Product Details

• Actors: Tim Thomerson, Timothy Van Patten, Art LaFleur, Biff Manard, William Paulson
• Directors: Danny Bilson
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English, German
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Lions Gate
• VHS Release Date: November 26, 1991
• Run Time: 86 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6300179893
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #186,543 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some B-Movie G.I. Joes save an E.T. from the Nazis, November 30, 2002

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Zone Troopers [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THEY TAKE WAR TO A NEW DIMENSION!!!!!!!!, July 17, 2002

By 

Michael Fleishman (Hauppauge, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zone Troopers [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars B-movie gold, February 8, 2011

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Zone Troopers [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I know aliens and Nazis sound like a weird mix and that the alien image on the old VHS covers looks a little kooky, but this movie is one of the real gems of B-movie history. 1985 was a banner year for Empire Pictures and its founder, the legendary Charles Band, as the studio rolled out the likes of Re-animator, Ghoulies, Trancers - and Zone Troopers. This film may not have achieved the same level of success as its cinematic cousins, but it has become something of a cult favorite for fans over the years, especially those who truly appreciate its respectful nods to pulp science fiction. Writer/director Danny Bilson and his co-writer Paul De Meo showed that a great script and a cast of more than capable actors can make up for the shortcomings of low-budget special effects. It surely doesn't hurt to treat the audience with some respect, as well. In this World War II movie, for example, the Germans actually speak German and fire German weapons, while the alien speaks in a truly alien fashion. In turn, the American soldiers actually use the lingo of their counterparts in the real war. It is in fact the smart and funny dialogue, characterized by a veritable cornucopia of great zingers, that truly makes Zone Troopers something very special.

Following an ambush, a motley crew of three American soldiers and a well-known war journalist find themselves trapped ten miles or more within enemy lines in 1944 Italy. Alongside famed war correspondent Charlie Dolan (Biff Maynard) are the Everyman-like Corporal George `Mittens' Mittinsky (Art LaFleur), the young and excitable Joey Verona (Timothy Van Patten), and Sgt. Stone (Tim Thomerson) ,whose ability to walk away from certain death on numerous occasions has earned him the nickname the Iron Sarge. As if their situation isn't already tenuous enough, the men soon discover that there are more than just German soldiers surrounding them in the forest - namely, there is a big, hairy, bug-eyed alien whose ship crashed nearby. That would explain the SS encampment Dolan and Mittens stumble upon. While pulp magazine fan Joey is giddy over the chance to see one of his science fiction fantasies come to life, Sarge is all about making sure the Germans fail to get what they want. Can four American GIs hold off a large contingent of elite German soldiers and rescue a bug-eyed alien from their nefarious clutches?

As far as I'm concerned, this film is worth watching solely for Mittens' unexpected meeting with a certain short German dictator, but that's just one magical moment in a film full of great action, sharp dialogue, and memorable moments. In less capable hands, Zone Troopers could have easily been a cinematic disaster bogged down in a sea of clichés. Thanks to co-writers Bilson and De Meo and the solid acting chops on display from Thomerson and LaFleur in particular, that doesn't happen here. It doesn't even matter that one of the spaceships looks more like a rocket from a children's playground than an interstellar craft or that Charles Band's brother Richard borrows quite heavily from John Williams' Imperial March from Star Wars for the musical score. I sift through a lot of low-budget movies in hopes of finding the all-too-rare nuggets of B-movie gold that I know are out there. Zone Troopers more than validates my quest, easily earning a spot on my list of must-see B-movies.