During WWII, three soldiers, The Sarge (Tim Thomerson), Mittens (Art LaFleur), and Joey (Timothy Van Patten), and a reporter (Biff Manard) are trapped behind enemy lines. While trying to escape German troops, they find an alien rocket, and soon after, the alien, who is a prisoner of the Nazis.
An early film from producer Charles Band, who would go on to create Full Moon Pictures, Zone Troopers is a reunion for the previous year’s Trancers. Back are actors Tim Thomerson, Art LaFleur, and Biff Manard, writers Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo (with Bilson taking over directing duties), producer Charles Band, and most of the crew. And they made a very similar feeling film, if not quite as good.
Zone Troopers asks very little of the viewer but to sit back and enjoy. It is a good example of what Full Moon would become famous for: fun movies that are more or less interchangeable. Put it on some night with a few friends, and you’ll have a good time. On the other hand, if you pick up a different Full Moon flick, that will do just as well (as long as it is one of the better ones). I should note that this isn’t a Full Moon film, but was made when Band was running Empire Pictures. A rose by any other name…
Zone Troopers is a comic homage to what we all vaguely remember WWII films being like, though I can’t find a single movie that actually fits the bill. It has the tough sergeant who tends to mention the importance of duty whenever he can. There’s the surly corporal who ends up in comic situations. There’s the “gee, gosh, and golly” naive private who looks up to the sergeant as a father. It’s all played out to big band music and there’s even a request to buy war bonds at the end of the credits. The dialog is quick, witty, and nostalgic. While I like that there’s an alien running around, the best parts of the film are when the soldiers trade lines.
I always enjoy the quirky Thomerson (who has a real gift for comedy) and LaFleur (who played the Tooth Fairy in The Santa Clause 2), but it is Van Patten who steals the show. He plays a stereotype, and still makes it feel fresh.
This is a film I won’t think about, but enjoyed while it was playing.