Iron Sky [DVD]

I saw the cinema screening of this at the Prince Charles last night, and I've ordered the DVD because I know I'll want to watch this again. I was a bit concerned as I've read some lukewarm reviews in the press but I loved it! It was exactly as you'd expect a movie about Nazis from the dark side of the moon invading earth to be like. Yes, it is a bit ridiculous but that is to be expected. I was pretty amazed with what they managed to do with the special effects budget with so little money. I've seen films that have spent 20 times as much and ended up with effects pretty similar.

So if you like silly B-movies, you'll love this and if you don't, I'm slightly confused as to why you'd start watching this in the first place...

Well, well. Who would have thought an independently funded joint Finnish/German/Aussie could knock the socks off just about every mundane film the US production line has churned out of late.

Part steam-punk, part sci-fi, part war and part political satire, the movie is deliciously entertaining. Moves at a fast pace too, from the moment the first men on the Moon in 36 years (so they thought) discover a secret Nazi base where latter day Aryans are plotting to invade the Earth. Perhaps occasionally a bit cliched but there are some wonderful movie homages including the infamous Downfall, where Hitler dismisses all but his generals from the bunker and a bit of Starship Troopers. The US president is an unashamed Sarah Palin alike.

Very satisfying ending too, perhaps leaving the viewer to contemplate who the worst race actually is plus hints at a sequel.

Imagery is of necessity quite dark in places but the Blu-ray transfer keeps up and the sound is good too.

Well worth watching and glad I purchased this one.

Originally this started life as just a trailer. The interest that it generated from the internet was astounding and a series of low-level, largely Scandic, film funds grouped together and made this a reality, this truly is crowd-funding at it's essence. With that said, there are an unfathomable number of movie houses showing their logo at the beginning to this film!!

The Nazis are back, they've been hiding out on the dark side of the moon and have been recuperating and rebuilding their forces. When American astronaut James Washington (Christopher Kirby) is captured during a re-election press stunt to the moon, he becomes the impetus for the Nazi's to launch their largely mechanical space-fleet (complete with space Zeppelins and flying saucers) to conquer Earth. However, their limited technology means they are badly outmatched, and due to Nazi Earthologist Renate Richter's (the beautiful Julia Dietze) sympathies for Washington, the invasion might not go to plan. Will they manage to launch the behemothic Götterdämmerung?

This film knows it's about a stupid subject, but has some pretty sensitive issues to deal with, Nazis, War and Race. When the Nazi scientist "albinises" Washington, he spends a good part of the movie playing a white-man, so it's all a bit silly anyhow - it's all handled well. The CGI on the moon-base and Zeppelins is fantastic and there are some funny swipes at government and international space programs. The President of the United states is a funny slant on an easily recognisable person in US politics. So all in all, this is not the smartest film out there by a long shot, but it is slap-stick funny on numerous occasions and the sets, costumes & CGI have had an awful lot of thought spent on them, it's just let down by a flimsy script and some questionable race-jokes. Acting is an acceptable standard - especially Udo Kier (perennially the bad guy!) and Götz Otto as Fuhrer Adler and the jokes keep coming for the entire 90 minute bit.

Recommended for a funny, yet novel, science-fiction spoof!