There’s reasonable apprehension whenever a YouTuber announces they’re crossing into a different art form. Infamous failures have slightly stained the platform’s creative reputation.

The recently successful Iron Lung, however, proves that when the crossing of mediums stems from passion, projects can flourish and that sites like YouTube, despite its faults, remain a method of uplifting creativity from places other than nepotism (cough, cough, Hollywood).

Iron Lung is a sci-fi horror film based on the video game of the same name, adapted by YouTube creator Markiplier (Mark Fischbach), as pictured. In this futuristic world, all humans, apart from those in spaceships, have disappeared in the apocalyptic “quiet rapture”.

In Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men style, all two hours of runtime are set inside the movie’s submarine (the titular Iron Lung). In this rusty contraption, convict Simon (played by Fischbach) is tasked with exploring the mysterious ocean of blood he’s submerged in for his promised freedom.

And, if a dingy submarine in blood isn’t horrifying enough, nothing can be seen from inside the sub, and Simon relies on poor-quality photographs from the vehicle’s camera to check what’s around him. A hindrance turns from frustrating to chilling when it’s revealed he has monstrous company.

Any film set in a single location sets itself a magnificent challenge – Mark Fischbach rises to meet it. The submarine, though purposefully run-down, is a visual treat, using environmental storytelling and claustrophobia to frame the narrative. In terms of “show, don’t tell,” Iron Lung thrives, its fixed setting reinforcing that discipline.

The refusal to show any of the underwater horrors beyond grainy photography keeps you captivated by what truly lurks in the blood ocean. Additionally, despite holding the record for the most amount of fake blood in a film (80 gallons), the gore demonstrates applaudable restraint until the very end.

The result is a horror not built on shocking visuals, but on unbearable tension in a cramped box, whilst the unknown simply teases.

The script manages to produce multiple jaw-dropping moments without escaping the “iron lung” – and the atmosphere is cemented by Andrew Hulshult’s soundtrack – music which could not be more thematically on point if the composer himself were under the sea.

All performances are also impressive. Fischbach’s acting background has mainly involved his own informal projects, usually reliant on exaggerated physicality and comedic skills rather than emotional subtlety. He’s tasked with carrying the film largely alone and in one place.

Remarkably, it mostly works, and Mark Fischbach’s embellished performance is enough to keep us engaged despite the abundant screen time. He’s able to tone it down to hit the emotional beats – but his forte is clearly in the dramatic and theatrical action, which he performs exceptionally. Caroline Kaplan (Ava) and Troy Baker (David) also provide voice acting, which grips the audience without needing them on screen – their powerful readings complement the story wonderfully.

Of course, the film has its flaws. The fixed perspective on Simon means all the world’s storytelling must come from dialogue, which, at some moments, feels heavy-handed in its exposition. It also results in blurry worldbuilding, as if you mishear one line, the circumstances of this dystopia remain unclear.

The pacing struggles midway in, where action falters and falls flat. It presents as a project which would’ve benefited from a shorter runtime – or perhaps extended perspectives to flesh out the intriguing future depicted.

Imperfections and all, this film’s worthy of notice. The industry can easily feel oversaturated with cash-grabs pumped out of Hollywood, recycling both plotlines and actors. Soulless. Sticking to the formula.

No wonder, then, Iron Lung is so refreshing: a movie clearly made not for money, but for passion. The film exudes creativity and a love for art in a way that most projects with triple the budget cannot come close to.

It’s also a rarity for this to shine through in a video game adaptation. We’ve seen how popular titles are taken and slapped onto films semi-resembling their stories in the hopes it’ll pull in the audience. Successful (“A Minecraft movie”) or not (“Borderlands”), it’s arguably the easy way out in terms of sales.

Fischbach, however, chose not to adapt a well-renowned game, but a short indie horror by David Szymanski. Though initially baffling as the game revealed little story, it’s another aspect which sets Iron Lung apart.

Rather than taking a crafted narrative and chucking it onto the big screen, Fischbach drew from a source of inspiration – meaning that the movie is not a copy, but an expansion. In uplifting another independent project, Markiplier ensures his own feels fresh to all viewers.

Iron Lung is entertaining and a treat for fans of all things speculatively creepy. It isn’t the film of the year, nor could that be expected for Fischbach’s first attempt, but to compare it to other Youtuber ‘stunts’ as The Guardian does feels a subtle way to dig at independent crews and their accomplishments.

Everything online related is often dismissed by older generations, who view these platforms as pure silliness, but YouTube has always provided opportunities for talent to shine through. Not just in pre-established creators like Markiplier, but for any aspiring artists to publish their work for free and let the world see it.

This film is a glimmer of hope to all up-and-coming creatives- proof that you don’t have to grow up in the film industry with miraculous connections in order to get your big break. Mark Fischbach led a regular life until beginning YouTube at twenty-two, committed to content creation, and now has a film surpassing $46.5 million.

I’ll take that for a feel-good film over a starring nepo-baby any day.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons