Iron Lung (2026)

The planets and stars have vanished leaving humanity to inhabit doomed space stations. A convict is sent to find humanity’s last chance of survival… Deep in an ocean of blood on a derelict moon.

Mark Fischbach has found tremendous success with his YouTube persona, Markiplier. Since 2012 he’s played primarily horror games on his wildly popular let’s-play channel. One game in particular stuck with Mark after its release in 2022… David Szymanski’s Iron Lung. He opened up his episode with a loud, “Hello, My name is Markiplier and I am very tired.” Forty six minutes later, the game was finished and the lore had snapped Mark to attention as it burrowed its way into his imagination. Despite the title being little more than tension and a jump scare, Iron Lung was rife with unique lore and unnerving atmosphere. Since its premiere, Mark’s Iron Lung episode has racked up nearly 13 million views, with a follow-up video about the world within the game earning him another 6 million. On April 21^st, 2023, Markiplier announced that he would be spearheading an Iron Lung feature film by uploading a teaser trailer to an audience of 38 million YouTube subscribers. The film finally arrived this weekend, successfully earning its budget back and looking to bring in plenty more during its theatrical run. But is it any good?

Iron Lung’s premise is incredibly bleak and overwhelmingly oppressive. Humanity has colonized space but bears witness to an event called “The Quiet Rapture”. Every star system and planet completely disappear, leaving humanity to face extinction on doomed space stations. One orginization seeks any resource it can find to help keep the species alive. Unfortunately, the only glimmer of hope is on a desolate moon where they have discovered a recently formed ocean of blood. With limited resources, and a dwindling population, the organization opts to send a convict from an opposing faction down to the ocean floor to find whatever might be there. The convict, Simon, is crammed into a hastily assembled submersible which is welded shut. With the promise that all of his crimes will be forgiven if he can bring back anything of any use, Simon is given rudimentary instructions and dropped into the expansive red ocean below.

Simon, played by Mark, has very limited controls. He can steer the submersible and use a large button in the back to take very grainy black and white photos of its surroundings, which briefly appear on a large screen for him to see. He can also open or close a metal shield that’s placed in front of the sub’s only window. However, it’s best left closed as the rig can’t handle the pressure of the depths he finds himself exploring. This claustrophobic atmosphere is where we spend roughly 90% of the film, but Mark’s performance kept me from needing any other set piece. I was pleasantly surprised by his acting range, as I’d only ever seen Mark occasionally while browsing online videos. Whether it’s moments where Simon is getting increasingly angry at his situation, or scenes where sorrow and regret are taking hold, Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach sells the human emotion needed to take the audience on a ride. His performance in this has me planning to watch his 2024 TV series, The Edge of Sleep. This is rare, as many YouTubers have made films that made me want to see less of them, not more.

Mark’s co-stars are fairly limited, but don’t lack any talent. Caroline Kaplan plays Ava, the commanding officer and one of a few voices Simon can hear through a limited communication device. She carries herself just like a woman in charge would while staring down extinction and grasping at any chance of survival that the species may have. Kaplan has a small, but impressive, history of TV roles which include NCIS: New Orleans, Orange is the New Black, and FBI: Most Wanted. Iron Lung is her first cinematic role, and I hope the film’s success opens the door for us to see her in more movies in the future. She’s joined by a cast of video game voice actors and online personalities, including the likes of Troy Baker, and Alanah Pearce. Everyone’s roles may be short lived when compared to Mark’s, but everybody played their part earnestly.

We often see video game adaptations fail to capture the tone of the source material, or change so much that the result becomes unrecognizable as the property it’s supposed to represent. Iron Lung doesn’t suffer from this at all. The set pieces look exactly like Mark wandered into the game itself. Every unpleasant sound that can be heard outside the submarine will unnerve you and the pacing of the film itself keeps you locked in on Simon’s journey in real time. Music from composer Andrew Hulshult wraps up the entire project with its aggressive presentation. Andrew’s work includes composing music for Quake Champions and Doom Eternal, so gamers will know exactly what to expect.

With tones of eldritch horror, a location that feels almost like being buried alive, and an increasingly stressful series of unfortunate experiences Simon is put through…  Iron Lung is a home run for fans of Markiplier, the Iron Lung video game, or anyone wanting to experience something fresh in the world of cosmic horror. And while you may not believe me… It’s somehow still a little more optimistic than its source material. People who played the game shouldn’t expect the same ending. Iron Lung, the film, is currently showing in theaters. Iron Lung, the video game, is available digitally through STEAM, Nintendo’s e-shop, and on PS5.