“Iron Lung” is the feature film debut from gaming YouTuber Markiplier. It was released to positive audience reviews and box office records in January.
Markiplier, a YouTuber and influencer whose channel has more than 38 million subscribers, has been developing the horror video game adaptation for quite some time. “Iron Lung” was a favorite of the filmmaker and he contacted David Szymanski, the game’s creator and writer, about adapting the short-form game into a feature film. Three years and three-million self-financed dollars later, “Iron Lung” debuted in over 3,000 theaters and grossed more than $40 million in the process.
However, is the film worth the hype?
Honestly, the film failed to live up to expectations. I am steadfast in the belief that part of the film’s hype comes from the fact that “Iron Lung” was directed, edited, written by and stars Markiplier. However, I’m not one of his legion of fans and so I feel I can watch it from an unbiased perspective.
The story is bland and unappealing, although that’s not necessarily Markiplier’s fault. The story of the original game is self-contained and most playthroughs take an hour at the longest. It’s a bit difficult to translate that to a two-hour film.
The pacing feels inconsistent, and the writing and exposition seem to drag. The entire movie takes place in one location and Markiplier has attempted to take some creative risks. However, the risks aren’t worth the reward.
Admittedly, I haven’t played the game, but there are several parts of the film that stick out like a sore thumb and are clearly not part of the source material. They were likely added in an attempt to showcase the protagonist’s mental deterioration. These scenes aren’t bad, they are just unnecessary and further confuse the viewer about whether the sequences are set in reality or a dream.
The directing, however, is fun. For a first-time feature director, Markiplier really showcases a skillset I’d love to see utilized more. The colors, although somewhat muted at times, are fairly consistent through the RED V-Raptor camera they shot on, and the editing for each scene works well.
But, the lighting is inconsistent and dim for no reason, and the dullness lacks life or texture. I couldn’t see what was going on half of the time and the film suffers for it. The audio mixing also needs to be improved. The mixing of the music, the dialogue of multiple characters, and the sound effects create an incohesive symphony of self-destruction that does not seem intentional.
“Iron Lung” has great ideas but fails in its execution. The fact that a record 80,000 gallons of fake blood were used is a feat I wouldn’t have expected from a YouTuber, and I hope “Iron Lung” creates a surge of innovative, low-budget indie filmmaking — it is certainly inspiring in its huge box office success and the fanbase that it mobilized.
Personally, I just didn’t enjoy it.
3 out of 5 stars
Dir. Mark Fischbach
2hr 5 min/125 mins