Typically, I've grown tired of zombie movies. While classics like 28 Days Later along with the initial episodes from The Walking Dead proved enjoyable, the genre seems mostly exhausted at this point. Yet the highly anticipated 28 Years Later remains gathering dust on my to-watch queue for months. However, Netflix's latest Southeast Asian horror film, The Elixir, succeeded in subvert what I anticipated turning out quite entertaining.
Excellent Pacing and Personal Development
One of this movie's strongest assets lies in the excellent rhythm. It kicks off with a memorable initial scene where a peaceful family party is violently disrupted by a van crashes into the seating section. Out of the van, a very zombie-like stranger stumbles out and begins attacking the partygoers. This dramatic scene is immediately succeeded by a flashback, allowing us to observe the family prior to the disaster struck.
In contrast to numerous zombie films, The Elixir actually allows viewers sufficient opportunity to get to know its main personalities before the chaos ensues. There's Nes, a married mother with a ex best friend, Karina, has become married to her dad—a clearly uncomfortable situation. This has predictably led to a rift among Nes and Karina. We also see Nes' brother, Bang, who is kind-hearted yet a bit inept socially, and he loves gaming alongside his nephew, Raihan. Her spouse, Rudi, appears to have lately cheated on her. This household head is Nes' father, the owner of a popular natural medicine company called Wani Waras, and who seems focused on just two aspects: his work and his marriage to Nes' ex-best friend. Unsurprisingly, this family reunion is extremely tense.
Engaged in the Conflict
I found myself so invested in the household's issues along with their interpersonal drama that I nearly forgot this was a horror film—something that could seem like a negative, but ultimately worked well. The Elixir spends a considerable portion of its runtime depicting us who each relative represents, plus the ways they add to the overall turmoil. This focus on clashing personalities enabled the audience to relate with the characters sufficiently to care about their outcome—a rare accomplishment in a genre that often presents individuals only to eliminate them shortly afterwards. The Elixir doesn't treat its characters as flat, expendable casualties for an army of the undead to devour, so it's a real shock when things eventually deteriorate.
Reminiscent of Parasite
The opening scenes from the gathering and various household exchanges in fact evoke the film Parasite, a tale which disguises itself like a K-Drama with somewhat morbid comedy before taking an abrupt turn into "holy shit" territory. These early scenes don't focus too heavily on humor compared to Parasite, but The Elixir still provides enough time to settle into its world prior to it gets upended.
Unique Zombification Source
The film additionally presents a fairly intriguing reason regarding the origin of the spreading transformation. Instead of an accidental laboratory incident or some sort of bioweapon, the cause for this infectious condition stems from a recent batch from Wani Waras herbal remedies developed by Nes' father. Although we do learn a bit about its origins, I wish the film devoted additional time explaining how Wani Waras transitioned from a trusted purveyor of holistic medicine to producing a lethal elixir which seems to contain an extremely infectious pathogen. Despite the lack of background, the effect this condition has on humans is utterly disgusting, which I love it. The Elixir's undead are fast, bizarre in appearance, and, perhaps worst of all, constantly grinning. This is a daring choice, but it succeeds. The Elixir's practical effects and computer graphics also appear very convincing, and are practically guaranteed to provoke a fear of holes.
Resourceful Personalities
More impressive compared to the gross-out moments is the cast themselves. Certainly, we see some examples of questionable decision-making (as in any good zombie movie), but for the most part, Nes and her family show themselves resourceful and quick-thinking. They also don't hesitate to strike an undead in the head, pierce it using a farm tool, or hit it over the head with the nearest heavy object is available instead of standing still like prey caught in lights as death nears.
Believable Familial Discord
The Elixir doesn't abandon its focus of familial discord once individuals start turning to the undead, which was a pleasantly realistic deviation from that "We don't get along|"We have issues, but you almost died I immediately pardon you for all your mistakes!" trope often seen in end-of-world films. Obviously, Nes cares for her relatives and cares about her husband, Rudi, but it's also apparent she remains clinging to resentment regarding his infidelity in their relationship. When the family becomes split up, they decide via telephone to regroup at a close spot. But when Bang reveals he is unaware the way to the location, Nes unleashes a massive amount of frustration toward Bang which has obviously been building for years. Nes is not flawless, and her relatives—flawed as it is—seem realistic and understandable since the movie doesn't try to promote the idea that a near-death experience immediately resolves family tensions. This makes those instances where these individuals express gratitude toward one another feel much more sincere.
Predictable Ending
In spite of The Elixir's strong efforts to break new ground, the ending is admittedly a bit formulaic. The Elixir isn't really offering up any deep message about family or community, either. Instead, it's primarily delivering frights. But they're effective scares, and since the film allows every personality sufficient space to develop and doesn't punish them for having flaws, the result is an engaging and entertaining
