Imagine Adolf Hitler wasn’t killed in 1945, but escaped via a rocket ship with his Nazis to the dark side of the moon. Ridiculous, you say? Well there are some conspiracy theories on the web that support this. One supporter is Timo Vuorensola, a Finnish film director who’s decided to turn those theories into a sci-fi comedy film called Iron Sky.
The year is 2018 and America has sent a couple of astronauts to the moon. After capturing one, Hitler and co. discover the astronaut’s iPhone is capable of powering their mega UFO warship ‘Götterdämmerung’. But one Apple device just isn’t enough to power their UFO. To invade Earth, the Nazis must send emissaries to retrieve more. Chaos ensues.
Far-fetched storyline aside, it’s interesting to note that the online community funded more than ten per cent of Iron Sky’s budget. Many donors were fans of Vuorensola’s previous web-released Star Wreck films (1996-2005), and their goodwill is duly recognised in the credits.
I interviewed Vuorensola and asked what advice he would give students who want to get into the film industry by using internet community support.
“First I would ask – what’s your story? People need to understand something very simple. It doesn’t have to be complicated in the beginning. Then ask what you find special and then wrap all your ideas around that,“ Vuorensola said.
“And be honest with the community, because if you’re not honest with the community they will smell it right from the beginning. Also don’t ask for money as the first thing you do; first you have to start building their trust. You have to be prepared to do that for one or two or three years before you can go out there and ask for financing.
“They need to realise that you’re a real person and that you’re actually doing something to make it happen.”
So what did I think of his multi-million dollar film?
I’m not the biggest fan of comedy movies, and tend to steer towards movies that give me something gritty to think about. But when I’m presented with a sci-fi political satire about Nazis on the moon, Sarah Palin as president and Finland being the only state to not have nuclear weapons on their battleship (director’s in-joke), Iron Sky satisfies my funny bone.
Christopher Kirby plays a stellar role as James Washington, an African-American astronaut turned Aryan hobo who thankfully is believable. Julia Dietze plays an innocent, doe-eyed Renate Richter, who juxtaposes Götz Otto’s stoic and deranged character, Klaus Adler. Finally, I commend the cast of the Security Council; they were spot on with comedic timing and were my highlight.
Certain character relationships are a little drawn-out for humour’s sake, but it’s not irritating. In fact, if I was a bitch wanting to blow up your overcompensating battleship because you left me waiting for sex, I’d probably want a few scenes to make my point as well.
The film has amazing CGI. It’s not gag-inducing or over the top, and I’m glad that Vuorensola kept the majority of the Nazi dialogue in German. (Subtitle warning for those who dislike them but…SHAME ON YOU!)
Basically, this film is just plain fun. I recommend seeing it with your mates on a Friday night.
To read the full interview with Timo Vuorensola, go to www.unilifemagazine.com.au.
Iron Sky is in cinemas now.
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