Since its first trailer in 2023, I have waited in excitement for Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach’s “Iron Lung.” Now that it has finally been released, I can undoubtedly say that the anticipation was well rewarded. As a fan of Fischbach’s Markiplier Youtube channel for years, I admit that I carried much bias into the theater before I could even watch the movie. Leaving the theater, however, I was confident that “Iron Lung” stood exceptionally well as a horror movie regardless of Fischbach’s internet personality. It’s obvious that there was so much care and effort put into “Iron Lung,” even with the considerably low budget. This movie is incredibly immersive with spectacular production design, utterly terrific makeup, blood and gore effects that made me wince, amazing stunts and practical effects—finely considered and rendered computer-generated imagery. 

Unfortunately, what “Iron Lung” struggled with was immersion, and there are definitely multiple aspects of this issue. The sound effects were lacking in clarity; much of the dialogue was muffled by the setting’s sound effects. “Iron Lung” definitely requires a pre-movie disclaimer: Before you can watch it, you need to know who made it, what it’s based on, and how it came to be. Without this prior knowledge, viewers are likely going to leave confused and disappointed. The movie’s slow pacing is determined by the gameplay of the original video game, and because most of its mechanics involve little more than clicking buttons, Fischbach’s theater production revolves around this simplicity, and can only add suspense and development limited to the singular actor in the submarine. Ultimately, key ideas from the source material aren’t encapsulated and explained properly because of both audio imbalance and the film’s expectation of prior knowledge. 

Yet because of its slow paced nature, “Iron Lung” challenges the modern, short attention span, inviting rewatches to explore the tinier details in the back of scenes. What Fischbach has shown is that there is creativity and intentionality in shot selection that can be employed on the big screen. Such can be done with a smaller budget and a small cast, and an even more limiting source material. Because Fischbach emphasizes chief elements of mystery and uncertainty within the expansion of both current and preceding plot notions, the storyline shifts from vague to compelling in its scene writing. 

Fischbach envelopes the role of Simon, the convict aboard the submersible, really well. As the movie progressed, the main character became more relatable with how believable his reactions and responses were. Fischbach has done very well with showing how a character freaks out and makes mistakes in tandem with conflicting emotions. Simon’s constant battle with his past and personal beliefs lead to exemplary character development. Time continues to slowly (or quickly in some scenes) tick by, and Simon’s spiral into madness is done very well. This is especially evident with Fischbach’s use of less lucid moments of storytelling and first-person shots, in which the audience is only fed what Simon sees and hears. This heightens the ambiguity, mirroring Simon’s desperation, and ultimately the horror of discovering the truth. 

What was definitely refreshing was Fischbach’s use of shot composition and framing. In one shot, blood drips down a window, creating prison bars that were continuously wiped away during an earlier scene. Other shots were framed with tons of negative space, creating long horizontals across the screen that were diegetic to the scene; for example, the light of the photo viewer being used lit the set that was otherwise in total darkness. There is only so much one can do with a rusted box as the major setting, yet Fischbach seems to overcome that limitation with marvelously adept, imaginative cinematography, editing, and lighting that easily matches the game’s dark and surreal atmosphere. 

Even if “Iron Lung” is a movie that doesn’t appeal to all audiences, it hits home for those like myself, who are passionate about Markiplier or the original game. It is done exceptionally well in the visuals and cinematography.