror and deep lore development.
The film is mostly practical effects with a physical submarine on hydraulics and goopy blood made from corn syrup. The minimal use of CGI shows ingenuity, that adds to the realism built in this immersive world. Yes, Markiplier’s acting had some hiccups throughout, being slightly flat and repetitive, and the ending, consisting of a disorienting shaky camera, was another major flaw throughout an otherwise solid experience. The film received guidance from Szymanski in order to build the world and to answer questions from the game, so as not to leave viewers unsatisfied and still full of questions.
Markiplier succeeded because of his passion, huge influence, and the skill utilized to maximize the small budget. Iron Lung is a victory for the indie filmmaker, but also reveals a potential pitfall for Hollywood. While the film is currently criticized by the “industry,” fan reviews are glowing. Within the near future, major studios may use this formula to create low-budget films with the face of an influencer for quick profit, but they will lack the love and labor that make Iron Lung lively.
