a5c7b9f00b In the last moments of World War II, a secret Nazi space program evaded destruction by fleeing to the Dark Side of the Moon. During 70 years of utter secrecy, the Nazis construct a gigantic space fortress with a massive armada of flying saucers. The Nazis set up a secret base on the dark side of the moon in 1945 where they hide out and plan to return to power in 2018. It's a B-Movie, yes it is, but a very good one. There's some flaws in the CGI effects here and there but you'll find them in the top notch block busters as well. I love the steam punk vibe and the tone of the photo which gives the film a WWII/Nazi/noir feel. Not a movie for the political correct as someone mentioned. Iron Sky 2 at the other hand, have taken the weirdness a step too far in my opinion. Iron Sky is a satire where everything that is on screen is being satirized. From the obvious "moon Nazis" to the "I want it all Americans", from the racist jokes to the political ones, everything is a target. But the good thing is, all is made with good taste and is funny as hell.<br/><br/>The Australian German Finnish production tells a story where the German Nazis, after being defeated in the second World War, fled to the dark side of moon where they built a space fleet and are now preparing for their return to conquer the Earth.<br/><br/>The absolutely absurd plot is only the starting point for even more absurd turn of events. But a realistic scenario here is irrelevant. The preposterous story has two goals, being funny by itself and creating opportunities to make satire. It's noteworthy the criticism against the American politics and is really bold from the filmmakers how similar they look to their real counterparts. And some of the best scenes come from the UN conference room with all Heads of State, where the movie makes fun of each of them (and what makes it really hilarious is that their absurd lines are delivered in a very serious way and tone).<br/><br/>The acting is also spot on. It is a delicate job making a satire be funny and this movie excels at that. The very international cast with many conversations being held in German helps bringing a little realism to the few aspects of the movie where it's needed. (It surely works better to hear Nazis speaking German rather than English.)<br/><br/>Being a low budget film it is quite surprising how good the movie technically is. The sound effects and, specially, the visual ones are almost indistinguishable from most Hollywood Blockbusters. The space battle at the end looks terrific and both the design as well as the theme composed for the Götterdämmerung are absolutely fantastic. <br/><br/>With heavy political criticism, great action scenes and scenes that, in these internet times, could only be described as "epic" - such as when the American astronauts discover that there are Nazis on the Moon (this sentence by itself is already funny) or the reaction of the Nazis when they find out that the Earth astronaut is, well, black - this satire ultimately works in so many different ways that is hard to criticize it.<br/><br/>Some negative points must be mentioned though. Not all gags work. The effects of the "albinizer", for example, are overused in way too many gags, thus losing its effectiveness (no pun intended). And some plot points seem off (even considering the absurdity of the story as whole). For instance, the collaboration of Klaus Adler and Renate Richter with the American Government, as well as their decision to stay in the US, doesn't make much sense nor serves any purpose to the "Obernachrichtenübermittlungsoberführer" Klaus Adler's plans.<br/><br/>Despite some minor problems, Iron Sky is an outstanding and surprising motion picture. Funny, clever and action packed, it's guaranteed entertainment with the plus of giving you food for thought after the lights are turned on. Jarmo Puskala came up with the idea for the film whilst in the sauna. The filmmakers also provided the opportunity for collaboration from fans. People could ask for a screening in their home town, help collaborate in the film's creation, and invest in the movie. 10% of the film's budget was generated by fans. However, the idea of Nazis secretly on the Moon goes at least as far back as Robert Heinlein's novel "Rocket Ship Galileo" published in 1947. The Finnish director Timo Vuorensola was under a lot of time pressure and completed the theatrical version only 48 hours ahead of the deadline for the Berlinale festival. Unfortunately, that meant that numerous scenes were not yet finished and couldn't be integrated into the movie. The now released Director's Cut, which is also marketed as Dictator's Cut, is not only much longer than the theatrical version but also the better film. It makes the film seem more complete, adds more depth to story and characters, has more battle scenes and some improved effect shots. That should satisfy fans. The director himself described it this way: "With the Director's Cut, I was able to bring in many of the scenes I really enjoyed and now are prepared in full quality. The film is now almost 20 minutes longer, and much more epic in pacing, and finally in the form I originally wanted it to be."
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