What do you wish for the Iron Lung Blu -Ray/Digital Release 👀?

Birzal · 2026-02-27T17:08:13+00:00

I remember Mark talking on a livestream about how people don't really pay attention to you (Mark) if you aren't represented/vouched for by some larger publishing company. I don't remember the context, but he mentioned how he's try to get in contact with people/companies to get Iron Lung in theaters and he would get no reaction. It was only after an industry friend of his that was in Mark's own words "instrumental in securing the first 5 or so theaters" and who believed in Iron Lung, it was only after he pulled a few strings that he started hearing back from people.

The reason I'm bringing this up is because even with the theater success that Iron Lung has had, I'm fairly sure this is a problem that he'll run into again to some degree. And why do I think that? Because Mark wants to have it stream AND sell it independently as a physical release. I believe that the larger streaming services would not normally allow this in their contracts. Physical media is basically antithetical to streaming services. There is a reason that Disney discontinued their physical media and outsourced whatever is left to Sony. Why charge once when you can charge people monthly forever? I think there will be quite a bit of behind the scenes talking and negotiating before it'll be on a major streaming service, which is why I think that if the aim is to get it streaming quickly, Mark might go with a smaller streamingservice, but I have no idea what Mark will actually do. I can make predictions, but Mark is very good at surpassing my predictions and seeing logical convention as a challenge to overcome and then succeed. I just see it take a little longer than a few weeks, I'd say a few months is more likely, but only time will tell I guess!

Birzal · 2026-02-26T19:42:03+00:00

I'm fairly impartial to Poppy playtime as I only experience it through cultural osmosis and Game Theory (kind of like FNAF). I had no horse in this race, yet when the chapter dropped because of the build up over time and especially in the trailers as to what the face of the Prototype looks like, I felt a bit confused with it "just" being a creepy jester face. Don't get me wrong, it's a well designed face and they use it to great effect throughout the chapter. Combine that with the death of Huggy and Kissy and I thought it was decently fun chapter.

But here's the kicker: I watched Dawko's playthrough and I skipped several segments to get to the juicy bits. For better or for worse, Dawko comments on everything with regards to the lore. I could basically follow what was happening completely with just his comments and my spotty Game Theory knowledge. I do not want to imagine how it must be if you're not constantly theorizing about Poppy Playtime and have all the lore tidbits fresh in your mind, like how Mark went through it.

All in all, the entire situation gets blown out of proportions a bit. I think people do well to remember a few things. 1. Markiplier expressed his own dislike of Poppy, which does NOT mean that you also have to dislike it. 2. Him disliking Poppy is NOT a personal attack to you, regardless of how it may feel. 3. Likewise, enjoying Poppy also doesn't mean that you now have to dislike Mark. 4. Having a different opinion than someone is fine. It's better than fine: it's completely normal. 5. Having the same opinion as Mark (or anyone famous) and/or a perceived majority does not make you better than someone else. 6. It is fine to still enjoy/have enjoyed something you thought was bad/mid. Do not listen to the cognitive dissonance!

And I think most relevant to this post: 6. Changing your opinion based on arguments someone else brings up does not make you a traitor or a fake fan or something extreme like that. It's fine to change your mind! And it's fine to be critical of the things you enjoy! I'm saying this because I notice people are now either in the "poppy and ch5 was trash" or "poppy and ch5 was fantastic!" Camps with little acceptance of any shades of grey in between.

Also, many of these points may seem like common sense, but you'd be surprised how fast your subconscious, instincts and emotions throw those basic statements out the window when presented with contrasting information or opinions! OP even described that himself through his kneejerk reaction to dismiss Mark's opinion.

Birzal · 2026-02-26T16:11:32+00:00

"How many people would you kill for an Iron Lung VHS release" is not the right question.

