I know what you are thinking, dear readers of mine- “Isn’t ‘S.S. Doomtrooper’ a ten year old made-for-Syfy Channel movie? And isn’t this Kaiju Stomp?” A) It is only nine years old, and B) you are correct on all other points. Kaiju means giant monsters. Thus, this a genre that can encompass several different kinds of movies; technically speaking, the recently released “Stung”- a movie about wasps that grow to about the size of humans- could be considered one. But having a big monster isn’t quite enough to push this over that edge to official kaiju flick, as there are several tropes and such in the genre this utilizes. We’ll dig into all that after the obligatory plot recap.

Lo and behold, the plot recap-

During the height of WWII, Nazi scientist Dr. Ullman (Ben Cross) has created a super soldier, who becomes uncontrollably aggressive, enormous in size, and grows claws. Word gets back to the Allied Forces, so Captain Pete Malloy (Corin Nemec), assembles a team- Private Parker Lewis (James Pomitcher), Sergeant Digger (Harry Van Gorkum), Corporal Johnson (Jonas Talkington), and Private Papadakis (Asen Blatechki), along with their French Resistance liaison, Mariette (Marian Filali)- to find the base in the French countryside the Schutzstaffel Doomtroopers are coming from.

 

Before we get any further, let us examine the kaiju genre (technically, daikaiju, but let us not be pedantic). Aside from just being a giant monster, there is usually an external force that triggers the extreme growth (mad scientist here, for Godzilla it’s the atomic bomb, and for Daimajin it’s the supernatural will of the gods), and there’s always a grander point than the sheer spectacle on screen-”Gojira” is just as much about the devastation and loss of the atomic bombings as it is about a huge lizard attacking Tokyo. “Daimajin” isn’t just about a twelve statue come to life, thanks to the spirit of the titualr god, but also humanity’s inhumane actions in search for wealth and power. The discussion of the script below, will detail how/ why this is improtant. And now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Director David Flores, the man behind the amazing “Crimson Force”, the awesome as hell “Sands Of Oblivion”, and the fun “Lake Placid 2”, clearly understands the kind of movies he’s been making. With “S.S. Doomtrooper”, only his third movie, he has crafted one of the best and most intense Sci-Fi movies I have seen, so far. The pacing never lags, and the action is well staged. Flores adds a larger than life flair to everything, while still keeping things plausible. A crane shot down from a mountaintop to the doors of the Nazi base is excellent, and clearly shows the scale of which this movie is aiming for (and mostly succeeds at).

 

His greatest asset in that regard is Kes Bonnet’s perfect set and production design. The old castle turned lab/military base is like something straight out of a Hammer Horror classic, and the interior sets sprawl to, seemingly, no end. The surrounding mountainous terrain provides a beautiful backdrop, and the movie puts it to good use. The whole thing is drenched in atmosphere, thanks in large part to Lorenzo Senatore’s excellent cinematography. Creative camera movement adds to the overall epic scale of the movie, and lends itself well to the movie’s overall tone.

The editing is fine, and never gets too jumbled or confusing during the action scenes. The action scenes themselves are really good. Despite only a handful of baddies versus half a dozen good guys, the quick firing and long shots make it feel bigger than it actually is. The CGI and practical effects, courtesy of Dan Peters and his team, are of surprisingly high quality, given this movie’s age. The design of the Doomtroopers themselves is the clear standout here.

 

Which brings us nicely to the titular monsters, as a kaiju movie with a lame monster is a product that simply cannot work. Despite the humanoid appearance, their grey skin, gas mask, and freaking gatling gun arm definitely make them more monster than man. And at roughly three sizes bigger than humans, these hulking beasts are an unstoppable killing force, and prove to be a credible threat. Plus, they can harness electrical currents through their bodies, which makes for some visually appealing attacks; check special power based attacks off the Kaiju column please!

 

And none of this would be worth a damn if it weren’t well written enough to keep the audience engaged with the characters and invested in the plot. Berkley Anderson’s script does just that, while still staying within its own ambitions. We have had so many “war is hell” movies that I just don’t have the space to list them all, so going a step beyond that, that hell would be preferable to these monsters, was the right choice (see that whole bigger angle at play thing above). The dialogue is crisp, and while it does sound a little too modern, that is hardly a deal breaker when everything is this much fun.

 

The cast is just as good as everything else. Modern b-movie legend Corin Nemec is very strong and authoritative as the leader of the suicide squad. He plays well to the nonexistent CGI, and brings a lot of empathy to the character. James Pomichter’s Parker Lewis is A) named after Corin Nemec’s failed sitcom “Parker Lewis Can’t Lose”, and B) is very good. Marian Filali is great, and overcomes the usual women in war tropes, and is a total badass. Ben Cross plays the cliched mad Nazi scientist, but brings a lot of verve and energy to it, and a third act twist makes him far more interesting than the beginning. The rest of the cast bring their A-game also.

“S.S. Doomtrooper” is one of the best made-for-Sci fi Channel movies I have seen, to date. The heavy kaiju influence adds a different flavor, and the entire cast and crew really tried to deliver something different and fun. Sadly, this doesn’t have an official Region 1 DVD release, and for the life of me, I don’t know why.