“Iron Lung,” the highly anticipated film debut of Mark Fischbach, better known as content creator Markiplier, has arrived. The film follows Fischbach as Simon, a failed revolutionary, forced to embark on a deep-sea voyage as punishment for his actions, where he recovers bone samples from megafauna in an alien-blood ocean that may hold answers to the reason of its mysterious existence. Throughout the runtime, “Iron Lung” delivers on its promise of anxious horror, keeping the audience on the edge of their seat and staying there.
“Iron Lung” is a technical marvel, especially due to it being largely self-funded by Fischbach himself and its limited setting. The submarine has a personality of its own, its cramped compartments and barely functional operating systems. Its use of practical effects is used effectively and grounds the film in reality. When the film does become gnarly, it does so with intention rather than just for shock value, burning its imagery into viewers’ minds.
The setup for the film is immediately effective, confining Simon and the audience inside a rusted submarine where the sound design is in full effect, with each creak and groan of metal felt. The act of sealing Simon into the submarine isn’t a call to adventure; it’s an execution. The metal creaks and locks him inside and makes it clear that if Simon is to survive, it would take a miracle.
As the film steams towards its third act, the pressure builds to an intense level. The climax delivers on the tension that has been built up during its runtime, although its finale may feel a bit undercooked, it’s less of a misstep but rather a creative decision; it didn’t wrap its plot up in a neatly tied bow, it left viewers uneasy as we end the film without closure.
While marketed as a pure horror, “Iron Lung” is more of a thriller. Its scares are rooted in anxiety rather than cheap shocks. The film builds tension over time, with long silent periods where Simon is forced to sit with his thoughts and only interrupted when metal lurches or blood drips into the sub. The horror is implied, and what Simon can’t see, the audience can’t either.
Fischbach’s performance is understated emotionally; he never shows much emotion besides anger and being apathetic towards the situation he got himself into. Simon is portrayed neither as a hero nor an outright villain, rather he’s a morally grey protagonist and this is reflected in his choice of clothing, a grey shirt and pants with holes throughout, reflecting the holes in his morality.
The film features quick, but understated flashbacks into Simon’s past to add humanizing moments without overdoing it, such as depicting Simon’s younger self being tormented by older children. Through these scenes, the film asks the audience to understand how Simon’s actions led him to the bottom of a blood ocean.
As “Iron Lung” progresses, the submarine becomes a metaphor for Simon’s mental state, cut off from contact with the outside world, he’s forced to come to terms with his actions while surrounded by machinery he barely understands and hardly functions as is. The garbled voice of the commanding officer who arrested him is his only comfort and guidance in the depths of the blood ocean, forcing Simon to question his reality and reinforce that power can easily be misconstrued as benevolence.
Although an entertaining time, there are cracks in the hull. The narrative can feel, at times, like its treading water during the atmospheric scenes; there are long periods of silence where pressure is held rather than slowly building up, leaving the plot feeling static. The minimalist approach to storytelling is appropriate, but leaves too many questions unanswered.
Visually, the film is striking down to its editing, primarily done by Fischbach, with bold, dramatic cuts to illustrate the suddenness of emergencies within the sub, but it becomes overplayed after the first few instances. The sound design can sometimes overplay its hand, giving away scares before they really have a chance to hold on to the audience. While none of these issues sink the movie, it does cause a few puddles to form in the viewing experience, but it does its best when it sticks by what made its source material so great, stillness and implication and is less effective when its strengths are utilized.
What sets “Iron Lung” apart from its other horror compatriots is its dedication to atmospheric storytelling rather than spoonfeeding its narrative. It asks for movie goers to be patient and let the narrative marinate for a while, giving an experience that will stick with its audience long after they leave the theatre.
As a debut film, “Iron Lung” is confident, but it may not fully satisfy horror fans or fans of the source material; it makes up for it with its craftsmanship and artistry alone. Its pure ambition makes it an interesting exploration of modern sci-fi horror, although flawed. “Iron Lung” leaves the audience craving more from the universe.
4/5
