Finland | Germany | Belgium 2019
Opening March 21, 2019      

Directed by: Timo Vuorensola                                                                               
Writing credits: Dalan Musson, Jarmo Puskala, Johanna Sinisalo, Samuli Torssonen, Timo Vuorensola 
Principal actors: Udo Kier, Julia Dietze, Lara Rossi, Vladimir Burlakov, Kit Dale

The Iron Sky Universe introduced itself to Earthlings in 2012 with Iron Sky, and reemerges to introduce The Coming Race in 2019. This sardonically satirical, comedic space adventure careens from escapade to quest amid hijinks, wisecracks, suspense, and some unsubtle potshots at 21st Century’s trends-of-the-day.

In 2047, unlikely bedfellows—Earth’s survivors and German Nazis—share a home colony on the moon’s dark side. Since nuclear war on earth, moonquakes damage to the aging Nazi moon base precipitously increases their chance of annihilation. When a foreign object cascades into their space, Obi (Rossi) — our narrator, and Renate Richter and James Washington’s daughter — saves the spacecraft. Its crazy Russian pilot’s (Burlakov) justification is ignored. Renate (Dietze) orders these latecomers be confined, considering supplies are low. For everyone except Jobists, whose leader (Tom Green) shrewdly negotiates the religious sect’s acquisitions. Malcolm (Dale) and Sasha meet and compete from the get-go. Accidentally, Obi discovers a hooded stowaway (Udo Kier brilliantly portrays two brothers), learns about Vril-Vie and his backstory, including footnotes re evolution and Paradise. That in turn propels a spontaneous ragtag group’s spacecraft hijack, and journey to the center of Earth. Where its occupants is the subhuman reptilian Vril race; Vril Ms President (Stephanie Paul) might preside over the other Reptilians camouflaged as former human rulers, but Hitler controls, with a legion of dinosaurs.

Timo Vuorensola’s second installment again focuses on motifs from Esoteric Nazism, e.g. hollow earth theory. Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s 1871 novel, The Coming Race is considered the likely source for the Vril myth, and film title. The cast is great, production values high: Music by Tuomas Kantelinen, Laibach; Cinematography by Mika Orasmaa; Editing by Jan Hameeuw, Joona Louhivuori; Production Design by Florian Kaposi. Obviously the filmmakers had fun making Iron Sky — now audiences get to have fun watching it, especially guessing (Vril) world leaders. Worth noting, the Indiegogo crowdfunded Iron Sky: The Coming Race harmed no dinosaurs during production. 95 minutes (Marinell H.)