Iron Sky – which, for the purposes of this review, shall go by the more appropriate moniker MSNBC: The Movie – is a Finnish-German-Australian co-production pretending to satirize American political life by way of an invasion of outer space Nazis. Refugees of the Third Reich, MSNBC: The Movie would have viewers believe, sought shelter on the dark side of the moon in 1945 and since then have occupied themselves building an armada of spacecraft to reconquer Earth.
The Nazis’ plan is enacted ahead of schedule after American astronauts land on the moon. Among the unlucky voyagers is James Washington (Christopher Kirby), actually just a model being used to promote a cynical “Black to the Moon? Yes We Can!” promotion in support of the reelection campaign for an idiotic treadmill-stomping Sarah Palin lookalike President of the United States (Stephanie Paul). After beating Washington and forcing him to listen to Hitler speeches, the Nazis turn him into an “Aryan” by dyeing his skin, teach him to sieg-heil, and take him with them on a reconnaissance mission in advance of their invasion of Earth. Tagging along is Renate (the permanently stained Julia Dietze), fiancee of expedition leader and future fuhrer Klaus (Gotz Otto). Naturally, Renate, meeting her first black man, is immediately enamored and wants to be his special friend.
Klaus and Renate are a big hit at the (presumably Republican) White House, where Madame President hires them as her speechwriters, their Nazi rhetoric sounding perfect coming out of her own mouth and attracting an interested following of ignorant white vidiot flag-wavers. Meanwhile, Renate begins to learn the truth about the historical nature of National Socialism while on Earth when, for instance, she runs into a gaggle of the sorts of sexist skinheads who can be found loitering on any typical American street corner. Is Madame President disappointed when the Nazis finally invade the planet? To the contrary, “It’s wonderful!” she enthuses, observing that all presidents who start wars in their first terms get reelected.
Soon America’s outer space military might, spearheaded by the USS George W. Bush, flies into unilateral action along with some unwelcome help from the rest of the world. Will democracy survive? Will Washington’s color be restored? Will Renate ditch the goosestepper for the fly black guy? Will the identical specters of white pride and fascism never vanish from the face of the Earth? Only MSNBC knows.
Apart from relatively high production values, there is really nothing good to say about MSNBC: The Movie, which, true to its title, is at no point amusing, insightful, or entertaining. Euro-slime stalwart Udo Kier, who used to appear in recommendable movies, here collects a paycheck for frowning while wearing a Nazi uniform for a few minutes of screentime, but makes the viewer’s experience no more endurable. For those, however, who find immense hilarity in the idea of a Nazi from outer space seeing a dirty magazine for the first time in his life and saying, “Pictures of this kind turn me on,” there may be something of value in it. On the subject of pornography, only something as pungent, truthful, and relatively wholesome as that is likely to wash the taste of MSNBC: The Movie from this reviewer’s unsmiling mouth.
A star and a half.
[WARNING: POTENTIAL SPOILERS – as if this hunk of cinematic carrion could spoil!]
Ideological Content Analysis indicates that MSNBC: The Movie is indefensible garbage and:
9. Anti-Christian. Quoth the Nazis: “We are the gift of both God and science.” “Get me a miracle!” the president stupidly commands a campaign consultant. A fire-and-brimstone sermon for some reason accompanies footage of outer space warfare.
8. Anti-science. As in Django Unchained, rational understanding of human biodiversity is transformed into racialist pseudoscience.
7. Anti-gun. A redneck bitch with a gun fires without warning as soon as she sees people on her land: “Get the hell outta my property!” Black thugs produce guns in another scene, contributing to an image of America as a benighted hellhole of mass murder potential.
6. Diversity-skeptical. Notwithstandng its anti-racist message, MSNBC: The Movie emerges as a portrait of a country and a planet with no hope of racial or cultural reconciliation. “You’ll be sorry you did that, white boy!” Washington says when the Nazis beat him. Then, when Washington, unaware that his skin has been whitened, approaches a group of urban blacks in a friendly way, they immediately draw their weapons on him. To the extent that Republicans cater to blacks, such as by promoting the likes of Colin Powell and James Washington, it is strictly for dishonest political purposes.
5. Liberal. MSNBC: The Movie perpetuates the tiresome leftist delusion that Republicans are somehow akin to the Nazis and that all are fascists in their hearts. If evil conservatives had their way, they would fiendishly censor and whittle The Great Dictator down to a single scene so as to make Charlie Chaplin appear to endorse Hitler. A magazine cover showing the president has the caption “New World Order”.
4. Anti-white male. White men are represented in MSNBC: The Movie by Nazis or other unscrupulous politicians and are mostly stupid, angry, loud, violent, and generally worthless. A Nazi spacecraft is described as a “fat phallus”. “I’ve come to discuss our legal union,” Klaus says to fiancee Renate, demonstrating the maximum romance that Teutonic homo sapiens can muster. “Science demands us to unite . . .”
3. Pro-miscegenation/pro-slut. Unlike the violent Klaus, James Washingon is a good kisser, and after his naturally sexy poop complexion has been restored, Renate throws caution to the winds of change by planting a long, squishy, disgusting French kiss on him – ensuring that, when the moon invaders really do flash-mob the planet Earth, they will be mulattoes instead of Nazis.
2. Antiwar. Madame President welcomes the invasion as a boost to her reelection campaign. A Middle Eastern delegate to a body like the United Nations questions whether America’s claim for the necessity of war is not motivated by lust after natural resources. In the end, this turns out to be the case, as a vast store of potential energy is discovered on the moon, prompting the governments of Earth, lately victorious against the Nazis, to launch into mutual nuclear annihilation out of greed.
1. Anti-fascist/anti-racist (i.e., pro-yawn on both counts). When will white people learn?