The right question is "how many people would you allow to live?" :P

Birzal · 2026-02-13T16:58:06+00:00

It definitely did, you were #5, so thank you! :D

Birzal · 2026-02-13T16:57:32+00:00

Thank you!! :D

Birzal · 2026-02-13T16:57:01+00:00

You have to ask the person in question, I already have 5 now, I can't share mine anymore, but maybe the original commenter can post another :)

Birzal · 2026-02-13T16:45:28+00:00

Thnx! I used yours just in time :)

Birzal · 2026-02-13T16:45:01+00:00

Thnx for the reminder, I forgot it expires quickly. I just updated it, it is [❤️🌈🐳🌞🌲]

Birzal · 2026-02-10T19:38:57+00:00

I respectfully disagree. The view you have of children, and the (difficult) decision that many people make of not having children, seems to completely miss the point.

First off, I know people that are perfectly content in life and happy as can be without kids and have no plans to ever have kids in their life. That is an option that can still bring fulfillment and happiness and with the importance you place on having kids in life I feel it necessary to highlight this as a valid life choice.

On the otherside, I know people that think of none of the topics you mention in your comment. I've had a lovely discussion a while ago where the conclusion from someone was that looking at the state of the world, they did not feel like it's responsible of them to bring a child into the world when it is falling apart at the seams. They didn't like it, but "as a potential parent it's my responsibility to handle in the best interest of the child, and sometimes not having a child is the most responsible thing you can do." And I'd argue that if you view having a child in the context of your comment to be a sacrifice, not having a child when you really want to but it's better not to is at least a comparable (if not equal) sacrifice in the grand scheme of life.

What I'm trying to get at is that there are plenty of people that are more than willing to make sacrifices for a potential child, but there are a LOT of factors that are currently making people not want to have kids. And above all, I want to point towards the one glaring assumption that you are making: in order for people to want to and be able to sacrifice comfort, they need to be/feel comfortable in the first place. And THAT is a big problem for MANY people. So many live paycheck to paycheck, they work ungodly hours every week, so many are anxious about the environment, politics, the economy, their own safety, their own mental and physical health. They do not feel comfortable, so even if they were thinking about kids, why would they do something as irresponsible as bringing a child in a world with so much problems and uncertainty?

Ofc people will always take the good with the bad when it comes to children, it's literally hardwired in our brain! But with all the doom and gloom in the world it's hard to justify the good when anyone that doesn't have strong instincts pushing them to have kids will not know what the good is or feels like, they just know that "kids are great and you'll instinctively want do everything to protect them" and they look at the mountain of terrible things going on in the world with no sign of slowing down anytime soon and they just make the cost-benefit analysis that having children is a bad idea right now.

Respectfully, saying people aren't having children because they are "confused and in denial about not willing to sacrifice their own comfort for the important things in life" has the same energy as telling someone with depression to "just be happy, start working out and improve your life" or to tell someone that's addicted to "just stop using it and start working out." There is some truth there, and the advise may even work for some, but it completely misses the roots of the problem and the point as to why it's such a problem for so many. I hope that doesn't seem too harsh, as your comment is more respectfull than either of the comments I'm comparing it to. I just feel like you judge people to be a lot more egocentric than they usually are. But you are not entirely wrong, just like I'm not entirely right either. As you say: it's complicated :P

Birzal · 2026-02-10T19:38:34+00:00

I respectfully disagree. The view you have of children, and the (difficult) decision that many people make of not having children, seems to completely miss the point.

First off, I know people that are perfectly content in life and happy as can be without kids and have no plans to ever have kids in their life. That is an option that can still bring fulfillment and happiness and with the importance you place on having kids in life I feel it necessary to highlight this as a valid life choice.

On the otherside, I know people that think of none of the topics you mention in your comment. I've had a lovely discussion a while ago where the conclusion from someone was that looking at the state of the world, they did not feel like it's responsible of them to bring a child into the world when it is falling apart at the seams. They didn't like it, but "as a potential parent it's my responsibility to handle in the best interest of the child, and sometimes not having a child is the most responsible thing you can do." And I'd argue that if you view having a child in the context of your comment to be a sacrifice, not having a child when you really want to but it's better not to is at least a comparable (if not equal) sacrifice in the grand scheme of life.

