IRON LUNG
(director/writer: Mark Fischbach; screenwriter:
based on the video game by David Szymanski; cinematographer: Philip Roy; editor:
Mark Fischbach; music: Andrew Hulshult; cast:
Mark Fischbach (Simon), Caroline Rose Kaplan (Ava), Troy Baker (David), Elsie Lovelock (The Speaker-voice), Elle LaMont (The Whisperer-voice), Mick Lauer (Cross the Wires-voice), Davie Pettitt (The Father), Holt Boggs (Eden Soldier), Isaac McKee (Young Simon); Runtime: 125; MPAA Rating: R producers: Mark Fischbach, Will Hyde, Jeff Guerrero; Markiplier Studios; 2026)
“Ballsy sci-fi horror film.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
Mark Fischbach is the YouTuber responsible for this ballsy sci-fi horror film. He’s best known as the gaming legend Markiplier, who since 2012 makes and comments on popular video games online. This is the feature film debut for the Hawaiian writer-director-star-editor and financial backer of this shoestring budget indie. It’s based on the gory 2022 video cult game by David Szymanski, that has a small but loyal following. The film creates a haunting atmosphere of isolation that at times could be hypnotic. But its pacing is stagnant, its length is too long, its story is too murky and is such a bore it turned me off.
In the post-apocalyptic future, an event called “The Quiet Rapture” was the reason the star systems and planets mysteriously vanished, and the population severely decreased.
Simon (Mark Fischbach), a mentally tortured convict seeking redemption, is sent alone on a windowless submarine called the Iron Lung to explore an ocean of blood that was found on a moon. His mission is to map out its seabed in an effort to find resources to possibly stave off any further population loss.
The action, unfortunately, takes place in the claustrophobic surroundings of the submarine.
On his mission, Simon discovers a giant alien fossil. Meanwhile flashbacks show us why he’s such a mess after involved in a tragic incident at the Filamnet Space Station.
Simon stresses out and takes out his frustrations on his superiors. He loudly questions the submarine’s crew commander Ava (Caroline Rose Kaplan) over his objectionable duties, as she communicates with him by voice through an inter-com system connected to the space station.
For most of the film we observe Simon dealing with the submarine’s unbearable claustrophobic living conditions and the distress he gets from its flickering lights and leaky pipes.
I didn’t find the film to be either enjoyable or compelling, and I’m not even sure if Fischbach’s YouTube fans will love it. At least it’s made by an artist who is free to express himself and is not stifled by the Hollywood studio system.
REVIEWED ON 2/21/2026 GRADE: C+
dennisschwartzreviews.com