(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) .ᐟ.ᐟ Hey there! You're probably following me for my art, but did you know I also have opinions about movies? I'm in between stages of my life right now and I don't have the set-up to make art. So I'm going to post reviews of some of my favorite horror movies. If it goes well I'll probably post some more.
(Spoilers for Iron Lung)
IRONG LUNG ࣪ ִֶָ☾✶⋆.˚
I was skeptical going into Iron Lung, knowing fully well the limitations of tightly-casted single-set films. Gravity was a large storytelling disappointment in my opinion (despite being a great scientific illustration one of my greatest fears, the Kessler Syndrome, which is a conversation for another day.) However, the movie was simply masterfully done. The tension followed a slowly boiling progression that had me on the edge of my seat. The character progression was subtle but critical to the success of the movie. Markiplier took his shirt off. It was great. Iron Lung is, to date, the most pure example of cosmic horror I've seen on the silver screen; And cosmic horror is a difficult genre to get right.
Humanity is crabs in a bucket
The cast of desperate scientists and one hopeless prisoner are doomed from the start. In this oppressive world of cosmic horror, it's not only your own death that is inevitable; All of humanity is doomed. Despite this, Iron Lung still portrays a starkly positive and hopeful message:
You can either die biting at each other or die working together to pass on the torch. Just so we're clear, the Blood Moon is going to swallow you either way.
In the first half of the movie, each character seems to bitterly resent each other for the role they played in the situation they now face. They all lash out and betray each other: Ava lies to Simon about giving him freedom, and in response, Simon x-rays the science team (on accident, but it was still a result of him lashing out).
After a hair-raising and horrific divine intervention resurrects Simon, he seems to have learned his place in the world. He reaches out to Ava, who seems to have come to the same realization. They both know, deep down, that they're not leaving the blood moon alive. But now they have something-- the mysterious data from the SM-8's black box-- that could help humanity unlock the mystery of the Silent Rapture. It's a long shot. The longest shot. But through both of their sacrifices, they manage to deliver it to the surface to be found by the rescue ship.
The timing of Iron Lung feels prophetic. If you keep up with the news at all, you probably live with a sense of impending dread. Without getting into politics, it feels like any day the world could get swallowed up by a gigantic blood worm and we'll be thrown into chaos and violence. So take a note from Iron Lung:
When you find yourself on the Blood Moon, will you die x-raying your neighbors or passing on the signal to the next generation?
I rate Iron Lung five out of five tin cans.