SummaryIn a post-apocalyptic future after The Quiet Rapture event, a convict explores a blood ocean on a desolate moon using a submarine called the Iron Lung to search for missing stars/planets.
SummaryIn a post-apocalyptic future after The Quiet Rapture event, a convict explores a blood ocean on a desolate moon using a submarine called the Iron Lung to search for missing stars/planets.
Iron Lung is an immersive experience. It traps the audience in a close, suffocating space with Simon and the seeming inevitability of his death, and the sense of terror is palpable and thrilling. It’s a slow-burn horror movie, but it certainly isn’t lacking in scares.
As a performer, Fischbach’s frantic performance can sometimes be distractingly monotonous, but as a filmmaker, he has an impressive eye not only for compositional details, but also for how his images cut and flow together.
I had to make an account for this site and rotten tomatoes bc the low ratings this movie was getting was pissing me OFFFFF. Just because it's a slow burn means that it's bad?? Is the human race's attention spans so short that we can't enjoy actual good movies anymore?? Sorry that the horror isn't just jump scares every two seconds like literally every other horror movie in the genre nowadays. The slow burn of Iron Lung, the build up to the cosmic horror, the WHOLE movie simply taking place in a submarine AND still causing me to be on the edge of my seat makes this an AMAZING MOVIE. The effects were great, the script was great, the acting was great, the STORY was CRAZY. Watch the movie. WATCH IT. Don't let these "professional reviewers" tell you otherwise, because since when did they know how to actually judge a movie? NEVER!I'll be watching the movie a SECOND time, just to see all of the foreshadowing and other details I may have missed in my first watch :D
A grungy, blood-soaked DIY chamber piece based on David Szymanski’s 2022 video game of the same name, it’s admirably restrained, being far more interested in creating a haunting ambience than raising your blood pressure.
Iron Lung is audacious and at times astonishingly boring. Still, it feels more enthusiastic and celebratory than many blockbuster adaptations built on safer math.
Many of us have long sensed culture is making a decisive break with the analogue in favour of the (perhaps terminally) online and Fischbach’s film makes that paradigm shift not just visible but visceral; it feels not unlike spending 12 hours on Twitch with all the curtains closed.
Iron Lung has terrible pacing and very low energy from the start. The scenarios that Fischbach has put his character in just aren’t compelling enough to watch unfold, with scenes that drag on and on.
PEAK movie, crazy how some youtuber with the right camera angles and editing can make such a good movie for such a cheap price, maybe we can have new ideas and not the same rise and repeat crap disney makes.
Incredible breathe of new life into lovecraftian style horror. Very well paced, great work with practical effects! There are some slow points in the movie but it truly feels intentional and really builds the emotional tax. This is the first movie that actually got me talking about it the whole way home, and through the night in a long time. Sound design was on point and just overall success!HUGE WIN FOR INDEPENDENT FILMS!
I would give this movie 2 different ratings, and I think this movie's circumstances is one of the few that need that.Giving a TLDR at the beginning for the sake of those on the fence about watching it: This movie is not for everyone, but it's an incredibly intriguing concept and decent execution. The acting is the weakest element, and the cinematography is the strongest. Worth a watch just for the intrigue. Judging without any outside context or consideration, or even knowing the budget of the film, I would put this movie at a 5.5, maybe a 6. Judging WITH the knowledge that this movie is the debut film entirely self-funded/produced, directed, written and edited by one guy, with a budget of $3 million, and was only supposed to open on 60-100 screens across the U.S., I would put this movie at a 9.The Good:- The premise of a submarine navigating an ocean of blood on an alien planet is incredibly interesting in itself.- The cinematography was great. Lots of creative shots in such a small set.- The SFX and soundtrack did a lot of heavy lifting for the atmosphere, of which the whole film has in droves.- The same info from the game is communicated to the audience in the first act pretty much 1:1, so you don't need to have any prior info going in.- VFX were pretty good. Makeup in particular was great for some of the body horror sequences.- CGI is briefly and sparingly used, but where it's used it looks very good.- The acting got better as the film went on.- The passion put into this movie is certainly palpable.The Bad:- The acting is the weakest part of the whole thing. Makes for a very rough first half and a passable second half.- Most of the script is very cliché.- Key information in dialogue is lost easily in the SFX.- Lighting is just "okay". Some scenes should have been brighter but that's a blanket observation for most movies nowadays.- The movie should have been at least 15 minutes shorter, if not 30. Much of the first act could have and should have been cut entirely.- Some info wasn't highlighted enough while other information was dwelled on far too much. In particular thinking about any written info shown on screen. - A lot of information is conveyed through inference or character action, so if you're not paying close attention you may not understand why the protagonist is doing something until it's affecting the environment. Makes for a few awkward sequences that are supposed to feel suspenseful but can leave you feeling a little confused.Final Thoughts:I've seen a lot of people online saying this movie is "unbearably boring" and that's what prompted me to draft this review (I don't typically write up reviews)—I wouldn't say this movie is at all boring. Slow-burning, yes, but not boring. I can only imagine it being grating if you don't try to learn or connect anything about the world from what's uncovered throughout the film...because that information isn't spoon-fed.Decent movie on its own. Worth a watch, even if only to witness the product of such an interesting indie marketing campaign (or lack thereof). Don't expect a masterpiece and you'll walk away satisfied.
It felt like it was likely true to the video game, but for someone like myself who finds puzzle logic games to be tedious and boring, it simply didn’t work. So much of the movie was about completing a task, then a new issue arises, then completing another task. It felt like we were simply watching a level by level video of someone playing a video game. I later learned about the director and the style of content he makes and it all made a lot more sense. For an audience who enjoys watching other people play video games, this probably was a wonderful adaptation. For myself, it just wasn’t the type of film that had enough depth or world building to do anything for me.
Really boring. I wanted to like it. I really did. It simply wasn't good. It would have made a good half hour digital short, but a 2 hour movie? Get out of here. Not enough content to milk it for that long. Painfully slow and uninteresting. Way overhyped. If it wasn't made by an influencer no one would give it the time of day. There needs to be more explication of the story and universe. You, as a movie goer, should not have to go search the depths of the internet to find out what the hell is going on or what you just watched. It is just a niche confusing mess. Thumbs down. Bad story telling all around.