Aarcflick

Telling yourself "This is bigger than us" proves to be an essential survival tactic in "Iron Lung." Not only for the doomed protagonist of the sci-fi film, trapped in a rusty submarine and forced to explore a literal ocean of blood to gain his freedom, but also for the diverse audiences confronting YouTuber Markiplier's grueling and ambitious directorial debut, which finally arrives in theaters this weekend. In this harrowing single-location thriller, adapted from David Szymanski's 2022 horror video game, filmmaker and star Mark Fischbach (known online as "Markiplier") traps viewers alongside him in the role of Simon, a prisoner aboard the Eden space station. Following a catastrophic event known as the Rapture Silence, humanity's last stand is merely the starting point of a project that demands endurance before offering immersion, ultimately revealing both the promise and peril of large-scale creator-led video game adaptations. At times, the 36...