Review of Iron Sky

Two words: SPACE Nazis! This Finnish film posits that Nazis founded a moon colony on the dark side in the 1940s and have been secretly ramping up for war there ever since. When American astronauts run into them, it accelerates their plans for invasion. This would have made an awesome B-movie, but this is instead an amusing comedy. Christopher Kirby plays a black astronaut who gets captured. In reality, he's just a model who was recruited by the President (Stephanie Paul, mimicking Sarah Palin) to bolster her approval ratings in lieu of the upcoming election. Udo Kier, the only recognizable actor in the piece, plays the moon fuhrer. Gotz Otto plays a Nazi leader who wishes to usurp that position. Julia Dietze plays a Nazi schoolteacher and Otto's fiancée. Otto and Dietze go on a reconaissance mission to Earth to prepare for the invasion, but Paul and her campaign manager (Peta Sergeant) give them political power by making them her speechwriters (she loves their powerful rhetoric and jackbooted style). Meanwhile, Kirby, changed into an albino by Nazi scientists, becomes a hobo trying to convince people that the Moon Nazis are coming to invade Earth. The political satire is more than a bit dated - I mean, Sarah Palin, really? This must have been written several years ago, one would think. But it's often very funny, and it looks great for what I assume is a pretty low-budget film. Kirby in particular is wonderful and Dietze is a real doll.