Generally speaking, I've grown tired of apocalyptic horror. Although favorites such as 28 Days Later along with the initial seasons of The Walking Dead were gripping, the genre feels mostly exhausted nowadays. Yet the much-awaited 28 Years Later remains gathering dust on my to-watch queue for some time. But, Netflix's latest Southeast Asian zombie flick, The Elixir, managed to subvert what I anticipated and proved quite entertaining.
Impressive Rhythm and Personal Development
One of the film's strongest strengths is its excellent rhythm. It begins with a striking initial scene in which a peaceful family gathering gets suddenly disrupted when a van crashes right into the guest area. From the wreckage, a very zombie-like individual emerges and begins assaulting the attendees. This dramatic moment is then succeeded by a look back, allowing us to observe this household before the disaster struck.
Unlike many undead movies, The Elixir truly gives the audience enough time to become acquainted with the primary personalities prior to the chaos ensues. There's Nes, a wife and mother whose ex best friend, Karina, has become wed to Nes' father—a clearly awkward dynamic. Naturally, this has predictably caused a falling out among the two women. Then there's Nes' brother, Bang, who is kind-hearted yet a bit inept socially, and he loves gaming with Nes' young son, Raihan. Her spouse, Rudi, seems to have lately cheated on Nes. The family head is her dad, who runs a well-known natural medicine business named Wani Waras, and who seems to care about just two aspects: his business and his marriage to Nes' ex-best friend. Needless to say, this gathering is extremely tense.
Invested in the Conflict
I found myself so invested with this household's issues along with their personal conflicts that I nearly overlooked I was watching a scary movie—which might seem like a drawback, but ultimately paid off. The Elixir dedicates a significant amount of its runtime to showing us who each relative represents, and how they add to the overall turmoil. This focus on conflicting personalities enabled me to relate to the personalities enough to care about their outcome—an uncommon accomplishment for this style which frequently presents characters just to eliminate them shortly afterwards. The Elixir avoids portraying its characters as flat, expendable casualties for a horde of the undead to consume, so it's a real surprise when things eventually go wrong.
Evocative of Parasite
The initial scenes from the gathering and various household exchanges in fact bring to mind the movie Parasite, a story which disguises itself as a K-Drama with slightly dark comedy prior to taking a sudden turn toward "holy shit" ground. These introductory scenes don't focus too heavily on humor as Parasite, but The Elixir still provides sufficient opportunity to settle into its world before it gets upended.
Unique Zombification Origin
The film additionally presents a quite intriguing explanation for the source of the spreading transformation. Rather than an accidental laboratory incident or a type of bioweapon, the cause of this contagious disease originates in a recent batch of Wani Waras natural medicines created by Nes' father. While some background is provided something regarding how it started, it would have been better if the movie devoted a little more focus explaining how Wani Waras transitioned from a reputable purveyor of natural treatments to producing a deadly elixir that appears to contain an extremely infectious virus. Despite the lack of context, the impact this affliction produces on people proves utterly disgusting, and I appreciate. The Elixir's zombies are fast, freaky-looking, and, perhaps worst of all, always smiling. This represents a daring decision, yet it succeeds. The Elixir's practical effects and CGI also appear quite realistic, and are almost certain to trigger one's trypophobia.
Capable Characters
More impressive than the disgusting scenes is the cast themselves. Of course, there are a few examples of dubious decision-making (like any typical undead film), however for the most part, Nes and her family are inventive and sharp. They also aren't afraid to strike an undead in the head, stab it using a farm tool, or hit it on the skull with whatever heavy object they find instead of freezing like prey in headlights as death approaches.
Believable Familial Strike
The Elixir doesn't drop its themes of familial discord once individuals start turning to the undead, this proved a welcome realistic deviation from the "We don't get along|"We have issues, but since you nearly died I immediately forgive you for all your mistakes!" trope often seen in end-of-world films. It's clear, Nes loves her family and values her spouse, Rudi, yet it's equally clear she remains clinging to resentment over his betrayal of their marriage vows. When the family becomes split up, they decide via telephone to regroup at a close location. However, once Bang admits he doesn't know how to get there, Nes expresses an immense amount of frustration on her brother which has obviously been brewing over time. Nes is not flawless, and her relatives—flawed as it is—feel authentic and understandable since the movie doesn't try to push the idea that a near-death experience instantly cures family tensions. This makes the moments when these characters do show appreciation for each other seem much more genuine.
Predictable Conclusion
In spite of The Elixir's strong efforts to innovate, the ending must be said to be a bit formulaic. The Elixir isn't really presenting any deep insight about family or society, as well. Instead, it's mostly delivering scares. But they're successful scares, and because the movie allows every personality sufficient space to grow and avoids penalizing them for their imperfections, the result is a captivating and entertaining
