Thursday, June 5, 2014

Nazi-spacetation: Iron Sky

It is only fitting that a movie about old versus new technology be delayed by current technology.  In spite of my computer issues lately, I found the time to watch a film that has eluded me for awhile.  The film: Iron Sky.  I heard about it awhile ago, but I was not sure what to make of it.  It is a Comedy?  It is a Sci-Fi Film?  It is a floor wax?  Sorry, that joke is probably a bit too old for most of you.  Like many films, Sky existed in the Purgatory that is my Instant Queue/List for a long time.  What brought it out?  The answer: 'Wolfenstein: The New Order.'  The new game's commercials have been accentuated by the lead announcing that he's 'on the f#%@ing moon.'  Nazis on the Moon- I heard that before.  That's not to say that the Stories are 100% similar.  Even so, that is a weird thing to have in common!  As a side-note, I love that Wikipedia has a category called Space Nazis- thanks, Internet.  The film tells the tale of a Nazi Moon Base hidden from history for about 70 years.  When they are discovered by a lone Astronaut, will the Earth be in store for W.W.III?  The movie is quite odd, being a blend of Comedy and Social Commentary...plus Moon Nazis.  Just to note: I watched the recently-released Director's Cut, as opposed to the 2012 release.  To find out my take on this odd creature, read on...
A mission to the Moon goes awry when they discover a Nazi Moon Base.  The faceless Astronaut is killed, but they take the other one hostage because...um, Plot.
 The man turns out to be Celebrity Model James Washington who was sent to the Moon as part of...The President's Re-Election Campaign.  Sure- why not?
The Nazis have an Earthologist- aka an Expert on Earth History since they left- who serves as our Female Lead.  She's dating a power-hungry Colonel, which I'm sure will end well.
This shot tells you two things.  One- Udo Kier is in a rare non-Uwe Boll Film and Two- he has plans for world domination.

Is he Pinky or The Brain?
The discovery of Washington's Cell Phone is a big one and is going to be used to power the Invasion Fleet.  Don't ask me- it is just (intentionally) silly.
Our Lead trio go on a mission to Earth to get more Cell Phones and...I'm not going to SPOIL the explanation for what happened to Washington here.
As alliances shift and the Invasion nears, President Sarah Palin parody explains that the United States is prepared for such an occasion.  We always are.

Don't you dare cite historical precedent at me!
This lady- the President's Campaign Chair- has an interesting Character Arc with the Moon Nazis that I also won't SPOIL.  Considering how stock her Character starts, it is nice progression.
Can the Earth fend off the Moon Nazis?  Do they really plan on coming in peace like they said?  Given this guy's expression, I'd say 'No.'

To find out what happens, watch (either Version of) the movie.  The End.
It is certainly a mixed bag and not going to be everyone's idea of a good time.  There are many people that got their hopes up when they heard about the premise.  Given that the last Nazisploitation- Worst Case Scenario- crapped out before reaching reality, expectations were even higher for this one.  The end result: a fun movie that either succeeds or fails due to its satirical nature.  If you don't find any of this funny, you are going to think about 'what the film could have been.'  If you like the OOT Satire they made, then, well, you'll like it.  All of the pieces in play- Nazis on the Moon, a space battle and Washington's journey- are all interesting.  Are they all executed in my preferred manner?  I'm not in love with all of this, honestly.  I'm not a fan of the use of the Sarah Palin parody- not just here, mind you.  For a while, you used to see it all the time.  It does help explain it when you consider that this film has been in some form of Production since 2006.  At some point, the idea was topical and then wasn't anymore.  That's not to say that the parody is done badly- it is just a bit on the nose to do her.  If you know what you are getting into, you can have a real good time with this one.  It wasn't my absolute favorite, but I could see people in the right mind-set loving every minute of this.  It lead to a Comic Book though, so that's always cool...
Up next, let me cover another World Invasion Tale.  This time, it is aliens attacking England (just with no budget).  Stay tuned...

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