Typically, I've grown tired of zombie movies. While classics like 28 Days Later and the early episodes from The Walking Dead were gripping, this category feels mostly depleted nowadays. Yet the highly anticipated 28 Years Later remains sitting in my watchlist for months. However, Netflix's latest Southeast Asian horror film, The Elixir, succeeded in subvert what I anticipated and proved quite entertaining.
Excellent Rhythm and Character Growth
Among this movie's strongest assets is its superb pacing. It begins using a memorable opening sequence where a calm family gathering is violently disrupted by a van plows into the guest area. From the wreckage, a very undead-looking individual emerges and begins attacking the partygoers. This dramatic scene is immediately followed by a look back, allowing us to see this household before the disaster occurred.
In contrast to numerous undead movies, The Elixir actually gives viewers sufficient time to get to know the primary characters prior to the carnage begins. There's Nes, a wife and mother whose ex best friend, Karina, has become married to her dad—an obviously uncomfortable situation. This has understandably led to a rift among Nes and Karina. We also see Nes' brother, Bang, who is good-natured yet socially awkward, and he loves gaming with Nes' young son, Raihan. Nes' husband, Rudi, seems to have lately been unfaithful to Nes. This household patriarch consists of Nes' father, who runs a well-known natural medicine business named Wani Waras, and who seems to care about just two aspects: his business and his wife to his daughter's former best friend. Unsurprisingly, this family reunion is extremely tense.
Invested in the Conflict
I became so engrossed with this household's issues along with their personal conflicts that I nearly forgot this was a scary movie—which might seem like a drawback, but in the end worked well. The Elixir dedicates a significant portion of its runtime depicting us the identity of every family member is, plus the ways they add to the overall dysfunction. This focus on clashing personalities allowed me to connect to the personalities sufficiently to care about their outcome—an uncommon feat for this style that often presents individuals only to kill them off soon after. The Elixir avoids portraying its cast as flat, expendable casualties for an army of zombies to devour, thus it's a genuine surprise when things finally go wrong.
Evocative of Parasite
The opening scenes from the gathering and various household exchanges actually bring to mind the movie Parasite, a tale which disguises itself like a Korean drama with slightly dark humor before taking a sudden shift into shocking ground. These early moments don't focus too heavily on humor as Parasite, but The Elixir nonetheless gives enough opportunity to immerse in its world prior to it gets upended.
Original Infection Source
This movie additionally presents a fairly interesting reason regarding the origin of the contagious zombification. Rather than an accidental laboratory incident or a type of biological weapon, the source for this contagious disease originates in a recent sample from Wani Waras herbal remedies created by Nes' father. While some background is provided a bit about its origins, I wish the film had spent a little more time on how Wani Waras went from a reputable supplier of holistic medicine to producing a deadly elixir which seems to include a highly contagious virus. Despite the limited background, the effect this condition produces on humans is absolutely disgusting, which I appreciate. The Elixir's undead are fast, freaky-looking, and, maybe most disturbingly, constantly grinning. This represents a bold decision, yet it succeeds. The Elixir's physical effects and CGI also appear quite realistic, and they're almost guaranteed to trigger a fear of holes.
Resourceful Personalities
Even better than the disgusting scenes is the cast themselves. Certainly, there are a few examples of questionable choices (as in typical zombie movie), however generally, Nes and her relatives are inventive and quick-thinking. They also don't hesitate to kick an undead in the head, stab it with a pitchfork, or hit it on the skull with whatever blunt instrument they find instead of freezing like prey caught in lights as death approaches.
Realistic Familial Strike
The Elixir doesn't drop its focus on family conflict when people begin transforming to the undead, this proved a welcome authentic deviation from the "We don't get along|"We have issues, but since you nearly died I immediately pardon you for everything! trope often seen in apocalyptic movies. Obviously, Nes cares for her family and values her husband, Rudi, but it's also apparent she's still holding onto bitterness over his betrayal in their relationship. Once the household gets separated, they decide over the phone to meet up at a close spot. But when Bang reveals he is unaware how to get there, Nes expresses an immense level of irritation on her brother that's clearly been building for years. Nes isn't perfect, and her family—with all their imperfections—feel authentic and understandable because the film doesn't try to push the notion that a near-death experience immediately resolves family tensions. This causes the moments where these individuals do show appreciation toward one another feel much more genuine.
Predictable Ending
Despite The Elixir's strong efforts to break new ground, the conclusion must be said to be somewhat stereotypical. The Elixir isn't really offering up some profound insight regarding relatives or society, either. Instead, it's primarily serving up scares. But they're effective frights, and since the film allows every personality enough room to grow and avoids penalizing them for having flaws, the result is an engaging and enjoyable
