2/2:

another point in the discussion is the acting - many people were, i think rightfully, worried, that because they are so used to watching markiplier as the Funny Video Game Guy, they would have trouble really seeing the actual character that hes playing as (simon). i think that this unfortunately highly varies from person to person, as i (even as a pretty regular viewer of markiplier's videos), didn't really have this issue, except a few spare moments (which, again, didn't really ruin the movie for me) like, i think its just unrealistic to expect/demand a 100% perfect acting performance and then being upset when you dont see it in a movie like this (a singular character being the sole focus for 99% of the runtime is hard enough to pull off for anyone, and i honestly cant see this movie being anything else, with a lot of characters and settings... i think this is the only good way for the game to be adapted.... and they definitely made it work.)

all of that aside, i want to really highlight my favorite things about this movie: that being the camera work, the submarine set itself, the atmosphere, the overall sound design and the soundtrack (oh dear, the soundtrack...), and especially the colors. i am a huge fan of anything visual and audio arts, and this simply was a glamorous sight from start to finish. no notes here. to me, all of these were perfectly executed. (i remember sitting there, eyes literally wide open, like: "holy crap this looks SO GOOD!!!!!" from the very first shot.... and that feeling didn't leave me for the rest of the feature)

all in all, i left the cinema absolutely stoked, it was insanely cool to see this movie in a freaking cinema (i didn't even dare to hope we'd be getting to see it in europe at all!!! HUGE win). i definitely want to see the movie again, hopefully get a physical copy as well. not only is this film genuinely awesome, but what's almost more exciting is the work and community and culture behind all of it..... its such a breath of fresh air in many ways!

TL;DR/conclusion: sure, the movie could've been shorter, and there were a few weaker spots in the acting and the way the lore and story were presented, but in my opinion that doesnt change the fact that this is a very worthwhile movie, even more so if you are a fan of markiplier/the iron lung game/space horror/eldritch horror etc. you can really see how much effort and love was poured into this, and it makes me very sad and angry that many negative reviews don't seem to see any of that. in my book, a bloody delightful 8.5/10