Iron Sky: The Coming Race (3½ Stars)

This is a sequel to "Iron Sky", made in 2012. It's a step up from the first film. The special effects look more professional and the sets are bigger. The plot is also more complex, which isn't necessarily a good thing. I was having to pay close attention to figure out what was happening. A disadvantage is that I haven't watched the first film for six years. I really should have re-watched it to prepare myself. The film takes place 25 years after the first film, but some of the characters return.

At the end of the first film the Earth was ravaged by a nuclear war. The remnants of the human race took refuge on the moon in the Nazi moonbase used by the Fourth Reich. The former Nazis are no longer in power, but the new rulers have created a government which started well but has drifted into totalitarianism. There are too many people in the moonbase, and almost everyone lives in poverty without enough food. The ruling elite, who secretly worship Steven Jobs, live in comfort. It won't last much longer. A series of moonquakes threaten to destroy the moonbase.

Obi, the daughter of the moonbase's leader, finds the former Nazi leader Wolfgang Kortzfleisch hiding. He was seemingly killed in the first film, but he reveals that he isn't human and can live forever. Millions of years ago an alien race called the Vrils visited the Earth. They used their advanced technology to make monkeys become intelligent, which led to the creation of the human race. After this they built themselves a civilisation at the centre of the Earth, leaving humanity to develop by themselves. They just influenced history a few times by sending Vrils to the surface to become human leaders. For instance, Jesus Christ, Adolf Hitler and Margaret Thatcher were Vrils. It's more accurate to say that they are Vrils, because they didn't die. After completing their tasks they pretended to die and returned to the Vril kingdom beneath the Earth.

A scout party is sent back to Earth to see if the underground kingdom still exists. They find that it's a paradise, in contrast to the barren surface. The only problem is that the Vrils are now being led by Adolf Hitler, who refuses to accept human settlers in his pure-blooded Vril kingdom.

Confusing? Yes, and that's only the start. This is definitely a film I need to watch again.