With almost 40 million subscribers on YouTube, you could say that Mark Fischbach, AKA Markiplier, is one of the platform’s most iconic and well-known contributors, entertaining the masses for well over a decade now. With his hysterical reaction videos, strange skit content, and most importantly, his gaming videos, he has had a career full of variety and constant changes. One thing that has remained consistent throughout is his wonderful and infectious charisma, shining through on screen and being very apparent in his actions, too. His constant charity work and fundraising have been a massive thing for him, using his platform to make a difference. If you could not tell from all the brown-nosing, I love Markiplier and have a great respect for him. As an obviously very wealthy man, what do you even do with all that money? As a multi-millionaire, what could possibly be the thing that gives you more purpose? Well, Mark’s love and passion for the games he plays have resulted in him using a fair amount of his own money to create a film. Based on the game of the same name by David Syzmanski, Iron Lung has released, written, directed, edited, and starred in by Markiplier himself. This was a clear passion project for him, enamoured by the eeriness of the game, and he has tried to make a film, faithful to the horror it evokes. Though far from perfect, a debut feature this weird, and yet mostly well put together, is quite impressive, and although there are some major shortcomings in the writing room, Markiplier has an eye for horror and could be one to watch in the future.

Set in a distant future, Irong Lung takes place on a moon, filled with an ocean of blood. After an extinction event known as ‘The Quiet Rapture’ has made most of humanity and all the stars disappear, those that are left are struggling to pick up the pieces. The shreds of humanity are proactive, though, exploring the world around them and trying desperately to find what happened. Still, some sacrifices have to be made, and some of the dirtier and riskier jobs require them to choose carefully out of the remaining people left. Simon (Mark Fischbach) is a convict, thanks to his contribution to destroying a space station, which he disputes. His convict status makes him ripe for punishment, and so he is tasked with piloting the SM-13 submarine, known as the ‘Iron Lung.’ Fitted with an X-ray camera, he must dive down into the blood ocean and collect data to help humanity. Having promised him his freedom to do so, he reluctantly obliges, not quite realising the gravity of the situation. Though full of giant skeletons on the ocean floor, which he must photograph and gain samples of, the ocean also harbors strange creatures that are very much alive and dangerous.

The story and the writing overall for Iron Lung is not the best, and can get a bit tedious at times, as you try to figure out what is going on. Simon as a character has this criminal history of destroying a space station, but he claims otherwise. It would have been interesting to delve a bit more into his past, rather than just little flashes that tell us very little. Especially when we are placed with his character in this submarine for the whole film, it would certainly be beneficial to know a bit more about him so we can empathise and understand him better. His claims about not doing this act that put him in this horrible situation should not just be throwaway comments, because especially considering how grim his job is, he should be trying everything he can to explain himself. It would definitely allow the audience to connect with Simon more, and instead of all this film’s very plot-immediate dialogue and mindless rambling, it would certainly fill the film’s long runtime a bit more responsibly. That is the crux of why this film is not for everyone, purely on the fact that if you cannot gel with the setting and vibe, nothing else is there to string you along. An overarching story is mostly absent, only seeing flickerings of some broader world, and we are not quite given enough to be truly invested in it or any of humanity’s wants and needs. It is rare that I would consider a film to be overly cryptic in how it presents its story and world, and although the mystery is there, the lack of breadcrumbs to lead me just left me in the dark. The basic plot is very beat-for-beat and is carried by its technical aspects, so something more going on would certainly make this a more accessible and simply more entertaining film.

It certainly helps that all the more technical aspects of this film work so well, and it makes the film worth watching as a result. It might be just me, and how unsettled I am when it comes to deep oceans, but the atmosphere created here is quite gripping. The production design is immaculate, the claustrophobia of the submarine being really accentuated by its grimy and dark design. It feels beaten and bruised, the blood seeping into it slowly serving as a chilling reminder that there is nowhere else to go apart from this small space. It is a good decision to keep the whole film within the Iron Lung; the door being welded shut ensures that is the case and that we are as trapped as Simon is. We become accustomed to the space, or lack thereof, and used to the geography of the set by the time the film is over. The lighting and camera work are also top-notch, creating that eerie feeling constantly, but also upping the tension during the right moments. Those cuts to the the wirring control panel during the navigation scenes, in particular, really create a sense of unease due to Simon’s stumbling through this hostile environment. On the other hand, it also works for showing Simon’s proactiveness, seeming to know what is going on with that control panel when we do not. It does feel like he is guiding us through this voyage, and all we can do is sit and watch, hoping that he gets us through. Possibly the most impressive feat is the effects that come in full force much later on in the film. Fleshy masses appearing on the side of the sub, the unsettling buildup of blood that only grows in volume, mentioned earlier; they look so good, and the slow deterioration of the Iron Lung works as well as a narrative device as it does a horror one. During the final act, the effects come in full force, and it is a horrifying sequence that serves as a proper climax.

Iron Lung does struggle to build its world and story with any real gravitas, but the opposite can be said about how well this film is made from a technical standpoint. Low-budget effects can look so good if used correctly, and this is certainly a case of them succeeding. This being made on a budget of $3 million is remarkable, and it contributes to the fact that practical effects always look better and much more raw. But the best part about this is Markiplier’s stamp on it. With this being fully self-financed, this was clearly a passionate venture for him, and some of it shows real promise. His acting was generally pretty good, too, and with some better dialogue, he is definitely capable of a good performance. That is easily because of the charisma that he has, shining through as it always does. I did not love this film, I hardly even liked it, but I was certainly impressed in pockets by some of what I saw. I do hope that Markiplier continues to make films because, with some good writing behind him, his eye could work for a great horror film. This is not a film for everyone, and some may even find it boring, but it worked for me, and I would recommend giving it a shot.