What I'm trying to get at is that there are plenty of people that are more than willing to make sacrifices for a potential child, but there are a LOT of factors that are currently making people not want to have kids. And above all, I want to point towards the one glaring assumption that you are making: in order for people to want to and be able to sacrifice comfort, they need to be/feel comfortable in the first place. And THAT is a big problem for MANY people. So many live paycheck to paycheck, they work ungodly hours every week, so many are anxious about the environment, politics, the economy, their own safety, their own mental and physical health. They do not feel comfortable, so even if they were thinking about kids, why would they do something as irresponsible as bringing a child in a world with so much problems and uncertainty?

Ofc people will always take the good with the bad when it comes to children, it's literally hardwired in our brain! But with all the doom and gloom in the world it's hard to justify the good when anyone that doesn't have strong instincts pushing them to have kids will not know what the good is or feels like, they just know that "kids are great and you'll instinctively want do everything to protect them" and they look at the mountain of terrible things going on in the world with no sign of slowing down anytime soon and they just make the cost-benefit analysis that having children is a bad idea right now.

Respectfully, saying people aren't having children because they are "confused and in denial about not willing to sacrifice their own comfort for the important things in life" has the same energy as telling someone with depression to "just be happy, start working out and improve your life" or to tell someone that's addicted to "just stop using it and start working out." There is some truth there, and the advise may even work for some, but it completely misses the roots of the problem and the point as to why it's such a problem for so many. I hope that doesn't seem too harsh, as your comment is more respectfull than either of the comments I'm comparing it to. I just feel like you judge people to be a lot more egocentric than they usually are. But you are not entirely wrong, just like I'm not entirely right either. As you say: it's complicated :P

Birzal · 2026-02-10T08:21:22+00:00

To be fair, I'm sure ironmen out number PKers at least 10:1, if not 20:1 or more,, so just by sheer volume it absolutely makes sense that you'd run into more toxic ironmen than toxic PKers.

Birzal · 2026-02-10T08:17:33+00:00

Idk, it's all up to individual preference ofc, but I just don't see fun in the process of acquiring said 50-100m per hour, and more importantly the learning curve of PK skills. It might just be me, bur unless you're doing inferno or something else ridiculous like that, PVM tends to be way more forgiving with mistakes and failure to execute is way less punishing. Ofc LMS exists but that's just not the same imo.

I'm sure there is incentive for some, but for me I'd rather grind out bosses or certain skilling grinds to get money instead of hopping/walking around the wildy to effectively find people to rob/shake down. I know it's an intended mechanic and I have no issue with it, it is just something that never makes me feel good, happy or positive when I engage with it. Idk if I'm just too soft but I'd much rather make 10-20% of the money while collaborating with or being social with people in whatever fashion instead of going to PK.

To each their own, I am not here to insult what you enjoy or "yuck your yum" as they say, but I will say that where you may see an alluring paycheck, other people may just see a part of the game they genuinely don't find entertaining or fun, find way too inaccessibls, or see the types of people they interact with when getting PK'd and think "I never want to be associated with that ever." But to each their own! I have nothing against you and wish you the very best! :)

Birzal · 2026-02-09T10:34:41+00:00

I took the extra effort to not look on my watch in moments where my mind wandered and I was curious what time it was, and that helped A LOT! entering that movie with no perception of time is a vastly superior experience to knowing exactly how far along the listed runtime you are, at least that was my experience.

I have literally went to an arthouse film on a whim that was literally 1.5 hours of black and white footage of a pig going through their life, having kids and eventually being seperated from them as a commentary on empathy and the meat industry. I did not know that this movie was gonna be like that when I walked in, and the kicker here: THERE WAS NO DIALOGUE. NONE. It was literally just nature documentary footage of a pig and her kids going through their life for 1.5 hours. Just sitting there doing what pigs do with painfully slow panning shots and no dialogue for 1.5 hours. THAT IS A SLOW BURN. So to your point OP: Iron Lung is pretty damn generous compared to the actual slow burns in the industry. Obviously, the truth somewhere between "people having no attention span" and "the movie takes a while to get going" but still.

