For the most part, I've grown tired of zombie movies. Although favorites such as 28 Days Later along with the initial seasons of The Walking Dead proved enjoyable, the genre feels largely depleted nowadays. Yet the much-awaited 28 Years Later remains gathering dust on my to-watch queue for months. However, the platform's latest Southeast Asian zombie flick, The Elixir, succeeded in subvert my expectations and proved quite entertaining.
Impressive Pacing and Character Growth
One of the film's strongest strengths is its superb pacing. It kicks off with a memorable opening sequence where a peaceful family gathering is violently disrupted by a vehicle plows into the guest area. Out of the van, a very undead-looking individual emerges proceeding assaulting the attendees. This intense moment is then followed by a flashback, allowing us to see this household before the disaster occurred.
In contrast to many undead movies, The Elixir truly allows the audience enough opportunity to get to know the primary personalities prior to the chaos begins. There's Nes, a wife and mother with a ex best friend, Karina, has become wed to her dad—an obviously uncomfortable dynamic. Naturally, this has predictably caused a rift among the two women. We also see her sibling, Bang, who is good-natured yet a bit inept socially, and he loves playing video games alongside his nephew, Raihan. Her spouse, Rudi, seems to have lately cheated on Nes. This household patriarch consists of Nes' father, who runs a well-known herbal remedy business called Wani Waras, and he appears focused on only two aspects: his business and his marriage to Nes' ex-best friend. Needless to say, this gathering proves extremely tense.
Invested in the Conflict
I found myself so engrossed with this family's dynamics along with their personal conflicts that I almost overlooked this was a scary movie—which might seem like a drawback, but ultimately paid off. The Elixir dedicates a considerable amount of its runtime to showing viewers who each family member represents, and how they contribute to the overall turmoil. This emphasis on conflicting personalities enabled me to connect with the characters enough to care about their outcome—an uncommon accomplishment for this style that often introduces characters just to kill them off soon after. The Elixir doesn't treat its characters as two-dimensional, expendable casualties for an army of the undead to devour, thus it's a real surprise when things finally deteriorate.
Evocative of Parasite
The initial sequences from the gathering and the multiple household exchanges actually evoke the film Parasite, a story which disguises itself like a K-Drama featuring slightly dark humor before making a sudden shift toward "holy shit" territory. These early scenes don't focus too heavily on humor as Parasite, yet The Elixir still provides sufficient opportunity to immerse in its world prior to everything gets upended.
Original Zombification Source
This movie also offers a quite interesting explanation regarding the origin of the spreading zombification. Instead of a unintended laboratory incident or a type of bioweapon, the source of this contagious disease stems from a new sample from Wani Waras herbal remedies created by Nes' father. While we do learn something regarding its origins, it would have been better if the movie had spent a little more time on how Wani Waras went from a reputable supplier of natural treatments to producing a lethal potion that appears to include an extremely infectious pathogen. Regardless of the limited context, the impact this condition produces on humans proves absolutely disgusting, which I love it. The Elixir's zombies prove fast, bizarre in appearance, and, perhaps worst of all, always smiling. This is a daring choice, yet it succeeds. The Elixir's physical effects and CGI also appear very realistic, and are almost guaranteed to trigger a fear of holes.
Resourceful Personalities
Even better compared to the disgusting moments is the cast themselves. Certainly, there are some examples of questionable choices (as in typical zombie movie), however generally, Nes and her family show themselves inventive and sharp. They also aren't afraid to kick an undead in the head, pierce it with a pitchfork, or beat it over the head with the nearest heavy object is available rather than standing still like a deer in headlights as death nears.
Realistic Familial Strike
The Elixir doesn't abandon its focus on family conflict once individuals begin transforming into zombies, this proved a pleasantly realistic deviation from that "We don't get along|"We have issues, but since you nearly died so I instantly pardon you for everything! cliché frequently used in apocalyptic movies. Obviously, Nes cares for her relatives and cares about her husband, Rudi, but it's also apparent she's still clinging to bitterness over his betrayal in their relationship. Once the household becomes split up, they agree via telephone to meet up at a close location. But when Bang admits he doesn't know the way to the location, Nes expresses a massive amount of frustration on her brother which has obviously been building for years. Nes is not flawless, and her relatives—with all their imperfections—feel authentic and relatable since the movie doesn't try to promote the notion that nearly dying instantly cures familial strife. This makes those instances where these individuals do show appreciation for each other seem much more genuine.
Stereotypical Ending
Despite The Elixir's best attempts to innovate, the ending must be said to be a bit stereotypical. The Elixir isn't really presenting any deep insight regarding relatives or society, either. Rather, it's primarily serving up scares. Yet these are successful scares, and because the movie gives each character enough room to grow and avoids penalizing them for having flaws, the outcome is an engaging and entertaining
