Zone Troopers

When I sat down to watch the 1985 movie "Zone Troopers", I must admit that I was expecting nothing really, because the synopsis sounded really corny, and the movie's cover was very low budget. But I opted to sit down and watch what writers Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo had to offer with this 1985 sci-fi action adventure, as I hadn't already seen it.

Needless to say that I had never even heard about this movie from director Danny Bilson as I stumbled upon it here in 2022. But I have to admit that director Danny Bilson delivered a surprisingly entertaining and enjoyable movie here. I was genuinely entertained by how this movie turned out.

The storyline was actually nicely written and entertaining, and it was enjoyable from beginning to end. Especially so as the story mingled classic World War II action with sci-fi in a good manner. And I will say that the World War II elements were really great, and it was such a pleasure to experience the German soldiers actually speak German, and not just English with a thickly added accent.

The acting performances in the movie were good, with the likes of Tim Thomerson, Timothy Van Patten and Art LaFleur on the cast list.

Visually then "Zone Troopers" was okay. The costume and props department did good jobs in bringing the American and German soldiers to life. And the alien creature design was actually also pretty good. Sure, the special effects were somewhat outdated, but it fit the movie well enough.

I can actually warmly recommend "Zone Troopers", because it is a good movie.

My rating of "Zone Troopers" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Or why didn't someone with a larger film budget? Because this whole movie is a lot of fun. I just wish the special effects had been a little better. I'm sure that crashed spaceship mockup did cost them a pretty penny though.

The cheesiness of the low budget, reflected in the alien costumes and minimal military paraphenelia is about the only bad thing I found in this genre effort. Badmouthing this film is like kicking a friendly puppy. The writing was great, the acting was much better than it had any right to be, and even the directing was absolutely appropriate.

Yes, it is not realistic in the slightest. Yes, it is a version of World War 2 based not on the actual war, but based on other cheap movies about the War. And then it throws crash-landed aliens into the mix. But that just makes it so much more fun.

There's a standard low budget WW2 movie setup: ragtag group of GIs is caught behind German lines and has to fight their way out. Luckily, this is in Italy so the Germans are a little ways out on the end of their supply lines as well. We get all the standard war movie clichés: the gruff Sarge who can't die (Tim Thomerson), the comic relief kid from Brooklyn with his pulp magazines, the green Lieutenant just out of training school, the grizzled Corporal who's been through hell and high water with The Sarge (the Tom Sizemore role, here Art LaFleur) and the hard-bitten, cynical reporter/photographer who tags along.

Into this "haven't we seen this before a FEW times" setup comes strange goings-on in the form of a crash landed alien spaceship. And that, kids, is where things get interesting and fun. Things just get more ridiculous from there, with a blown-up spaceship, magical alien gizmos that make Rita Hayworth appear, and even a cameo appearance from Der Furher himself, just so one of the heroes can punch him right in the face. That's entertainment.

Do check out Zone Troopers, but make sure your tongue is planted firmly in cheek, as they say.

Considering the budget, this isn't a bad film. Compared to movies in general, however, it comes up a little short. I always enjoy seeing Tim Thomerson on the screen, and the story is likable enough, but all things considered, it just didn't do anything for me. There was the occasional laugh, perhaps a touch of drama, and some decent action, but really there was nothing to make this film stand out, and as a result, there is no reason for me to recommend this film to anyone else.

"Butt me Mittens" I loved this movie. Mittens woke up from his beating and gave Hitler one right in the kisser. It was cool. I love movies that are just plain fun. Don't over analyze this movie, just take it for what it is. Fun entertainment! Recommended schoppy7

Set in World War II somewhere in Italy, Sgt. Stone (Tim Thomerson), Joey Verona (Timothy Van Patten), George "Mittens" Minnesnski (Art LaFleur), and civilian journalist Charlie Dolan (Biff Manard) are the only survivors of their unit after being ambushed in a Nazi attack. Now stuck 10 miles behind enemy lines the group attempts to make their way home, but soon come across artifacts that are extraterrestrial in origin that cause the group to run into the Nazi's elite troops.

Zone Troopers is 1985 sci-fi/war film that along with Trancers was one of the earlier projects for noted writing team Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo who between them are responsible for the 90s The Flash tv series and the cult Disney adventure film The Rocketeer. Made by noted B-movie makers Charles Band Productions, the movie features all the charm you can expect from one of Band's high concept low-budget productions that isn't afraid to be anymore than what it is and for my money that's pretty enjoyable.

Much like how Bilson and De Meo embraced the comic book tone in their works such as the 90s The Flash TV show or The Rocketeer, Zone Troopers feels like the kind of story that wouldn't be too out of place in an anthology comics magazine like Tales to Astonish or the like. The core group consisting of Tim Thomerson, Timothy Van Patten, Art Lafleur, and Biff Manard make for a likable set of characters even if maybe they're not given as much development as they could've been. The movie does feel undeniably like a lower budget film with the Italian countryside in the film mostly consisting of the woods, a meadow, or the occasional building but there's significantly less hardware (tanks, vehicles, etc.) than you typically expect from this kind of movie so it is noticeable. But while Zone Troopers may not have the money of larger budgeted productions, there's a level of joyful innocence to the movie that feels like a mixture of the Humphrey Bogart film Sahara with a mixture of E. T. with the alien elements nicely silly and endearing.

Zone Troopers gives you exactly what you want from a movie like this and that's all you can reasonably ask for it. With committed performances, a playfully silly tone, and a high concept that it embraces to its fullest ability this is the kind of B-movie that makes up for in heart what it lacks in resources.