YouTuber and internet personality Mark Fishbach (aka Markiplier), based on the 2022 video game by David Szymanski, opened in over 4,000 screens worldwide.
Set in a post-apocalyptic future after “The Quiet Rapture” causes all stars and habitable planets to vanish, convict Simon (Mark Fischbach) is sentenced to pilot a small submarine, the “Iron Lung,” through a blood ocean on a desolate moon. As he explores, he uncovers a way to save humanity and the terrifying truth behind its destruction.
“I thought it would be kinda cheesy with all of this coming from a YouTuber, but it was a very entertaining movie, and I would watch it again,” said OH senior Grady Sobotka.
Markiplier has been a YouTube sensation for over a decade, garnering over 38.3 million subscribers and over 23 billion views. On May 19, 2022, he posted his first playthrough and, less than a year later, he posted his first trailer of the movie.
When asked about how the movie compared to the game, OH senior Logan Nieves said, “The game is very short, and to have a movie with a 2-hour runtime, he definitely added a lot. I think he did very well adapting to the amount of screentime he wanted.”
Adding onto that, Sobotka said, “I feel like they definitely got to update the game now, and the movie was much more entertaining than the game. I think it added much more to the lore and made it a little bit better.”
However, other than just the movie being an adaptation from the game, Iron Lung still stood strong as a standalone movie. To invoke the original game, it crafted a claustrophobic atmosphere with its cinematography, though it was helped by its music choice, unlike the game.
“I truthfully thought it was great for Markiplier’s first time fully directing, acting, and playing the lead role in a movie. I think he did a great job”, said Nieves.
Some fans were confused by never watching or playing the game; however, Iron Lung didn’t falter, showing its ability to entertain any audience, regardless of their knowledge of the game.
“It was very good, but admittedly I was a wee bit lost because I never watched the YouTube videos,” said OH senior Luke Royster. “But regardless of [whether] I knew the previous lore or not, it was still great.”
Sobotka agreed, and said, “I feel like after what [Fishbach] did, a lot of different kinds of people can watch [[Iron Lung]], not just Markiplier fans.”
I'm a senior at OHS and it's my first year as a journalist. I hope to go to school for directing and screenwriting. I plan on mostly writing about movies and video games, and most nerd stuff. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
I am a Senior at OHS and in my second year as a journalist. I am a podcast co-editor and a co-editor in chief and I am excited for my second year being a journalist for the school. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
