This diesel-punk film picks up on a conspiracy theory of Nazi's on the moon.... Yes, that's right! In 1945 Nazi's launched a plan so epic that it takes until 2018 for it to be uncovered. They have a secret moon base on the dark side of the moon, from where they have been mining resource and building an army of flying saucers that could once again pose a threat to humanity on Earth. US astronauts accidentally uncover the base but soon regret it as they find themselves fighting for their life trying to escape, while also fighting for humanity too. The Nazi's are only a few steps away from global domination, but they decide that now is the time to act - a plan is set in motion for officers to get the equipment they need to launch the full scale war on Earth.
This is an absurd B-movie sci-fi film which takes inspiration from lots of 1950's sci-fi films - this is clearly evident with the steam punk look of the Nazi's moon base which is based on 1950's technology. It is filled with plot holes and bad logic, it's wrong on so many levels - but it actually works in its own way. Intentionally camp and cheesy with lots of hammed up but superb acting, with over the top but stylish CGI and effects. This film certainly won't be for everyone, but if you are in that small percentage of film fans that like this kind of cr@p (like me) then you are likely to love this refreshing film which pokes fun at itself, and everything that can be poked.
As I have alluded to, the visuals are great, this was intended to be a visual movie and it delivers on that. Superb green screen work, but to an almost Hollywood level - great effects and CGI. It's interesting to note that this film uses almost double the amount of CGI shots as the first Michael Bay "Transformers" film and almost the same as "Spider Man 3" (this uses over 800 CGI shots), but for a fraction of the cost because it used low budget techniques rather than big studios.
The level of humour in the film is satirical and excellent, yes, it's occasionally slapstick too, but not enough for me to put it in a slapstick movie category. The film doesn't just poke fun at itself but also the modern political systems rife in the western worlds. While there is an obvious pantomime villain in the Nazi's the film does much more than pit good guys against bad guys. It looks at motives, it looks at outcomes, it looks at who the actual bad guys are, and where their decisions can ultimately take humanity. It's almost on a Dr Strangelove level in saying "yes this is who we are, you should fear what we represent, oh but by the way, you are one of us too and you didn't know it". Similarly, in a "1984" way it raises the question of who is pulling the strings, and what are their intentions - should they be listened to?
Timo Vuorensola, the creator of "Star Wreck", has done justice directing this film and presented something epic for budget they had. Produced by Blind Spot Pictures from Finland, they have made a Finnish/ German/ and Australian co-produced film for 7.5 millions euros, but it's worth noting that this is still a fan fueled film. 10-15% of the budget came from the people who go to movies rather than investors. At the time of it's release this was the biggest budget for a Finnish film. The musical score by Slovenian band Laibach fits perfectly with the film, making the whole thing a fantastical concept experience. I'll be honest, this is my first experience of them, but it hopefully won't be my last experience.
In the acting stakes, Julia Dietze and Christopher Kirby steal the show in the film. It has to be said though that Gotz Otto and Udeo Kier are brilliant too and bring a wealth of experience to the acting talent on display.
It would be criminal to compare this to Hollywood blockbusters because that's simply not it was aimed to be - a future cult classic for sure, but definitely a film that will divide opinion. An original film - which in this day and age is something that you will rarely come across. Hilariously offensive, and at only an hour and a half it will leave you wanting more.
8 out of 10.
