Written by Burhan Wazir

Film: Iron Sky
Director: Timo Vuorensola
Stars: Udo Kier, Kym Jackson, Julia Dietze
Running time: 93 mins

Finnish director Vuorensola’s science fiction comedy, six years in the making, was crowd funded and sourced online. The results, on the whole, show an occasionally impressive labour of love. While the film’s digital effects won’t keep the owners of Weta Digital awake at night, Vuorensola’s operatic space sequences are choreographed with style, and the film has a creaky charm from beginning to end.

The story has all the makings of a Mel Brooks spoof. In 2018, the Nazis, who have been hiding on the moon since the end of World War II, are discovered by astronauts aboard a US spaceship. Nazi leader Adler, played here by Gotz Otto, decides to bring forward his plan to invade Earth. He sets off to find the mobile phone or MP3 player which will help power the Gotterdammerung, a giant spaceship, into orbit. Along for the ride is Renate (Julia Dietze), a female officer, who is increasingly worried by Adler’s violent theology.

“Iron Sky” has some funny set pieces – memorable jokes about North Korea and Adolf Hitler. The film also depicts Sarah Palin as the US President in 2018, which raises a few mild laughs. But these are all one note highlights. What the script really needs is a major injection of humour. In attempting to please everyone who helped fund his film, Vuorensola has overlooked one key ingredient, that comedy should both be cruel and somewhat straight faced. Apart from Otto, few of the actors have natural comic timing. And in the end, while the low budget special effects are sometimes truly impressive, I couldn’t help but think what could have been achieved if more time and effort had been spent on the delivery of the punch lines.

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