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Iron Lung Non-Spoiler Review
I want to get this out of the way first. This film is not for everyone. If you are an adrenaline junkie, you probably are not going to like this movie. Iron Lung is boring, but not in a bad way. It is slow and deliberate. This is a film that has a strong start and only gets better as it goes.
Iron Lung is Markiplier’s directorial and acting debut on the big screen, and honestly, even by regular film standards and not just indie debut standards, it is fantastic. I loved it. The film is very calm, calm in a specific way, because there is an overwhelming amount of tension that you could cut with a knife. Markiplier proves himself to be a genuine master of tension and atmosphere. The sound design is amazing, Mark's direction makes it clear he understands exactly how sound and silence should be used. The ambience alone can feel crushing at times. It is genuinely amazing that this is his first film. I would not be mad at all if Markiplier stopped YouTube and became a full-time director and actor.
The film itself is everything I wanted it to be. It is faithful to the game to a degree I feel some people will knock it for it. The tension is excellent, the ambience is excellent, and if you are a fan of eldritch horror or more claustrophobic, small-scale horror, you will absolutely adore this film. I would even say it is up there as one of my favorite horror films of all time. Markiplier is inside that sub for the entire movie, yet the film still manages to stay engaging from start to finish. The constant sense of dread, and the feeling of impending doom never let up. The comms scenes near the end (iynyk) and the xray camera scenes are especially incredible. Every single photograph creates a sense of anticipation, like something horrible might be waiting to appear. There are no traditional jump scares, but the film still gives you that same feeling, almost like a jump scare without actually doing one.
The extended lore is another huge highlight, It has you thinking and trying to things together the whole time and not in a bad way to where it feels like its overcomplicating things. Iron Lung the game is, at most, around 15 to 50 minutes long, but Markiplier expands it into a full two-hour film. Some people complain about attention spans and think it should have been an hour and a half, but I genuinely believe two hours is the perfect length. Every single second of this movie feels intentional. There is no fluff and no filler.
Going into this film, I expected to struggle taking it seriously because I have been watching Markiplier since I was a little kid. I remember the goofy hair and the early YouTube days, so I thought I would only see Markiplier and not Simon. That concern disappeared almost immediately. I got immersed fast. Markiplier is Simon. He is a genuinely strong actor, and his performance only improves as the film goes on. Do not let the fact that it stars Markiplier turn you away from this movie. His acting is far better than I ever expected.
I have no major complaints about Iron Lung. Overall, I would give it an 8.7 out of 10.