STARRING: Christopher Kirby, GÖtz Otto,
Julia Dietze, Kym Jackson, Peta Sergeant, Udo Kier
2012, 93 Minutes, Directed by:
Timo Vuorensola
In
1945 The Nazis Went To The Moon. In 2018 They Are Coming Back . . .
Some movies just get away with
a short and sweet tagline like that.
Iron
Sky definitely does. With the premise straight and simple and visuals
already dazzling, the question remains: will actors and script live up to that?
The (not-so) simple answer: yes and no.
Iron Sky is of course a
sci-fi comedy and owes as much to Mel Brooks (Spaceballs)
as to Tim Burton (Mars Attacks). It has all the types of pulp characters you
expect to see in a clichéd setting like this: big and bad Nazis (Götz Otto), the
big mouthed black guy (Christopher Kirby) blond fräuleins (Julia Dietze) some
swastikas and lots of Nazis in uniforms, one of them being Udo Kier.
The basic idea behind Iron
Sky is insane enough to make one forgive the fact that most of the jokes are
just good enough for a mild chuckle. However, the amazing steampunk artwork and
the flow of movie references are entertaining enough to get through the lunar
part of the movie.
Once the action moves to Earth
the comedy drifts into political satire territory, but lacking the cleverness of
Wag the Dog or the insanity of Dr Strangelove.
This change of heart puts a lot of strain on the actors and their cardboard
characters, dragging them down like lead Zeppelins.
But where the script is
lacking, the visuals literally shine, especially in the (unavoidable) big space
battle finale, with special effects to beat. At least on this budget.
With two hearts beating in one
chest, Iron Sky is, as expected, an enjoyable popcorn movie, but also,
rather unexpected, ending on a very somber note.
In
1945 The Nazis Went To The Moon. In 2018 They Are Coming Back . . .