For the most part, I've grown tired of apocalyptic horror. While favorites such as 28 Days Later and the early episodes from The Walking Dead proved enjoyable, the genre feels mostly depleted nowadays. Even the much-awaited 28 Years Later remains sitting on my to-watch queue for months. However, the platform's new Indonesian zombie flick, The Elixir, managed to subvert my expectations and proved quite entertaining.
Superb Pacing and Character Growth
One of this movie's strongest assets is its excellent rhythm. It begins using a striking initial scene where a peaceful family party gets suddenly disrupted when a van crashes right into the seating section. From the wreckage, a very undead-looking stranger emerges proceeding attacking the attendees. This dramatic scene is then succeeded by a flashback, giving viewers to observe this household before the disaster occurred.
In contrast to numerous undead movies, The Elixir actually allows the audience enough time to become acquainted with its main personalities before the carnage begins. We meet Nes, a married mother with a former close friend, Karina, has become wed to her dad—an obviously uncomfortable dynamic. This has understandably led to a rift among Nes and Karina. We also see Nes' brother, Bang, who is good-natured but a bit inept socially, and who enjoys gaming alongside Nes' young son, Raihan. Her spouse, Rudi, appears to have recently cheated on Nes. The family patriarch consists of her dad, who runs a popular herbal remedy company called Wani Waras, and who seems to care about just two aspects: his work and his marriage to his daughter's former best friend. Unsurprisingly, this gathering is extremely tense.
Invested in the Drama
I found myself so engrossed with this family's dynamics and their personal conflicts to the point I almost overlooked this was a scary movie—something that could seem like a negative, but in the end paid off. The Elixir dedicates a considerable portion of the film to showing viewers who each family member is, and how they add to the overall turmoil. This emphasis on clashing traits allowed me to relate to the personalities sufficiently to be concerned for their fate—a rare feat for this style which frequently introduces individuals just to kill them off soon after. The Elixir avoids portraying its characters as two-dimensional, expendable casualties for a horde of zombies to consume, thus it's a genuine surprise once events finally go wrong.
Evocative of Parasite
The initial scenes from the gathering and various household exchanges in fact evoke the movie Parasite, a story which disguises itself as a K-Drama with slightly dark comedy before making a sudden shift into "holy shit" territory. These early moments don't focus too heavily on comedy compared to Parasite, but The Elixir still gives sufficient opportunity to settle into the setting before everything gets upended.
Unique Infection Origin
The film additionally presents a fairly intriguing reason for the source of the contagious transformation. Instead of a unintended lab leak or some sort of biological weapon, the source for this contagious disease stems from a new sample of Wani Waras natural medicines created by Nes' father. Although some background is provided something regarding how it started, it would have been better if the film had spent additional time on how Wani Waras went from a trusted purveyor of holistic medicine to creating a deadly potion which seems to contain a highly contagious virus. Despite the limited context, the impact this condition has on humans is utterly disgusting, which I appreciate. The Elixir's zombies are fast, freaky-looking, and, perhaps worst of all, constantly grinning. This represents a daring decision, yet it succeeds. The Elixir's practical effects and CGI also appear very convincing, and they're practically guaranteed to trigger a fear of holes.
Capable Characters
Even better compared to the gross-out moments is the cast themselves. Of course, we see some examples of dubious choices (as in typical undead film), but for the most part, Nes and her family show themselves resourceful and sharp. Additionally, they don't hesitate to kick an undead in the head, pierce it with a pitchfork, or beat it over the head with whatever heavy object is available instead of standing still like prey in headlights while danger approaches.
Realistic Family Discord
The Elixir doesn't drop its themes of familial discord when people start turning into zombies, this proved a welcome realistic subversion from the "We don't get along|"We have issues, but since you nearly died I immediately pardon you for all your mistakes!" cliché frequently used in apocalyptic movies. It's clear, Nes cares for her relatives and values her spouse, Rudi, but it's also apparent she remains holding onto bitterness over his betrayal in their relationship. When the family becomes split up, they decide over the phone to regroup at a nearby spot. But when Bang admits he doesn't know how to get there, Nes expresses an immense amount of frustration toward Bang that's clearly been brewing over time. Nes is not perfect, and her relatives—with all their imperfections—seem realistic and understandable because the film doesn't try to promote the notion that nearly dying immediately resolves familial strife. This causes the moments when these characters do show appreciation toward one another seem far more genuine.
Predictable Conclusion
In spite of The Elixir's best attempts to break new ground, the ending must be said to be somewhat stereotypical. The Elixir doesn't truly offering up any deep message regarding relatives or society, as well. Rather, it's primarily delivering scares. But they're effective scares, and because the movie gives each character enough room to grow and avoids penalizing them for having flaws, the outcome proves an engaging and enjoyable
