Juan of the Dead (2011): Dissidents Beware!

There is something you need to understand before you watch this flick: it is NOT just a Cuban version of Shaun of the Dead. Yes there are similarities. The main character has a chubby, slacker best friend and they are a little unaware of what is happening at the beginning of the Zombie outbreak. But that's about where the comparisons end. OK, on with the review......

One of the things I like about this movie is that you get a real up close and personal view of what it is like to live in Havana under Communist rule. The scenery is both beautiful and sad at the same time. Havana is a place that time, and modernization, forgot. Everything is run down, the cars are ancient, and most things like elevators rarely work. Zombies being thrown into the semi-apocalyptic mix almost seem natural in a way.

The news reports in the movie are hilarious, so watch them and pay attention. Often they are in the background so they can be a little obscure. The Cuban news and government blame the USA for the attack and call the Zombies "dissidents".

The movie centers around Juan (Alexis Díaz de Villegas) and his friend Lazaro (Jorge Molina) who just get by day by day in their rather boring lives. When the living dead start to overrun the city, sending the entire island into chaos and destruction, Juan and Lazaro show their true Cuban entrenpeneurship by finding a way to make money out of the chaos by charging people to kill next of kin that became undead. With the help of Juan's daughter, Lazaro's son, and a gay couple they start a business called "JUAN DE LOS MUERTOS" or "JUAN OF THE DEAD".

As usual in my reviews, I don't want to give too much of the plot away or put in a spoiler, so I won't say too much else about what goes on. I will say that some of the Zombie kills are AWESOME and super-inventive. I especially like LOVE the scene where they all are naked and stuck in a prisoner van. That's all I can tell you about that without giving too much away.............

If you can't tell already, I really liked this film. It was fast-paced, entertaining, and made me laugh out loud many times. Even if you weren't a crazed zombie fan you'd have to find this movie entertaining. The characters are all gritty, somewhat unlikable yet lovable, and have real-world problems that don't stop when the Zombies come to town.

It does have a few issues that may turn a few folks off. First, it is subtitled. It doesn't bother me, but I know some folks that would turn off a movie the first time they see text they have to read scrolling acrossed the bottom of the screen. Second, there are a lot of jokes aimed at the Cuban government, and Cuban people in general, that I just didn't get. I had to look up some of the references after the movie to better understand them. So, again, if that whole reading thing is an issue for you, don't watch it. Of course, you're reading this blog right now so maybe you'd have no problem.....

My verdict? On a "Zombie Movie Scale of 1-10" I'd give this one a 7

A fast pace, great characters, and interesting plot kept me involved and interested the entire flick. This movie is destined to become a cult classic.

WATCH IT IF: you like fast-paced action with inventive Zombie kill scenarios, want to get a sneak-peek into life in Havana, or on a foreign film kick like I am at the moment.

DON'T WATCH IT IF: that whole ADHD thing still greatly affects your ability to watch a subtitled flick, you are old enough to hate all things Cuban due to that silly little Missle Crisis thing, or prefer to watch movies with super-pretty, fake undead people from the town of Forks.

Juan of the Dead is available for streaming thru Amazon Prime and is available for purchase at Amazon and other locations. At the time of this writing it is not available on NetFlix for streaming.

More info can be found on IMDB here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1838571/

BONUS BEER RECOMMENDATION: Heart of Darkness, by Magic Hat Brewing, is a great stout with a relatively low ABV of 5.7. It is black in color, much like the souls of dissidents. It's creamy and smooth with a nice finish, and goes equally well with meats/cheeses as it does with celebrating a great Zombie kill.

Up Next: We kill some Zombies old-school style with Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt.