What makes it different from others?

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

I have spent more than a year in the Balkans, and have served in Bosnia Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, and Kosovo, and I have been awarded all four Balkans operations medals awarded by NATO and the United Nations. I have spent 38 years in the Canadian Forces, so I believe I am able to comment on the quality of production of ZOS.The characters do not wear their uniforms properly, and the female captain cannot be wearing a Canadian uniform, the Canadian shoulder flag notwithstanding. First of all, we generally wore our combat uniform -- the khaki uniform that made us resemble a Heinz pickle. The tan uniform the female wears should not have long sleeves, and in any event, our uniform regulations would not permit us to wear the sleeves rolled half-way up the forearm. The tropical tan uniform (and the Balkans aren't in the tropics) doesn't have a long-sleeve version.Her behavior with her superior officer would see her take a short cut to a court martial, with no "get out of jail free" card -- literally.Her beret more closely resembles the coif that Sally Field wore as "The Flying Nun." The Canadian major wears a beret instead of a helmet with a fragmentation vest. We don't protect our bodies and leave our heads vulnerable. We even wore ballistic protective goggles, just in case...The Azerbaijans drove away in a Canadian Iltis jeep, which was, interestingly, showing Canadian emblems.The show is an insult to anyone serving in the Canadian Forces, and more so for those who served in the Balkans.A TMN Customer Care Representative who corresponded with me told me that the production management hired a retired Canadian military officer as their technical adviser. I suggested that he might wish to verify the technical advisor's credentials, because I don't believe he and I were in the same Canadian Forces.If I took the time to look beyond my personal disgust at the abysmal quality of this production, I am sure I could produce a very long list of errors, flaws and technical problems of the first episode.Root canal would be preferable to watching a second episode.

Pay no attention to the negative reviews, ZOS is a top shelf Canadian production. It has all the ingredients of an excellent show; great acting (Nolden), writing, and directing (Azzopardi). I was totally engrossed throughout the pilot and am looking forward to the rest of the series. Some of the other comments rag on it for it's story line and not being realistic, however I would suggest they hold judgement until they see how things play out. It seems to me that all the stories are heading in interesting directions. As for realism, I don't really see any merit in that argument. CSI is one of my favorite shows, but I'm sure it is no where near reality when it comes to the jobs and lives of actual crime scene investigators. ZOS is a great show, and between this and Sanctuary I am truly impressed with the direction that Canadian TV is heading. I loved it and will continue to pay close attention to this hidden gem of a show.

I regret speaking my mind because i think people worked hard on this show but frankly its disgusting! and sadly its an example of a disconnect between pop media and the what actually went on there. you have a regular army British officer who did "training in Canada but did not get to Alberta? uh maybe the writers should have used some "internet know-how"and looked up British Army Training Unit (and and can't say the last word because the dumb program won't here won't let me ) and the location. first what time frame is this show set in ?not currently ........to many errors in equipment as such with it during the United Nations Protection force days but during the NATO days you didn't have snipers taking pot shots at UN/NATO personnel l either. Why? because by the they knew they would get their assess kicked !!!!!!I kinda got a kick out of the Azerbaijan's driving off in an Iltis ..... i think it even had a bombardier emblem instead of maybe a UAZ what they actually drive !Now something else ........the berets with flak vests...... I have never seen a flak vest wore without a helmet ....ever!And what is it with not one actor wearing a beret properly ? if any Canadian soldier wore a beret like that they would be a laughing stock, just like the show It one going to portray an officer at least look like one.I do not have the false intellect that some here do, but soldiers look a certain way, thats their identity. And the main character carrying around a dildo during the first episode left a little to be desired I think others who have "been there and done that" will agree the show is sub standard and anyone who disagrees likely was never there nor has had anything to do with the mission

I've just watched the preview of the first episode on TMN On Demand. This is a very good show, with solid performances and developed characters.On a personal note, I'm very happy to see Canadian military activities trumpeted at last. My country doesn't advertise what it's doing nearly enough, and it is doing important work. And, peacekeeping has to be one of the hardest jobs for a soldier to do - it's good to see somebody has finally dramatized it, and dramatized it well.This is not a series for the faint of heart, however, and that needs to be stressed. The violence of a zone that requires peacekeepers - in this case a fictional town in the Balkans - is not shied away from. A key point of the pilot involves two children straying into a minefield. A mine goes off, and a small boy bleeds to death from a severed leg as a peacekeeper tries to rescue him without being blown up herself. The violence is graphic and realistic, and the viewer is forced to face head-on the horror of a situation that most of us try to forget exists, but is all too real.There are some issues, however - the show is not perfect. Colm Meaney plays a chilling Muslim fanatic re-arming his side for the next round of violence, but his Irish brogue stands out like a sore thumb, and makes his character seem to be a star vehicle rather than an actual person. An attempt at a Balkan accent would have been better. And then there's the militia leader wearing nothing but a Speedo, overcoat, and belts of bullets, who is a bit on the strange side, and a naked Major who appears as a vision and curled up on a bed, who is downright bizarre. Hopefully these will see some explanation in future episodes.So, this is a show that is definitely worth watching, but if you aren't prepared to deal with the heart- and gut-wrenching reality of a place that has been torn apart by war, you might want to give this one a pass.