162 - Juan of the Dead

    A zombie crisis hits Cuba, and Juan decides to recruit some of his friends into running a business to kill zombies.
    I had read an interesting review of this some time ago, and it took a fair amount of time to track it down.  I'm a little wary of this type of title.  If the title seems to be based off of a pun, it's usually a bad idea.  I even thought that Shaun of the Dead was a pretty poor title, but the quality of that movie, combined with how much it references the original Romero movies, allows me to forgive that title.
    In this case, I don't think the title is warranted.  At least it communicates what the movie will be about.
    It's a pretty fun movie, but it's a little confusing for a viewer that is so isolated from what things are like in Cuba.  There are some steps that are really straightforward; throughout the movie, the zombies are called dissidents.  The newscasters try to pin the unrest on the US.  It's unclear how much the citizens actually believe this.  I am very uncertain as to the quality of this movie.  From what I understood, it was enjoyable.  But I could tell there was a whole lot I didn't understand, and I have no idea how more knowledgeable people would feel about it.
    There's a strange tone that settles into the movie, and it's hard to explain.  There are some scenes that seem unusually dark, with character actions that seem more cruel.  This is counterbalanced by some very lighthearted sequences, like a dance-themed fight.  When characters die, no one seems to be especially broken up about it.
    There's one touch that seems especially puzzling to me.  Near the end of the movie, Juan saves a little boy.  He sets the boy up with his friends, who are fleeing to safety.  It's a nice character moment, but the boy plays no role in the ending.  If this were placed early in the film, it would establish character for Juan.  Instead, it just seems like we must have missed a reason for the scene.
    Still, it's pretty good.  The political tone to it is interesting, and helps keep it fresh.  Still, there's remarkably little connection to the dead from Romero's universe.  The approach to the movie reminded me more of the Dawn of the Dead remake.