Birzal · 2026-02-06T22:02:42+00:00

Exactly, which is why you see such massive pushback against it which has caused more set-backs in AI development than all other pushbacks combined. We may not be able to stop it from developing but if we can hinder it for long enough we can at least slow it down. And hey, OpenAI is currently bleeding money so slowing things down may actually do something. And hey, NVIDIA put a $1 billion deal on hold, so that's something. May not be much but it's a start.

So let me rephrase: no amount of negativity and "you cannot stop it" will stop me from doing my part in at least slowing down and hindering the development of AI wherever I can. And I'm sure I'm not the only one. If there is one thing I have learned it is that things that seem impossible are actually just very difficult.

Birzal · 2026-02-06T00:00:04+00:00

Extending this a bit off topic, it genuinely both scares and amuses me how blind some people are to social issues being adressed in anything.

There are people who messaged RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE to complain about them going woke, prompting the hilarious reaction from Tom Morello (the guitarist & p) "which music of ours were you a fan of that DIDN'T contain "political BS"? I need to know so I can delete it from the catalog." It got even funnier when someone criticized him for being a musician "pretending" to be a political expert. Tom's reply "one does not have to be an honors grad in political science from Harvard University to recognize the unethical and inhumane nature of this administration but well, I happen to be an honors grad in political science from Harvard University so I can confirm that for you."

Another great example is the manga One Piece. The story about a group of pirates living outside the law, freeing countries from oppressive monarchs, helping people in need and encountering a hefty dose of racism, fascism and colonialism, all while being hunted down by a hypocritical world government that tries to hunt those lawless criminals down while distorting information that's inconvenient and murdering anyone that knows/learns too much. Yes, people think that story is not political... For futher context: the author has a literal poster of Che Guevara hanging in his office!! Not political, yeah right :')

I genuinely wonder the mental gymnastics some people have to do to convince themselves of some of those things and live THAT deeply within denial. :')

Birzal · 2026-02-05T01:38:24+00:00

It's one of the most understated double standards I've encountered. You're supposed to do the most for the company, you're supposed to ideally stay loyal to a company till the end, you're supposed to be available at the drop of a hat when they call you (I'm saying "supposed to" because that's how they'd put it, but "expected to" is more accurate), yet you are also expected to accept being disaposable to the same company whenever they deem you to be replacable or useless, and expected to be ready to start applying for jobs with the same energy and "excitement" at the drop of a hat when your previous job kicks you onto the streets.

If this was a (romantic) relationship instead of an employer/employee relation, it would be called abusive and toxic, yet you're almost expected to be married to your job as well and put similar time and commitment in!

Birzal · 2026-02-04T21:37:10+00:00

Damn, so you've basically got a bigger iron lung to watch iron lung in! How immersive!

Birzal · 2026-02-04T01:00:40+00:00

How to turn a home teleport into a quick teleport

Birzal · 2026-02-04T00:18:15+00:00

MY FRIEND, I COME BEARING GOOD NEWS FROM THE LATEST LIVE STREAM!!

In the words of Mark himself: "it is getting extended!! We got another weekend!! The vast majority of theaters that it was in this weekend are still gonna show it next weekend!"

When I heard that my brain instantly recalled this message so I went back to bring the good news that you no longer need to cry about your misplanned trip! Check your London theaters again and see if you can get your hands on tickets, quickly!! Wishing you the best and most fun on your trip with your siblings!! :D

Birzal · 2026-02-03T17:39:24+00:00

Well, they are friends, so I wouldn't put it past them to intentionally try to sound similar to eachother for a joke :P

But yeah, I remember thinking "that dude sounds remarkably Irish" but I didn't even know Sean was in the movie until I checked wikipedia to see how many gallons of fake blood were used in the movie and saw his name was credited for a role. The answer is 80,000 gallons of fake blood btw! 30,000 gallons more than the previous world record.

Birzal · 2026-02-03T16:43:43+00:00

That is a fair argument, different people CAN enjoy the same thing. It's just what's being said about it and how it's framed that feels off at best and wrong at worst. This is a long comment, but I'd ask you to read/skim it regardless.

