For starters, this is a zombie movie, so my priority is to be entertained, and my inclination to analyze is somewhat lessened by the minimal expectations I've developed over the years for a genre that tends to produce wretched crap by the truckload. Which is not to say there haven't been some very good zombie movies (and a few great ones) but for every Night of the Living Dead there are 500 mind-numbingly bad Gangs of the Dead. With that being said, Juan of the Dead falls somewhere between the two. I've read reviews suggesting that one needs to be Cuban to understand the sociopolitical satire, which is not the case. Sure, being Cuban will allow one to pick out the more subtle expressions, but most people will get the bigger messages here, which hit you on the head with as much blunt force as Juan's oar.
Story and plotting are not the movie's strengths, and at times the film shuffles along as painfully as the zombies; but it still manages to work, thanks in part to its satirical bent, as well as the newness of the setting. There's just something about the combination of urban decay, a constant stream of jokes about how nothing works, and the mostly immoral cast of characters, that not only complements the movie, but really helps deliver the sociopolitical icepick to the forehead.
And it's those things, as well as some new and interesting kills (e.g. Havana's Revolutionary Square) that separates Juan of the Dead from the average zombie movie. Some critics and reviewers complained about the immoral actions of some of the characters, but I don't share their viewpoint because those moments were played for laughs. It's called dark humor, people! However, I did take issue with the homophobia in the movie, which was too obvious and too vicious to be considered dark humor.
Like Shaun of the Dead, for which this movie borrows heavily, this is a comedic zombie movie. So for fans of comedy movies that can't handle a lot of horror and gore, this one should fit the bill. Which is not to say it doesn't splatter some blood...it is a zombie movie, after all.
Juan of the Dead
Score: 61%
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