Review of Juan of the Dead

I don't remember too much about the supposedly funny zombie-comedy "Zombies of Mass Destruction" except for this: zombie action and political satire don't mix. Only the almighty George A. Romero successfully pulled off a combination of these two contradictory styles in his original trilogy of the dead; exclusively because his satire was subtle and intelligent. "ZMD" wasn't subtle and it most definitely wasn't intelligent. So when I first heard about another allegedly clever and witty political zombie satire, I was really skeptical. And then especially because this particular 'zomedy' even dares to jokingly refer to Romero's genre milestone in its title. The only film that tried this and actually got away with it is "Shaun of the Dead". Pardon me to assume from beforehand that "Juan of the Dead" won't be a terrific as "Shaun of the Dead" and most definitely not as the original "Dawn of the Dead". But anyway, so far for skepticism, because this turned out a pleasantly surprising and satisfying little Cuban horror flick. I wouldn't rank it anywhere near the top ten of greatest horror (or even zombie movies) ever accomplished, but it's definitely one of the more worthwhile efforts in a sub genre that has literally been killed by an overflow. Perhaps it's worthwhile solely because of the fact it's a Cuban zombie flick… How often do you encounter any of those? The scenario, penned down by director Alejandro Brugués himself, is unmistakably Cuban - and therefore unique – full of political undertones, satire, bizarre but strangely charming patriotism and loads of astounding Havana scenery. Juan, terrifically depicted by Alexis Díaz de Villegas, and his closest friends always had to battle against professional and personal issues in their lives. So when Havana suddenly gets overrun by insatiable flesh-eating zombies, Juan and his posse don't even react all that surprised or petrified. Quite the contrary, Juan exploits the virus (or dissident plague, like the media and authorities refer to it) and starts up his most successful company to date! The sequences of Juan's zombie extermination business are wildly outrageous, fun and quite often even ingenious; - what I certainly don't expect to see anymore in a zombie flick. Sometimes the script and the ensemble cast tries to be a little too funny and imaginative, but you'll gladly tolerate the lesser amusing scenes. Besides, the part with the truck compensates for ALL the shortcomings. The make-up effects are very good, the soundtrack is stimulating and – for once – it's a zombie flick full of amiable characters (at least the living ones). Fiesta!