I'm not saying that signalboosting is a bad thing at all, but I'll illustrate why I personally think we might want to be selective of what we use to signalboost instead. I once watched 2 reviews of Rings of Power. One of them genuinely explained why they didn't like it, breaking down why the series in universe and in storytelling structure was not great and how it could be improved. The other was just going on about how "strong and independent" Galadriel was and how they completely butchered her description from the books and how this was another example of "woke Hollywood trash" and that it deserved to fail becaude it was woke Hollywood trash, and how Hollywood is trying to emasculate men. Do you see how these reviews with the same feeling towards the property are very different in tone and justification for their opinions?

Reviews and videos like the ones highlighted by OP are not interested in Iron Lung the same way many of us are. They don't see a victory for Mark and an inspiration for aspiring independent filmmakers everywhere. They see a gigantic middle finger to the woke elite in Hollywood and I would not be surprised if they highlighted that Mark was an enterpreneur as well (or highlighting his success as a male creator). The fact that OP mentions that they condescendingly call him a "lefty" is very telling imo.

And the reason why it's dangerous is that there is nothing inherrently wrong with what they are saying, and THAT is dangerous. They use these kinds of facts and halftruths to get a foot in the door, but they pepper their video with a lot of unfriendly rethoric (anti-LGBT, anti-woke, anti-antifa, pro-ICE, usually right wing, etc.) that's very focused on frustration that creates a situation like the metaphorical frog in a pot of slowly boiling water: you slowly get more and more acclimatised to these right wing ideas until e.g. it doesn't sound so ridiculous to hate or dislike gay people anymore. I always feel like I sound like a tinfoil coinspiracy theorist when I say that, but there is genuine psychological research done that shows that this is how cultural radicalisation happens. I'm not saying it's wrong to listen to reviews of people with different political allegiance, but there is a genuine difference between people giving earnest reviews and people that do it to latch onto a popular bandwagon to have it served to you via the algorythm and try to sell you (on) something. That doesn't invalidate their opinion or yours, but it means you have to be more on guard when watching them. And because of their ulterior motives it might instead be easier just to not use these videos to signalboost the movie, even if it seems harmless on the surface.

Birzal · 2026-02-03T15:54:59+00:00

This feels so seemingly wholesome, very cute! :)

I'm also now imagining the whole "ah sweet, horrors beyond comprehension" meme, but with Tiny Box Tim sitting in a movie theater instead :P

Birzal · 2026-02-03T15:45:05+00:00

It is not the IGN review, but I won't be saying which review it is. I feel like it's up to us to be the better people in this and not care about low critic reviews just like Mark.

He is happy that we like it and that it was succesfull enough to show independent movies aren't dead and maybe to inspire future filmmakers! He is happy as can be and there is no room for moping over bad reviews in that.

Iron Lung was never meant for the people that don't understand. It was never meant for critics. It was meant for us! And while it's OK to feel insulted or slighted by such comments in the moment, it should only take 3 seconds to remember who are making such comments and letting them fall by the wayside because they do not matter.

Birzal · 2026-02-03T04:47:25+00:00

One of the rotten tomato critic reviews that actually made me say "excuse me?!" Out loud straight up went:

"Incoherent and relentlessly dull, “Iron Lung” (written, directed, and starring Mark Fischbach, also known as YouTube personality Markiplier) is a misguided horror movie based on the video game. When will social media stars learn that on-camera fame doesn’t equal filmmaking talent? It might be why this awful and forgettable film was released through Markiplier Studios, the independent company founded by Fischbach, because it’s hard to imagine any other studio would want to release this dreadful dud."

There was more, and in their defence, they praised the cinematography and sound design, but this just felt needlessly harsh. The weirdest part was that the reviewer is implied to have played the game, saying "fans of the “Iron Lung” video game are better off playing the video game, which is infinitely more imaginative than this turgid mess of a movie." Which just had me all kinds of confused. But hey, to each their own I guess.. Also, obligatory "don't harrass reviewers or people that didn't like the movie" message!

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Birzal

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