At first, there was a video game. In 2022, a submarine-simulation horror game developed by David Szymanski was released on Windows and Nintendo Switch. The plot of the game was about a future when all habitable planets in the universe disappeared in an event called the "Quiet Rapture." The only humans left were those based on space stations. One moon was noted to have formed an ocean of human blood. Survivors sent convicts into that blood ocean in a small submarine to gather information for possible sustenance of human life.
Mark Edward Fischbach, under his handle Markiplier, became one of the most popular YouTubers by posting videos annotating himself while playing video games like "Five Nights at Freddy's." In May 2022, he posted his first video of himself playing "Iron Lung," and enjoyed its concept and gameplay. In April 2023, he announced that he would be adapting the game into a film which he would produce, write, direct, edit and star in. David Szymanski was involved in the script and even filmed a cameo. Total production budget was at USD 3M.
From the very start, we immediately see the convict Simon (Markiplier) inside a small metal room, with a control panel in front of him. On the left side of the panel was a compass and below that was a digital display of the angle of his craft. On the right side of the panel were digital displays indicating the X and Y coordinates of his location. There was a control stick to maneuver to the desired coordinates. Instead of windows, there was a camera that took radiographic photos of what objects were located in those coordinates.
There was no prologue to introduce the situation Simon was in. We just knew that he was a convict for the destruction of a space station that cost the loss of multiple lives, a crime that he did not intend to happen. He was sent on this exploratory mission with the assurance that he would earn his freedom back if he succeeded. Under the orders of Commander Ava (Carolyn Rose Kaplan), he was supposed to gather bone samples from what appeared to be a sea creature located at a specified place under the ocean of blood.
This film may not be for everybody as it assumed that only fans of Iron Lung and Markiplier would be watching this, not even giving any introductory narration. We do eventually get the drift as the film progressed, picking up context clues here and there to splice a somehow coherent story. (You may want to watch his first Iron Lung video as before you watch the film.) As actor in this one-man show, Markiplier started out tentative and unintentionally funny, but he was totally intense in the final act. As director, he was able to create a stifling atmosphere of tension and claustrophobia, as the blood engulfed Simon. 6/10.
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