Trailers fade to black and snap into an opening shot. No logos, no announcement of the big Hollywood names attached, just the film in front of you.
There are no big names attached to be advertised here — or, arguably there is only one.
Mark Fischbach, known professionally as Markiplier, an active YouTuber with over 38 million subscribers and over a decade’s worth of public content, made his directorial debut in January with the film “Iron Lung.” In its opening weekend, originally intended to be the film’s only weekend in theaters, the film made $21.7 million from a reported $3 million budget.
Despite sharing its opening weekend with Sam Raimi’s “Send Help,” a large-scale film run by an experienced creative team and released by a Disney subsidiary, “Iron Lung” bounced between first and second place in the box office during its first few days in theaters.
“Iron Lung” is based on the independent game “Iron Lung,” developed by David Szymanski in 2022. The premise is relatively vague in both mediums: A convict is tasked to explore an ocean of blood on a desolate moon from a small submarine, hoping to discover something that could save the shrinking human race.
Already, Markiplier and his small team had been handed a difficult task. How can a film maintain an audience’s interest from one room, looking at one person?
The submarine itself is a practical set: a metal cylinder suspended by a hydraulic setup that allowed it to be shaken and thrown around as the plot demanded. Making the single room the movie is filmed in a real set instead of using a green screen was the right choice; it helps keep this abstract idea a bit more grounded.
A lot of effort went into making every corner of this set seen, and it shows. Thoughtful consideration of depth made the wide and medium shots much more effective, while still reminding the viewer how small the submarine is. Unique angles and utilization of even the smallest corners of the room made it a bit easier to stay engaged.
Because of this, the cinematography is easily the highlight of the film. Combined with a powerful score from Andrew Hulshult, the audience spends the first act and much of the second in a slow buildup of dread.
Slow buildup and psychological horror are not for everyone, but even viewers who do enjoy a film with a slow burn may have found “Iron Lung” to be a bit of a drag in some moments.
This, in a lot of ways, comes back to the tricky premise. No amount of shot variety can get rid of the fact that this film has one set. However well-designed and impressive the entirely practical submarine is, it is still a little box with a YouTuber inside of it.
This is where some of the shortfalls begin to surface.
Casual viewers and critics alike agree that the movie could use a trim. A minimum of 30 minutes could have been easily removed without losing any integral plot elements. Too many shots — no matter how creative or beautifully done — were left in without a real need for them to be there.
The entire film rests on one actor, Markiplier himself. With the exception of a few scenes, Simon, our main character, is completely alone both on screen and in dialogue.
It is a bold choice to get so close and personal with a very recognizable face. There is no world where this decision would pay off in every single shot. There are moments when you stop seeing Simon and start to see Markiplier himself.
Cutting off some scenes could have greatly improved the viewer’s suspension of disbelief. Markiplier’s acting is impressive, particularly toward the end of the second act, but cutting down some of the weaker scenes could have better prevented an audience that grew up watching his videos from seeing him as a YouTuber rather than an actor.
Simon’s characterization also suffered from the team’s struggle with killing their darlings. It was clear the convict was meant to be sympathetic in his backstory, but simultaneously the audience is meant to understand that he did bad things that have a hold on his conscience. The things he did haunt him, or so we are told. Unfortunately, the way he acts and addresses the few other characters does not always reflect that idea.
While it is possible to execute this kind of dichotomy well in a character, Simon’s lack of complex scene partners and the writer’s desire to keep his past vague makes his backstory too on-the-fence to be effective. The film, as a whole, would have benefitted from choosing to make him a hardened convict or a sympathetic, misunderstood man trying to reform and losing himself along the way.
At the end of the day, both the strengths and flaws of “Iron Lung” come from the same place: passion.
The visual variety, competent sound design and compelling emotional beats are all accomplished through a desire to get every small moment right. Bloated scenes, confusing messaging and missed opportunities for character development came from that same desire.
Being able to see both astounding success and glaring weaknesses traced back to passion, in a drive to make something new and interesting, is welcome and refreshing within a media landscape that prioritizes monetary gain over creative risk. Playing it safe may make a film break even, but it could just as easily make it forgettable.
This flawed, shot-in-the-dark film adaptation of a little-known video game has become a success not just because of the name attached to it, but because the devotion and excitement behind it resonated with a public that craves change.
If there is one thing “Iron Lung” should be remembered for, it is the success that came from risk. Safety was not necessary here, and neither was perfection.
Reach Cait Mckinzie at entertainment@collegian.com or on Instagram @cait_takes_pics.
