Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5663 in VHS
• Released on: 1991-11-26
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Formats: Color, NTSC
• Original language: English, German
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 86 minutes

Customer Reviews

Some B-Movie G.I. Joes save an E.T. from the Nazis
"Zone Troopers" is a B-Movie that has a strong affection for 1940s war films even though it is ostensibly a science fiction film by virtue of its BEM (think "Battleground" meets "E.T."). Our little band of heroes consists of Tim Thomerson as crusty Sergeant Stone (a clear homage to "Sgt. Rock" of comic book fame), Timothy Van Patten as Joey Verona, Art LaFleur as Corporal George `Mittens' Mittinsky, and Biff Manard as journalist Charley Dolan. There might only be four characters here but they manage to cover most of the stereotypes you associate with those melting pot companies of soldiers from WWII films.

Trapped behind enemy lines after the rest of their group of merry men were killed in an ambush, the quartet stumbles upon a group of German soldiers guarding a crashed alien spaceship. When Mittens and Dolan get captured, Sarge and Joey rescue not only them, but also the alien who survived the crash. Fortunately, Joey reads a lot of science fiction pulp magazines, so he is able to think outside the box and wrap his mind around the idea of an alien from another world. Now it just becomes a question of getting everybody back alive. Oh, and learning the horrible secret of what the alien likes to eat...

"Zone Troopers" is the product of director Danny Bilson and Producer Paul De Meo, who wrote the screenplay together (most of the actors were involved in their "Trancers" series). However, the best part of this movie is the dialogue between the soldiers, whose zingers were probably improvised (not that there is anything wrong with that). Van Patten might be the "name" in this low-budget film, but this is Thomerson's film, proving that even the stereotype of the crusty ol' Sarge can still be mined for some gold. What little money they had for this production was clearly spent on the uniforms and the spaceship, which might explain why the alien looks like something vetoed by "The Outer Limits" (So, please, do not let the picture on the cover make you pass this one by at the video store).

This is a nice little B-movie, which is all you can really hope for with such things. There are enough flaws to remind you of its humble origins (Richard Band's music unabashedly rips off John Williams and a "famous historical person" shows up at one point), but the characters play it straight with their unusual situation, which reminds me of one of my favorite sci-fi films, "The Thing From Another World." Be sure to watch and appreciate the end credits, which also evince the creators' love for science fiction, comic books, and WW2 movies.

THEY TAKE WAR TO A NEW DIMENSION!!!!!!!!
An outlandish blend of World War II combat and alien invaders, ZONE TROOPERS stars TIMOTHY VAN PATTEN (CLASS OF 1984) and TRANCERS veteran TIM THOMERSON as two G.I.'s trapped behind enemy lines. Hitler's forces are rapidly approaching and all hope seems lost, until the Americans discover the wreckage of an alien spacecraft with one of its crew still alive.
It's 1944, somewhere in Europe. Sarge, Mittens, Joey and Dolan are the only remaining survivors of a German ambush. Stranded in the wilderness they're cold, tired and ready to fight for their lives. They were prepared for anything-or so they thought. Bizarre radio signals and a loud bang annouces the crash landing of an alien spacecraft. When the men reach the wreckage they discover that the pilot is dead, but the co-pilot is alive and lost somewhere in the wilderness. The four G.I.'s split into twos to search for the alien. Mittens and Dolan find the alien but the real test comes when they must face an entire battalion of intergallactic warriors called ZONE TROOPERS, sent to rescue their comrades.
ZONE TROOPERS are ready to fight. It's a fight no one, American or German, is ever going to forget.

THEY TAKE WAR TO A NEW DIMENSION!!!!!!!!
An outlandish blend of World War II combat and alien invaders, ZONE TROOPERS stars TIMOTHY VAN PATTEN (CLASS OF 1984) and TRANCERS veteran TIM THOMERSON as two G.I.'s trapped behind enemy lines. Hitler's forces are rapidly approaching and all hope seems lost, until the Americans discover the wreckage of an alien spacecraft with one of its crew still alive.
It's 1944, somewhere in Europe. Sarge, Mittens, Joey and Dolan are the only remaining survivors of a German ambush. Stranded in the wilderness they're cold, tired and ready to fight for their lives. They were prepared for anything-or so they thought. Bizarre radio signals and a loud bang annouces the crash landing of an alien spacecraft. When the men reach the wreckage they discover that the pilot is dead, but the co-pilot is alive and lost somewhere in the wilderness. The four G.I.'s split into twos to search for the alien. Mittens and Dolan find the alien but the real test comes when they must face an entire battalion of intergallactic warriors called ZONE TROOPERS, sent to rescue their comrades.
ZONE TROOPERS are ready to fight. It's a fight no one, American or German, is ever going to forget.