Generally speaking, I'm over zombie movies. While classics like 28 Days Later along with the initial seasons of The Walking Dead were enjoyable, the genre seems largely exhausted nowadays. Yet the highly anticipated 28 Years Later has been gathering dust on my to-watch queue for months. But, the platform's new Southeast Asian zombie flick, The Elixir, managed to subvert what I anticipated turning out remarkably enjoyable.
Impressive Pacing and Personal Growth
Among this movie's strongest assets lies in the superb pacing. It begins with a striking initial scene in which a peaceful family gathering is violently disrupted by a van crashes into the guest area. From the wreckage, an extremely zombie-like individual stumbles out and begins attacking the attendees. This intense moment is then followed by a flashback, giving viewers to see the family before the tragedy struck.
Unlike numerous zombie films, The Elixir truly allows the audience sufficient time to become acquainted with the primary characters prior to the carnage ensues. We meet Nes, a wife and mother whose ex best friend, Karina, has become married to her dad—a clearly uncomfortable situation. This has predictably led to a falling out among Nes and Karina. We also see her sibling, Bang, who is good-natured but a bit inept socially, and he loves playing video games alongside Nes' young son, Raihan. Her spouse, Rudi, appears to have lately been unfaithful to her. This household head consists of Nes' father, the owner of a popular natural medicine company called Wani Waras, and who seems to care about just two aspects: his business and his wife to his daughter's ex-best friend. Needless to say, this family reunion proves extremely tense.
Engaged in the Drama
I found myself so invested in the family's dynamics and their interpersonal drama to the point I almost overlooked I was watching a scary movie—something that could seem like a drawback, but in the end worked well. The Elixir spends a considerable portion of the film to showing us who each relative represents, plus the ways they add to the general dysfunction. This emphasis on clashing personalities allowed me to relate to the personalities enough to be concerned for their outcome—a rare accomplishment for this style that often presents characters just to kill them off soon after. The Elixir avoids portraying its characters as flat, expendable casualties for a horde of zombies to devour, so it's a genuine shock when things eventually go wrong.
Evocative of Parasite
The initial scenes from the gathering and the multiple family interactions in fact bring to mind the film Parasite, a story which disguises itself as a K-Drama with slightly dark comedy prior to taking an abrupt turn into shocking territory. These early scenes don't focus too heavily on humor compared to Parasite, yet The Elixir nonetheless gives sufficient opportunity to immerse in the setting before everything gets upended.
Unique Infection Origin
The film additionally presents a fairly intriguing reason regarding the origin of the contagious transformation. Instead of a unintended lab leak or some sort of bioweapon, the cause for this contagious disease originates in a recent sample of Wani Waras natural medicines created by her dad. Although we do learn a bit about its origins, it would have been better if the movie devoted a little more focus on how Wani Waras transitioned from a reputable purveyor of holistic medicine to creating a lethal potion which seems to include an extremely infectious pathogen. Regardless of the lack of context, the impact this condition has on humans proves absolutely repulsive, and I love it. The Elixir's undead prove fast, bizarre in appearance, and, perhaps worst of all, always smiling. This represents a bold decision, yet it succeeds. The Elixir's practical effects and CGI are also quite convincing, and are almost certain to provoke one's trypophobia.
Resourceful Characters
More impressive compared to the gross-out scenes is the cast themselves. Certainly, we see a few examples of dubious decision-making (as in any good zombie movie), but generally, Nes and her relatives are inventive and sharp. They also aren't afraid to kick a zombie in the face, stab it with a pitchfork, or hit it over the head with the nearest heavy object they find instead of standing still like prey caught in lights as death approaches.
Believable Family Strike
The Elixir doesn't abandon its themes on family conflict when people begin transforming into zombies, which was a welcome authentic deviation from the "We don't get along|"We have issues, but you almost died I immediately forgive you for all your mistakes!" cliché often seen in end-of-world films. It's clear, Nes cares for her relatives and cares about her spouse, Rudi, but it's also apparent she remains clinging to bitterness regarding his infidelity in their relationship. When the family becomes split up, they decide over the phone to regroup at a close spot. But when Bang admits he is unaware how to get there, Nes unleashes a massive level of irritation toward Bang that's clearly been building over time. Nes is not flawless, and her relatives—flawed as it is—feel authentic and relatable because the film avoids attempting to push the notion that a near-death experience immediately resolves family tensions. This causes the moments where these individuals do show gratitude toward one another seem far more sincere.
Predictable Ending
Despite The Elixir's best attempts to innovate, the conclusion is admittedly a bit stereotypical. The Elixir isn't really offering up some profound message about family or community, as well. Rather, it's primarily delivering frights. Yet these are successful frights, and since the film gives each character sufficient space to develop and avoids penalizing them for their imperfections, the result proves a captivating and enjoyable
