What is it with the Scandinavians and their fascination with Nazi revivalism in genre movies? OK, I can only cite two examples off the top of my head,
Dead Snow and
Iron Sky, but it does feel like there is an undercurrent of neonazism infecting the youth of northern Europe. Or am I reading too much into it and these films are supposed to be satires, making fun of the once supposed übermensch? The trouble is, if the filmmakers’ motivations are under question then maybe they have failed in their intentions.
Iron Sky, from the people that brought us
Star Wreck, a so-called parody of a famous TV series that sounds somewhat similar, posits “what if the Nazis had escaped Germany and taken refuge on the dark side of the moon” (rather than the far more feasible alternative suggested in
The Boys From Brazil)? When the American’s second lunar landing discovers a swastika shaped moonbase, one of the astronauts is captured and when the nazis discover he is black they decide it is time to invade Earth and re-establish the Reich.
Filled with racial and gender stereotyping and schoolboy level satire, it has as much to say politically as the film’s Sarah Palin lookalike president. There are some funny gags, at the aforementioned level, although people who enjoy Sacha Baron Cohen films will appreciate them more. To its credit, for a relatively low-budget, fan-funded film the visual effects are quite spectacular. It’s a pity that as much effort didn’t go into the screenplay, - even with its occasional nods to
Dr Strangelove - as it did into the effects. Of course, there is no accounting for taste and this will undoubtedly attract an audience that aren’t looking for the intelligent satire that we Brits are used to - which isn’t to say that we haven’t made some duds as well.
With a one-day national cinema release on Wednesday 23 May, it will be your only chance to see it on a big screen, and it does deserve a big-screen viewing for the battle scenes, but the rest of the film is definitely small screen.
Iron Sky will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 28 and will be available from Play and all good retailers.
