By Pat French
Because Moon-Nazis, that’s why!
I was hesitant at first, indeed I probably spent a good ten minutes hovering over the “play” button like it was the nuclear annihilation switch. Now I’ve seen Neo-Nazis, Aqua-Nazis, Underground-Nazis, Surf-Nazis, and even Franken-Nazis, but Moon-Nazi is a new one for me. Not sure what to expect based on Netflix’s “explain the first five seconds” synopsis I plunged into the world of 2018 and the machinations of the 4th Reich. I am happy to report what I witnessed was probably the most fun B-Film I’ve seen since The Mutant Chronicles.
Set in the near future, a world of hologram technology and a Sarah Palin-esque president, Iron Sky brings the crazy as soon as it’s opening credits complete. As two American astronauts (well one astronaut and one model, but more on that later) complete a surprisingly elegant moon landing sequence –apparently the first in 50 years- the movie’s tone makes an immediate 180 as they drop a pair of banners from the lunar lander reading “Yes she can! Black to the moon,” and displaying a picture of Stephanie Paul as the President. We then discover that one of the astronauts is actually a black model named James Washington (portrayed by Christopher Kirby, who spends the remainder of the film doing his best Sam Jackson impression) and this entire trip is a publicity stunt.
This is indicative of the tone and pace of the entire movie. Mere seconds after this goofy reveal, the actual astronaut discovers an enormous swastika-shaped city just over a ridge into the dark side of the moon. And there you are: Moon-Nazis. They quickly dispatch the actual astronaut and capture Washington for some classic German interrogation. Imagine their surprise to discover he’s black (and, like, REALLY black. I’m not being racist; it was obviously a performance choice by either the director or the actor). Chris Kirby escapes into the Nazi Moon-Base and meets our female lead: sexy Moon-Nazi schoolteacher Renate (Julia Dietze). After some awkward flirting, and an encounter with an unfriendly airlock, Washington is recaptured and –no joke- turned into a white guy. Why do they do this you ask? Because they’re Nazis is the only answer you will get.
After being amazed at the power of Washington’s cell phone compared to their steam punk space-zeppelins, the nazis decide it’s about time they checked in on the rest of the human race. With their new white-faced prisoner in tow, the nazis embark an exploratory mission to earth lead by Renate’s fascist-to-the-core boyfriend Klaus. Renate, being the female lead, sneaks along.
And this is only about 25 minutes of running time into the plot. This shit just gets crazier and crazier. I won’t ruin the rest of it for you, other than to promise some fun space combat at the end.
There was a lot I liked about this movie, and most of what I didn’t like is irrelevant considering the flick’s B status. Yeah the acting wasn’t the best in some scenes, and there’s a lot of inconsistency with the level of technology that humanity has achieved in 2018. The plot, on the other hand, is my kind of manic. It pushes forward in arbitrary spurts so often that I found myself checking the running time every fifteen minutes or so. Just when I thought I had a handle on where the movie was headed, it took another turn down crazy street and I had to re-assess everything I had learned. Call me crazy, but when a bad movie keeps me guessing I’m liable to forgive it’s many other transgressions.
I don’t just enjoy Iron Sky for it’s bad qualities though, there is a lot of good to this movie. For one, it was made independently, so there’s no sense of ideas being neutered by a studio. Additionally, Stephanie Paul fucking kills it as the President. I was laughing so hard at some of her lines I had to pause the movie, fearing I would miss things. The costumes and props are all consistent and well made. The set pieces for the Nazi moon-base are less consistent, but still decent. And once you get past the first ten minutes of Chris Kirby’s Capital One product placement, it actually becomes kind of glorious. Finally, the film’s ending is actually a thinker. I mean you won’t spend too much time thinking about it, but you’ll take a minute at least.
Iron Sky is a unique and interesting watch. It will appeal to fans of bad film, fans of Sci-Fi, fans of Nazi shit (of which I’m sure there are more than a few) and anyone with a good sense of humor. I think I shall watch it again soon.
