*Hey! You get an extra RFotW  column because I usually do two or so a week and I’ve been a bit too busy to watch as many movies as I’d like. Lucky you!

As we’re near completely brainwashed here in America that anything related to Cuba is bad or will turn you into a flag-waving, manifesto carrying Commie if you so much breathe in its general direction (save for stuff that can really kill us if over-consumed like Cuban cigars, Cuban sandwiches, or a fatal clot in the ass or legs from that 48-hour I Love Lucy marathon because you wanted to catch that ONE episode you missed), seeing a great indie zombie flick pop up out of that country is a nicely reaffirming sign that people are indeed alike all over. Juan of the Dead, despite the knockoff title and low budget, is a really fine addition to the crowded zombie flick genre thanks to plenty of gore and decent FX work, a load of humor targeted at current and past political policies and a solid cast that’s just fantastic throughout.

What works are the universal theme of the undead menace and how writer/director Alejandro Brugués works the themes of fighting back and escaping in very much the same way seen in other famous zombie flicks. Sure, the title, tone and some of the characters reference Shaun of the Dead (and yes, the fill can be seen a a send-up of that work) but Juan ends up being a character some might not find sympathy for because he’s a slacker, philanderer of sorts and bit of a mercenary when it comes to planning things out. Granted, some of his friends are worse or weirder in how they’re presented, but for the most part, all end up effective undead dispatchers when the going gets rough. It’s cool that the film never wastes time explaining itself (you never really know why and where those zombies come from and it ends up not being so important). You’re just presented with images of society falling apart bit by bit.

Buildings in the distance seem to be blown up on a daily basis by the military, Juan and his pals try to make money off killing zombies (which doesn’t turn out as expected) and as the film progresses, a few of his friends don’t make it through the chaos. Thankfully, the laughs are as relentless as the zombies (which get categorized at one point into “hares” and “tortoises” due to differences in mobility) and I’d say the most memorable sequence is a hilarious choreographed dance number between two characters complete with a song written that’s equally funny. By the end of the movie, you’ll be smiling because things work out in a weirdly satisfying manner that doesn’t exactly spell out any sequel potential (until Hollywood steal this and remakes it at some point with Mexican laborers replacing loyal Cubans), but still ends up making for a fine and tidy hour forty spent with a grin on your face.

I guess this will be great paired with Shaun of the Dead if you haven’t seen it yet, but I’d also grab Zombieland or perhaps George Romero’s classic Dawn of the Dead just to see where all of those picked apart ideas from. Yeah, yeah, Romero’s Night of the Living Dead is the gold standard here, but everyone has seen that one and KNOWS it, right? Yeah, I thought so…