THE INFLUENCE OF IRON LUNG

Is Markiplier’s IRON LUNG a brilliantly marketed film or the biggest grift ever pulled on a social media  creator’s followers? Or is it both?

In a post-apocalyptic future after “The Quiet Rapture” event, a convict explores a blood ocean on a desolate moon using a submarine called the “Iron Lung” to search for missing stars/planets.

Director: Mark Fischbach

Writers: Mark Fischbach & David Szymanski

Starring: Mark Fischbach, Troy Baker, Elsie Lovelock

Once in a generation we will get an event movie so unlike anything that came before it, it changes how we watch movies. Just touching on the last fifty years of cinema, you can see great examples of this. The 1970’s Satanic Panic brought us the phenomenon known as THE EXORCIST. JAWS, and in succession, STAR WARS, gave birth to the summer time blockbuster. TITANIC broke box office records as a pan flute drove us nuts on the radio. THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT revolutionized the fledgling internet into a marketing machine that had us believing it was a true story. The Kevin Feige and the MCU revolutionized serial storytelling on the big screen. And now we see another film buck trends and make something now. IRON LUNG.

Sporting the most fake blood ever used in a film (roughly 80,000 gallons), IRON LUNG is most certainly a gory affair, no doubt. For those in dark, it’s based on a (once) popular (because a bunch of rich people died sealed in a similar submersible) video game (which takes an hour to play through), IRON LUNG is a two-hour long exercise in how to take advantage of your fan base to influence trends. They’re called influencers for a reason. and Markiplier, aka Mark Fishback, has channeled his uncanny resemblance to Keanu Reeves into a YouTube sensation, with over 35 million followers. He’s the third most watched creator on the platform, and got there by playing horror video games. So, when he rallied his fans to get IRON LUNG placed on more screens… they spoke, and theaters listened. 4,100 worldwide to be precise, over 2,700 of those being in the states. My early evening/late afternoon screening at 5:00 yesterday was nearly sold out. It will surely make box office records this weekend as a result.

But is it a good movie? Okay, so listen, before I go any further… I’ve heard apologists say they’re going to see this movie again just to support the creator, and I think that’s a good thing. But we’re going to be honest here. I regret to inform you that IRON LUNG continues the trend where an influencer makes a movie based on their clout and likeability, and it’s… well, it’s a movie. 

Is IRON LUNG bad? No? Is it a slog to get through? Yes. The crowd I saw it with was silent as it ended, there was no applause, no discussions by attendees. Everyone left with resting “Meh” faces. It’s not because of the bleak climax, oh no. Fans of Markiplier and the game it’s based on already knew how this ended, so this wasn’t a shocked into silence reaction. This was the look of disappointment from coming to the understanding you were manipulated into watching… whatever it is you just watched.

I’m certain there are Markiplier fans who watched this and had the same reaction I had to seeing THE STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL live on its first run, or KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM OF THE PARK, or maybe to a lesser degree, GALACTICA 1980. I was pissed I’d been hoodwinked into watching them, and more than a couple people leaving that theater had the same look on their face I did back in the day, sitting in my underoos with a Swanson TV Dinner brownie clenched in my fist. I felt betrayed by the IPs in question.

Influencer Movies are the most recent hit and miss trend in film. Last year we saw it with Chris Stuckman’s SHELBY OAKS, which didn’t make the impact its creator hoped for. And now we’re seeing it with Markiplier’s IRON LUNG. Now, I’m not saying being an influencer on YouTube is a bad thing, nor that these creators should stick to what they know best. I mean, it does happen to be a good thing when they know what they’re doing. Take the Phillipou Brothers in New Zealand, for example. They’ve expanded upon what they built with YouTube into a pair of stellar films with TALK TO ME and BRING HER BACK. But The Chris Stuckmans and Markipliers of the world are learning what it takes to make an actual movie, from the writing up to the final edits and post production. I for one hope they do learn, that they do grow, because I’d like to see where these modern day Rob Zombies go.

Stuckman painted himself into a corner and ultimately cheated on the script for his SHELBY OAKS, which will always kill a movie. Shit, Markiplier took a year to personally edit IRON LUNG. George Lucas made the same mistake with the first cuts of STAR WARS… Why was this a mistake? Because he was too close to it. IRON LUNG the film is plagued by Peter Jackson Hobbit Syndrome, it suffers from USE YOUR ILLUSION 1 & 2 bursitis. The game was an hour long for a reason. Doubling its size creates an exercise in patience, and I witnessed its impact on the audience first hand. 

Mark isn’t a bad actor. He’s got a ways to go, and much to learn. Putting himself into a position where he has to carry the film for two hours of its two hour and seven minute run time, wasn’t a good idea. The sound design makes hearing things going on difficult, and the soundtrack is forgetable, lullabying you sleep instead of creating audio tension. The writing… is wooden and we are fed verbal exposition as we get the typical video game banter from a disembodied voice. The effects are admirable, the setting works. But over all, as I’ve already indicated, IRON LUNG is a borefest. We could have gotten something tantamount to Dungeon Crawler Carl here, a vid-rpg as opposed to a lit-rpg. Instead we got a cure for insomnia sold to the masses by a modern day PT Barnum.

David Szymanski’s lore behind IRON LUNG is a wonderful blend of science-fiction and cosmic horror. On paper it feels like a reimagining of Hollywood classics like the FANTASTIC VOYAGE meets BURIED ALIVE. I wish the film had explored more, told us more. Shit, the exposition told us plenty, so why stop? It certainly didn’t show us anything groundbreaking or new, that’s for sure.

I’m not picking on Markiplier here at all. I think he has great potential, and I’m eager to see his next film. Yes, he’s an uber nice guy, which means he can take criticism. It’s okay to not like this, or any movie/IP. This all being said, I encourage you to go see IRON LUNG for the experience, to see it to support Markiplier. Go and be part of something historic where you will witness a paradigm shift in the theatrical experience first hand. Not everyone loved The Blair Witch Project, either, so my thoughts and feelings on this film ultimately don’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.