Nazis. On the moon. Since 1945.
That’s the plot, and it’s only getting wilder from there. In this cult-classic oddity, we discover that a bunch of Third Reich escapees have been quietly lurking on the lunar dark side, building an armada and biding their time until they can return to Earth and finish the job. In 2018, they finally make their move—but not before two bewildered American astronauts stumble upon their retro-futuristic stronghold.
Our moon-faring misfits are led by Klaus Adler (played with dead-eyed charm by Götz Otto), alongside the moon base’s propaganda specialist, Renate Richter—played by Julia Dietze, who brings just the right amount of idealism, heart, and icy glamour to the role. Meanwhile, Christopher Kirby’s James Washington—a model turned astronaut (don’t ask, just go with it)—gets caught up in the lunar lunacy and becomes the reluctant hero of this cosmic comedy.
What follows is a swirl of space battles, political satire, and Zeppelin-fuelled chaos.
Vuorensola, who first made waves with the fan film Star Wreck: In The Pirkinning, goes full tilt here with a blend of deliberately pulpy visuals and tongue-in-cheek storytelling. From swastika-shaped spaceships to a US President who’s basically a Sarah Palin parody on a Red Bull bender, Iron Sky dances gleefully across the line of bad taste and back again—frequently.
And somehow, it all just clicks.
Yes, the concept is barking mad, and yes, it sounds like something scraped off the internet’s conspiracy theory forums—but that’s the charm. Iron Sky is knowingly ridiculous, and yet there’s enough polish in the effects, ambition in the direction, and slyness in the writing to make it work. It’s all shot in that slick, hyper-stylised way that gives it an almost Sin City meets Starship Troopers kind of vibe, with a distinctly European flavour.
Tonally, it walks a tightrope. There’s B-movie energy here for sure, but the film never collapses under its own weight. There are some genuinely clever moments of satire and a few surprisingly slick space battles—particularly when the Nazi war machine kicks into gear. Giant space blimps, anyone?
Also worth noting: this is a bilingual film—German and English—but the subtitles aren’t overwhelming. It’s easy to follow, and the language mix actually adds to the flavour of the thing. You’re not watching Schindler’s List here; you’re watching jackbooted moonmen try to take over Earth with 1940s tech and a WiFi-enabled flying saucer.
What makes Iron Sky so fun is that it feels like a movie made with a wink and a smirk. It knows exactly what it is: pulpy, provocative, and unapologetically silly. But it also manages to be oddly stylish and at times—gasp—even smart.
This isn’t your typical action flick, and it certainly isn’t your average sci-fi romp. It’s a genre blender with brass knuckles, a political parody with space lasers, and a war movie that ends in a lunar shootout.
Give it a shot. It’s not perfect, but it’s brave, bizarre, and completely unlike anything you’ve seen recently—and that alone is worth 90 minutes of your time.
