'Iron Lung' Reviews: What Critics Are Saying About YouTuber Markiplier's Directorial Debut
Iron Lung is hitting theaters today (Friday, January 30)!
The directorial debut of Mark Edward Fischbach, better known as Internet star Markiplier, also stars the 36-year-old YouTuber, who edited, wrote, financed and distributed the horror film.
The story is “a post-apocalyptic tale in which a convict, played by Fischbach, sails an ocean of blood in a submarine in order to search for resources and discovers increasingly terrifying secrets,” per Variety.
Keep reading to find out more…
“When you play it, you can’t help but ask what’s going on,” he said of the video game to the outlet, which he adapted into a movie.
“There are very few games that I’ve played where I go into it, and I leave it saying, ‘I want to know everything about this universe. I want to know what happened. I want to know why I’m there. I want to know what I’m looking for. I want to know what got me at the end.’ I think that can be a detriment to certain games or movies where there are too many unanswered questions. I tried to work with the developer and get some of those questions answered, but still leave a sense of mystery; hopefully, people will have a good time, but leave it saying, ‘What just happened? I might need to see that again to really get an idea, or watch someone do a breakdown of it later.’ It was the right combination of that.”
But what do critics have to say about the film?
Iron Lung currently has a 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Here’s what critics are saying…
Collider gave it a 6 out of 10, writing: “The craftsmanship is there; with his directorial debut, Fischbach shows that he’s more than just a YouTuber, and he can conjure up the same kinds of scares that make him scream as he’s playing games.”
Horror Press gave it a 7 out of 10, writing: “Soaked with all the gore, madness, and mystery of the likes of Event Horizon and Pandorum, Iron Lung is a worthy successor in the cosmic horror genre as it rises above its own problems.”
Mark Reviews Movies gave it a 2.5 out of 4, writing: “It’s too bad, really, that Iron Lung goes on—and on—as long as it does…”
Simply Cinema gave it a 6 out of 10, writing: “In spite of some minor scrapes in performance and pacing, Iron Lung demonstrates Fischbach’s intriguing eye and talent for generating raw, visceral impact. A solid debut…”
Indie Wire gave it a C+, writing: “Iron Lung is audacious and at times astonishingly boring. Still, it feels more enthusiastic and celebratory than many blockbuster adaptations built on safer math.”