★ 9 / 10
An immensely fun and zany zombie and comedy film
kannibalcorpsegrinder
Trying to find some extra money, a hapless loser is forced to take a summer job working with his grandmother on her remote tomato farm, harvesting the fruit…
Trying to find some extra money, a hapless loser is forced to take a summer job working with his grandmother on her remote tomato farm, harvesting the fruit she grows, only to find his efforts thwarted when a government experiment brings a zombie horde to life and attacks them.This was a really fun and generally likable genre effort. Among the better elements within this one is the impressive setup that provides the film with a clear-cut structure involving the two distinct halves of the story. The first part of the film is set up to be a fantastic fish-out-of-water comedy involving his arrival at the tomato farm through a strange series of events that require him to get some fast money and find a job at the grandmother's house, harvesting tomatoes with her. That is such a silly look at what's happening around him. The lifestyle and climate of the remote community, compared to what he's used to, make for a great series of gags and situational comedy where he's so unsure of how to work in that kind of environment, as his flustered nature and misunderstandings create a solid series of comedic gags. It's possible some might find this section drags on a bit too long, as there's no action or even hint of zombie activity until nearly an hour in, so it's entirely possible to not be aware at all that this is a genre presentation until then, even though this is genuinely fun and highly likable. When the outbreak occurs and it becomes obvious that a zombie outbreak has occurred in the area, this starts getting a bit more interesting for genre fans. The opening encounter in the tomato field is a nice, short gag that works due to the suddenness of the situation and lack of anything until then, but the main segue here is immensely fun and zany, with the festival being interrupted by the arriving swarm, throwing the whole thing into chaos. The series of encounters and confrontations that take place around the island offer up the kind of fantastic high-energy scenarios where the sheer panic and chaos of trying to deal with the zombies make everything quite fun, allowing for some great zombie action and even some solid gore to cap everything off. There could've been a more logical and thought-through process here for the cause of the outbreak, which has a decent idea behind it, but doesn't have that kind of realistic logic that it should've, being what holds this one down.Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.
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★ 8 / 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Certified Fresh
tomrd-80705
"Salsa" is a Croatian zombie movie. Yes, you read that right, and the absurdity doesn't stop there. The film centers on Vatroslav, a loser student who, through…
"Salsa" is a Croatian zombie movie. Yes, you read that right, and the absurdity doesn't stop there. The film centers on Vatroslav, a loser student who, through a series of unfortunate events, ends up with a summer job helping to gather tomatoes on his friend's grandmother's remote island farm. The story is divided into two distinct halves: the first part is a classic fish-out-of-water comedy as Vatroslav awkwardly tries to fit in with the island's quirky residents, while the second half turns into an zombie apocalypse.While the movie runs slightly longer than your typical light-hearted horror comedy at 1 hour and 40 minutes, it never feels dragged out. Vatroslav's misadventures are easy to get invested in because he's a relatable, average nice guy-just cursed with an extraordinary amount of bad luck. The humor flows naturally from the characters and their interactions, rather than feeling shoehorned in by the script. Acting, script, and direction all come together smoothly, giving the film an effortless charm.However, some might find the slow build-up to the zombie outbreak a bit frustrating. The first kill doesn't happen until halfway through, and the full-blown apocalypse only kicks off in the third act. Because of this, Salsa leans more into being a summer movie than a traditional zombie flick. The first act is occasionally disrupted by forced dialogues referencing the fall of Yugoslavia, which feel a bit out of place. Thankfully, there aren't too many of these moments, but I would have preferred a few more jokes about the bygone communist regime, as it's a recurring theme in the characters' conversations. It almost feels like these jokes were part of the original script but were edited out.Despite this, Salsa is a thoroughly enjoyable ride. If you're looking for a warm summer comedy to lighten up the colder months, this quirky Croatian film is a fantastic pick.
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5.7/10
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