Reel Reviews: Iron Lung (2026)

Hey y'all let's see what's up today! I was finally able to make it out to the theatre to go watch Iron Lung last week and all I can say is just... wow. This indie creature feature was written and directed by Mark Fischbach or as many of us may know him Markiplier, who is also playing our main character. The film is based off of a video game by the same title, created by David Szymanski, which released in 2022.

Now, I have been a fan of Mr. Fischbach and his work since I was about 12 or 13, so to keep this review completely unbiased I invited my dad along with me. My dad had no idea who Markiplier was until this film, so his opinion wasn't swayed whatsoever by nostalgia. 

That being said, I've been so excited to work on this review. Please note I don't get paid for voicing my opinion on anything that I review so these are my honest thoughts and opinions, and we're also going to get a little weigh in from my dad today as well.

The Summary

The story follows Simon, a convict that has been sentenced to exploring an ocean of blood after the presumed end of the world. This "quiet rapture" left the universe shrouded in darkness with little to no resources left. Simon's job is simple, map specified areas, complete his delegated tasks, and when he returns he is to be set free. Things don't exactly turn out the way that he planned, as the reason for his expedition is not what it seems. 

He ends up trapped in this ocean of blood, unable to see out due to a protective panel over the glass. He relies on an X-Ray camera and his own skills to make his daring return to the surface. However, after connecting to a sunken ship, he must return to the wreckage to retrieve vital information before he can be saved. With a monster hot on his trail, the effects of low oxygen and isolation creeping in he has to make a decision in order to gain his freedom. 

The Review

I'll be honest with you guys, this is not my normal type of horror film. I don't usually like things that involve being underwater/ submersive or any such situations. However, I loved this film largely because I adore seeing indie projects get so much traction and attention at the box office. As an indie creator myself, it's really encouraging to see these projects so well received by their audience and even dethroning media giants like Disney for the #1 spot on the charts! Beyond that, however, I can think of no one else more deserving of the attention than Mr. Fischbach. For those of you unfamiliar, he and a few other big name gaming creators like Jacksepticeye do an incredible amount of charity work and donations. Seeing them succeed with such large projects like Iron Lung and knowing that the proceeds will not only fund future projects but will also be used for admirable causes is one of the largest reasons why I was bound and determined to go see this film.

Getting into the creative side of things though, there's a lot to unpack here. Overall the CGI animation, special effects, and acting were phenomenal. Despite this being a 2 hour movie, I do wish we had a little more storyline about Eden and how Simon ended up in his situation. I do think it kind of lacked a lot of context there, but the film made up for it in other areas so it was still an incredibly enjoyable watch.

Artistically, the color shift between warm tones and cooler tones in the lighting carried a lot for this film. I love when lighting is used to add an additional layer of tension or emphasis and this movie did that incredibly well. The utilization of the game mechanics as a vital part of the story in the film was also really fun to watch, along with the addition of consequences for overusing said mechanics.

There was an insane amount of fake blood used in this film. To be exact, 79,800 gallons! That's not enough to fill an Olympic sized swimming pool, but it is still an incredible amount of fake blood. My favorite part of this entire film was the special effects because they mixed CGI with traditional practical effects. In a CGI centric industry, I really enjoy seeing practical effects utilized so heavily like they were in this film. It just adds something that CGI never can to a horror movie.

I asked my dad to give his weigh in on this film as well, as I mentioned above. He was kind enough to text his review for me so I will copy and paste it directly from the man himself:

"Hmmmm, not much depth and background on the story. For someone unfamiliar with the game I was totally clueless. The stting being under water/ blood made it very tense lol. Dialog was kinda forced sometimes it seemed. Overall great special effects, pure nightmare fuel. 6 outta 10."

Closing

Despite my dad's lower rating of the film I'm going to give this a solid 9/10. I think what it lacked for me it made up for later on I'd love to see a sequel or even a prequel to this film I think it definitely has enough groundwork to really get a franchise going. If you haven't seen Iron Lung yet, give it a go it was amazing. If you want to check out Markiplier's content I will leave a link to his Iron Lung playthrough here for you to enjoy if you want to get familiar with the game or his other work. If you want to see more from me feel free to click the link below where you can find my other socials. Y'all take care, and thanks for stopping by! 

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