This week on the B movie docket is Iron Sky.
B movies are the glue stuck in between all the other genres, oftentimes refusing to conform to any particular genre presets. Some but not all of the hallmarks of a B movie include scripts that read like they were written by a room full of eighth-graders, poor visual effects, cringe-inducing dialogue, low budget production design, and zany plot contrivances. You’re aware of the hallmarks, right? B-movies often reek of amateur flair. Thought you were about to watch a great white shark hunted in dramatic fashion like only Steven Spielberg can deliver? Nope, this is Sharknado.
Why do we love B movies? I think B movies are comforting. You know what you’re about to watch is bad. If you’re fortunate it may be so bad that it’s good. You’ll often scratch your head trying to work out the plot. Out of the many good films you’ve seen, I bet you can talk with more vigor about the worst ones you’ve seen. They’re unforgettable. There’s something comforting about that I think. Besides they’ve been around just as long as the movie industry.
Believe it or not, chances are there’s a B movie for you. So I compiled a list of 50 B movies you must see before you die. No decade is off-limits. No rating is too taboo. For the next 49 weeks, I will introduce and recommend a B movie for your viewing pleasure. Yes, these are exciting times indeed my fanatical friends.
WEEK 12 – Iron Sky
For week 12 here in our journey, we are covering space Nazis in Iron Sky. The entry is a comedic action movie taking place in an alternate reality. Of course, since all B movies are fiction, they do technically sort of take place in an alternate reality. But in the universe of Iron Sky, the president of the USA is a riff off former governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. Here is the synopsis: An army of Nazis hidden in a moon base for 70 years prepares a gigantic warship for an invasion of Earth in 2018.
Iron Sky is a very well-done B movie. It pushes the envelope for B movies by fully embracing its themes while exploring racial topics. This is not Arrival, in which the visitors are benevolent peacemakers. Nope, these space Nazis see the world through some very hateful tented lenses. Thankfully, it is all much to our amusement.
Poking Fun At Stereotypes
Iron Sky is all about poking fun at stereotypes. The main character is black, but he appears on screen for two-thirds of the movie as a white man. This is possible because an evil Nazi scientist from the moon. The Nazi scientist is a member of a colony of Nazis that have been living on the dark side of the moon since 1949. The Nazis escaped to the moon, after losing the war. The colony structure is designed to look like one giant Swastika. Their actions have gone unnoticed because their base is located on the dark side of the moon.
Back on planet earth, we are introduced to an alternate reality. The United States of America is presided over by a president modeled after former governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. Her administration has a plan to galvanize confidence in the American space program by sending the first flight back to the moon. The main character is a member of this crew headed to the moon. He is in fact the only member of the crew with black skin color. Madam President plans to take credit for sending the first black man to the moon.
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Shortly after a successful moon landing, the crew is ambushed by a hit squad of Nazi Soldiers. The crew is attacked because they have just stumbled upon the Nazis’ biggest secret: a moon base on the dark side of the moon. All the crew is wiped out, save for out one main character. He is taken to the moon base, and it is here we are witnessed to the Nazi master plan to take back the earth.
There are a lot of Nazis on the moon. So many in fact, they have their very own education system. At this point, we see how our main character is humorously pitted between a racist American government and evil Nazis from the moon. I do not want to talk too much about the plot. Because if you watch it, you will be in for several shocks. That is one of the unique things about B movies in fact. They are willing to take risks relentlessly to shock you with scenes you would never see on the big screen.
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