Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Zone Troopers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 30, 2015

“Zone Troopers” is an imaginative idea in search of a proper budget. It’s a B-movie from 1985 (co-produced by Charles Band), telling the story of an alien invasion during World War II, but instead of expanse, battling ships, and masses of military men charging into battle, the feature is mostly contained to modest forest settings, working with only a handful of cast members. Co-writer/director Danny Bilson is skilled enough to secure a few highlights along the journey, playing enthusiastically with war film formula and archetype, but he doesn’t have enough money to bring his eerie vision to life. Instead of non-stop thrills and chills, “Zone Troopers” is deliberate, often static, trying to milk its inviting premise as much as it can before the audience gradually becomes aware that instead of unleashing sci-fi mayhem, the feature is primarily contained to crusty banter and periodic action. The effort certainly isn’t “War of the Worlds.”

Caught behind enemy lines, The Sarge (Tim Thomerson) leads his troops into battle with the Nazis, only to lose a great number of men during brutal conflicts. Left with young dreamer Joey (Timothy Van Patten), bruiser Mittens (Art LaFleur), and journalist Dolan (Biff Manard), The Sarge is beginning to lose faith in his leadership abilities, scrambling for cover as the team figures out a way to return to safety. Along the journey, The Sarge and Joey discover a crashed spaceship on an open field, unsure what that massive vehicle has brought to Earth. Mittens and Dolan find clues inside a Nazi camp, where the enemy is in the midst of studying the flying machine, with the pair soon captured and introduced to The Alien (William Paulson), a insect-like invader who’s about to be dissected by the Nazis, requiring help with escape before it can rendezvous with its own kind.

Inspired by chewy WWII epics of the 1940s, Bilson and co-writer Paul De Meo create their own version of the Men on a Mission adventure. While an exact replication of wartime wreckage isn’t possible with the production’s limited budget, “Zone Troopers” remains in the woods, electing spare atmosphere to communicate unit isolation and confusion, with mysterious alien signals jamming radio communication and messing with a compass dial, leaving the gang lost in the middle of nowhere, hunted by Nazi troops. Trying to fill in gaps with character, the G.I.’s are scripted with big, determined attitudes, engaging in conversations about cigarettes, comic books, and fantasy women, while Dolan, on the prowl for a story, tries to get the men to open up about their experiences, which isn’t an easy thing to do when faced with the steeliness of The Sarge. Performances are solid for this style of entertainment, always eager to sell the genre tributes Bilson is shaping, also allowing for a sense of humor to help the movie along. Basically playing cartoons, the cast captures some degree of life, with pleasant chemistry keeping dry passages of exposition and conversation afloat.

Although it hints at intergalactic complication, “Zone Troopers” is more of an “E.T.” knockoff, finding the grotesque Alien a sweetheart who’s lost and confused, needing guidance from the Americans to avoid Nazi torture and return home to an undefined planet (Joey, raised on comics, is convinced the visitor is from Mars). Granted, the creature eats cigarettes and doesn’t clearly communicate its intentions, but The Alien is friendly, offering Mittens and Joey a chance to project their female fantasies with help from special tech gifted to the men for their kindness. It’s too bad “Zone Troopers” doesn’t offer more of this oddity, as scenes of threat with Nazi officials are rather dull, taking time away from spaceship exploration (which offers superb design achievements) and additional otherworldly visitors, who share a more human visage.

“Zone Troopers” is light, rarely venturing into the darkness to make a stronger impression. At times, it even feels like a “Hogan’s Heroes” episode, complete with a comical Hitler interaction and commercial break-style fade outs. Depth is attempted, with Sarge handed a haunted backstory and the loaded nickname “Iron Sarge” to keep him on edge, anxious about an unearned reputation for survival as the situation worsens for his soldiers. However, “Zone Troopers” doesn’t remain in the shadows for very long, more interested in the contents of an alien egg and the crashed ship, embracing a sense of exploration as the period men sample a close encounter with the future.

Zone Troopers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation doesn't provide a substantially fresh visual experience, but the particulars of this B-movie remain in view. Detail is satisfactory, surveying the textures on war machinery and uniforms, and close-ups remain interesting, especially when the Alien is introduced and make-up work is opened for inspection. Grain is fine and filmic. Colors are acceptable, keeping to a muted military look until the space invaders arrive, bringing with them a brighter, slightly more pastel palette. Delineation is passable, but rarely challenged, finding spaceship interiors holding distances and dark corners. Source is in nice shape, only really displaying some speckling, lacking significant points of damage.

Zone Troopers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix does reach a few sharp highs as it explores combat sequences and heated interactions, but these moments are minimal. The overall order of the track is passable, with strong dialogue exchanges that preserve broad performances and German intimidation (which isn't subtitled). Music isn't dense, but it carries securely, supporting as instructed, boosted by a few big band numbers along the way. Atmospherics are healthy, isolating alien ship particulars and firefights, with atmospheric changes are communicated well. Larger sound effects, including alien lasers, are crisp and defined.

Zone Troopers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features screenwriters Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo.

• Interview (11:01, HD) with actor Tim Thomerson briefly recounts his "Zone Troopers" production experience. Shot in Rome, Thomerson refers to filming as a "family affair," with the cast and crew bonding over a shared love of war pictures and, in the case of co-star Biff Manard, an abundance of free wine. The interviewee also discusses his creative inspiration, intimating Vic Morrow's performance on "Combat."

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:32, HD) is included.

Zone Troopers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The cover art for the "Zone Troopers" Blu-ray is hilariously misleading, promising flying saucers raining fire down on military forces, conjuring a vision of sci-fi escapism on a blockbuster level. The picture isn't that. At all. While there are plenty of shootouts and some large explosions, "Zone Troopers" is basically contained to the outdoors, discussing the concern of men surrounded by threat instead of showing such suspense. That's not to suggest the feature is boring, but it doesn't achieve a rolling sense of incident and escalation, held down by its budgetary limitations. It's a feature that needs to be met with reduced expectations, giving Bilson's vision for cinematic tributes and B-movie particulars a chance to click with audiences on a more realistic level.