I liked Iron Lung more than I thought would, but I still wouldn’t recommend it to everyone

First time I saw the trailer for Iron Lung I didn’t think much of it. I knew who Markiplier was but the trailer didn’t sell the movie for me. That said, Friday 30/01/2026 I wanted to go to the theatre, so it was either Iron Lung or Primate. To be honest that promotion video for primate that is basically an audience reaction is sort of cringe and I had to sit through it three times in the past month, so I decided to go see Iron Lung. I had low expectations and doubted that the movie would be THAT bad. Plus, I had just seen Return to Silent Hill a week earlier, so anything better than that is a better use of a Friday night.

Right of the bat, the movie has a premise that is quite unique and intriguing. In the universe of Iron Lung, the stars and habitable planets have suddenly disappeared during an event called The Quiet Rapture. Now those living in spaceships are trying to survive using whatever they can find on barren moons. On one of these moons they come across something utterly strange, an ocean of blood. The movie follows Simon, played by Markiplier, a convict who in order to gain his freedom agrees to be put in a makeshift submarine and to be lowered into the bottom of the ocean to search for resources and even possibly clues to explain either the ocean of blood or The Quiet Rapture. The submarine is basically a prison cell in itself as the hall has been welded shut around Simon and there is no way for him to escape from it unless he receives help from those who sent him down into the ocean. To make matters worse, the submarine has limited oxygen and the only way to view the outside world is through a camera that takes pictures that are black and white. Somehow Simon must endure and explore the bottom of the ocean in order to be set free when he returns to the surface.

Going into the movie what I wanted to see is how they are going to execute the premise, that of a single person confined to a small place. This has been done well before in movies like Locke, but would Markiplier be able to pull it off? Afterall, this is basically his movie; he is the protagonist, the producer, writer, and director. That aspect he pulls of well but not just by himself. What you need to keep in mind is that the audience can get bored very quickly if the environment is the same and doesn’t change, so you need to use every tool you have to prevent that from happening. Shout out to the cinematography and sound designs. There are so many different types of shots throughout the movie, with different angles, depths of field, focuses, etc. It helps keep the visuals fresh, despite the whole movie taking place inside a tiny vessel. This is helped further by the plot progression and how the conditions of Simon and the vessel change as the movie goes on. However, the cinematography does fall short at times, specifically when it comes to conveying impact. The shaky cams are not convincing unfortunately, so whenever the screen shakes to convey the impact of something to the submarine it looks quite fake and it takes you out of the movie a little bit. Then there is sound design. There are some fantastic sound designs in this movie. Perhaps my favourite is that of the camera, which is very similar to the typical camera snap sound, but is just different enough to make it distinct. The sound effects and the editing sell the claustrophobic place our protagonist is trapped in very well and are consistently good throughout the movie. There is a something that did bother me at times though. Pretty much any communication between Simon and another human being is done through the mic set up in his submarine, and at times it is difficult to understand what the other person is saying through it. Yes there are intentional distortions here and there and at times it can contribute to creating more uncertainty and sense of danger to a scene, but there are times where you are clearly meant to be following the dialogue but I couldn’t understand everything properly.

On a quick side note, the use of light and the prosthetics are also pretty good.

So the visuals are dynamic enough to maintain our attention, but what about the sole person that we will be watching the entire movie? Is Markiplier a good actor, or rather, does have enough acting skills to carry the movie on his back? Short answer: mostly yes. There are some lines that are delivered in an odd way and there are some moments where the acting does look fake, but overall Markiplier manages to deliver a good performance. When you see him on screen you can sort of tell that he doesn’t do acting for a living, but still he does it well. Throughout most of the movie his performances ranges between just convincing and very good, there are some bad moments and deliveries but they are limited to the first third of the movie. I don’t think Markiplier will now be recognized as a hidden talent or anything like that, he is good in the movie but not THAT good. That said, we should remember that pretty much he is the only character we are seeing at all times. Most of the time he is either just reacting towards things happening, having a conversation with a voice from a mic, or doing a monologue. That is what makes his performance impressive, the fact that he manages to keep you invested for two hours almost all by himself.

What about the plot of the movie? The premise is interesting but does it go anywhere? It depends on your personal taste. While the entire movie does take place within the submarine, there are quite a few things that happen throughout the movie; mysteries are set up to be revealed later, there are twists and turns not just regarding the story but also regarding Simon and his past, and there are revelations that are meant to shake what you’ve believed up to that point. It does take some time for things to get going, but overall the movie has a good pace. In terms of the things that happen and how we are likely to react to them, that is where people will differ. There is vagueness in some events of the movie and not all of your questions will be answered by the time the movie ends. There are things that are left to your interpretation and the movie has an ending that may leave some people dissatisfied. To me, it rode that line well, where things are kept vague but you are not left clueless and dissatisfied with the story. Each person is likely to react to these characteristics of the movie differently. While I did say that I was able to get along with the plot and its pace, I will say, it did drag on a little. I would have liked it more if it was a little shorter. There are some shots that get quite repetitive specially early in the movie and towards the middle, and if these had been cut down, the movie would have had a length more suited for its premise and what it’s aiming for.

The discussion about taste and reaction is something that can be said about the entire movie. I was able to enjoy it because I pay attention to how everything sounds, how each scene is shot and looks, how certain moments are carried out and so on. However, the average viewer may not notice these things, and I would not be surprised if some people label this movie as boring. I don’t agree with it, but I can understand why they would think that way. Most people just go to the cinema to be simply entertained, it is no surprise why the marvel movies were so successful, for some time anyways. But this movie doesn’t try to just entertain, it is a passion project. I didn’t know that the movie is based on a game that Markiplier played 3 years ago but it does change things. The movie was built, I believe, to do justice to the video game and capture its atmosphere and vibes. After watching his playthrough, the movie has definitely succeeded in that aspect. In achieving that, the movie has sealed its fate, is going to appeal to some people but not to everyone because it is not generic. You may think the movie has too slow a pace, that it is boring, or even that Markiplier is a bad actor, but you cannot say that it doesn’t stand out. It is different and that deserves praise. The fact that the movie is different AND good is why it left an impact on me.

In the end, I did go into this movie with low expectations. What I was presented with was a competently made movie with a lot of good going on for it. It does stumble here and there in one aspect or the other but overall I was happy with the movie and thought that it was worth my money. It is not a movie meant for everyone and so it will draw criticism that I may not agree with, but that is how it goes when you have a specific vision in mind that doesn’t include the ability to satisfy every viewer who may see it.