By Dominic DeGrinney, Staff Writer 

Despite being a surprise hit at the box office, “Iron Lung” is difficult to recommend for those uninterested in the lead star or the original game itself.

The mediocrity of the movie is a shame, given the narrative of success surrounding the movie. The indie film was directed by and stars YouTuber Mark Fischbach, known more commonly as Markiplier, on a modest budget of $3 million. The cost was recovered seven times over, with a gross revenue over $21 million.

“Iron Lung” stars Fischbach as Simon, a convict who is forced into a welded-shut submarine for a doomed research mission to uncover the mysteries of a blood ocean on a moon. The submarine, or Iron Lung, is a suffocating space devoid of any stimuli, except for the infrequent noise of the shifting currents outside and Simon’s handlers outside the submarine.

All visual aspects of the movie carry a deeply professional feel, fully realizing the cartoon-like stylization of the video game environment. The set, audio and direction are befitting of the budget, but the main issue with the movie lies in its singular performance. 

It is a unique concept for a movie, but the novelty is lessened by Fischbach’s amateurish acting. Fischbach serviceably embodies Simon, but the character lacks the intentionality that a more experienced actor might have. It would not be a surprise to learn that the movie was filmed chronologically, as the worst acting seems to be front-loaded. Another possible explanation is that the writing for the beginning of the movie is plainly bad and gave nothing for Fischbach to work with. 

Therein lies the fundamental issue of recommending the movie; over the course of a two-hour movie, only half was enjoyable. The first half relies on Simon meandering, which is fine for a video game, but pointless in a movie, especially when it serves little purpose for the character or plot. 

The movie starts in-media-res, placing Simon in the center of the action researching the mysteries of the blood ocean, only to retract Simon to spew exposition and relieve the audience from the chilling embrace of the blood ocean.

When Simon returns to the ocean with a specific mission to collect samples from a skeleton, Fischbach’s acting becomes more focused, especially when his connection to the surface is severed and he must rely on his own wits to guide him. This is when Fischbach’s acting does shine, although it does seem familiar to a sort of cursed YouTube video game playthrough.

Fischbach’s reactions to the abomination that tracks him underneath the sea are genuine, despite some predictable twists surrounding hallucinations. A part of what sells Simon’s reactions to his increasingly dire circumstances is the safety that the Iron Lung provides. It is easy to write off the white blips on the camera as skeletons or mistakes, but it is increasingly proven to not be the case.

Those things are outside the little safety that the submarine provides. Many of the narrative devices of “Iron Lung” are contrived, such as gravity and pressure being completely illogical, but the idea of what began with a little blood dripping down from the ceiling turning into small spurts is a great idea. This is especially evident as voices begin to break Simon down to his base elements, so the audience begins to understand his crimes and guilt. The movie sells the transformation of the Iron Lung into another fleshy organ.

I would not recommend “Iron Lung,” but I would not dissuade anyone interested from watching it. The movie is perfectly mediocre, with bad scenes interspersed with good scenes. Despite the mediocrity, the success of “Iron Lung” proves there is a genuine market for unique niche passion projects.