Generally speaking, I've grown tired of apocalyptic horror. While classics like 28 Days Later along with the initial seasons of The Walking Dead were enjoyable, the genre feels largely exhausted nowadays. Yet the highly anticipated 28 Years Later has been gathering dust in my watchlist for some time. But, the platform's new Indonesian zombie flick, The Elixir, managed to defy my expectations turning out quite enjoyable.
Excellent Rhythm and Personal Development
One of the film's greatest assets is its superb rhythm. It begins with a memorable initial scene in which a calm family party gets suddenly disrupted by a vehicle crashes into the guest area. Out of the van, an extremely zombie-like individual emerges and begins attacking the partygoers. This intense scene is then succeeded by a flashback, giving viewers to see the family before the tragedy struck.
In contrast to many undead movies, The Elixir truly allows viewers enough opportunity to become acquainted with the primary personalities before the carnage begins. We meet Nes, a wife and mother with a ex best friend, Karina, has become married to her dad—an obviously awkward situation. Naturally, this has predictably led to a falling out between the two women. Then there's her sibling, Bang, who is kind-hearted yet socially awkward, and who enjoys gaming with Nes' young son, Raihan. Her spouse, Rudi, appears to have lately cheated on Nes. The family head consists of Nes' father, who runs a popular herbal remedy company named Wani Waras, and who seems focused on just two aspects: his work and his marriage to Nes' ex-best friend. Needless to say, this gathering proves extremely tense.
Invested in the Conflict
I found myself so invested in the family's dynamics and their personal conflicts to the point I nearly overlooked this was a scary movie—which might seem like a negative, yet in the end paid off. The Elixir dedicates a significant portion of its runtime depicting us who each family member is, plus the ways they contribute to the overall dysfunction. This focus on clashing personalities enabled the audience to relate with the characters enough to care about their outcome—a rare feat for this style which frequently presents characters just to kill them off shortly afterwards. The Elixir doesn't treat its characters as flat, expendable casualties for a horde of zombies to devour, thus it's a real surprise once events eventually go wrong.
Reminiscent of Parasite
The initial sequences of the party and various family interactions in fact evoke the movie Parasite, a story that masquerades as a K-Drama featuring somewhat morbid humor prior to taking an abrupt turn toward shocking territory. These early moments don't focus as much on comedy as Parasite, yet The Elixir nonetheless provides enough time to immerse in its world prior to it gets upended.
Unique Zombification Source
This movie also offers a quite intriguing reason for the source of the contagious zombification. Instead of a unintended laboratory incident or some sort of biological weapon, the cause of this contagious disease originates in a recent sample from Wani Waras natural medicines developed by her dad. While we do learn a bit about how it started, I wish the movie devoted additional focus explaining how Wani Waras went from a trusted supplier of holistic medicine to producing a lethal elixir that appears to include a highly contagious pathogen. Despite the lack of context, the impact this condition produces on people is absolutely disgusting, and I appreciate. The Elixir's undead prove quick, bizarre in appearance, and, maybe most disturbingly, always smiling. This represents a daring choice, yet it succeeds. The Elixir's practical effects and CGI also appear very convincing, and are almost guaranteed to provoke a fear of holes.
Resourceful Personalities
More impressive than the gross-out moments are the characters themselves. Certainly, we see a few examples of questionable decision-making (like any any good undead film), however for the most part, Nes and her relatives show themselves resourceful and quick-thinking. Additionally, they don't hesitate to kick an undead in the face, pierce it using a farm tool, or hit it on the skull with the nearest blunt instrument is available instead of freezing like prey caught in lights while danger nears.
Believable Family Discord
The Elixir doesn't drop its themes on family conflict once individuals begin transforming to the undead, which was a pleasantly authentic deviation from that "We don't get along|"We have issues, but since you nearly died I immediately pardon you for everything! trope often seen in end-of-world movies. It's clear, Nes loves her relatives and values her husband, Rudi, yet it's equally clear she's still clinging to resentment regarding his infidelity of their marriage vows. When the family gets separated, they decide over the phone to meet up at a nearby spot. But when Bang admits he doesn't know how to get there, Nes unleashes an immense amount of frustration on her brother that's clearly been building for years. Nes is not perfect, and her family—flawed as it is—seem authentic and relatable since the movie doesn't try to push the notion that a near-death experience instantly cures familial strife. This causes the moments where these individuals express gratitude toward one another seem far more genuine.
Predictable Ending
In spite of The Elixir's strong efforts to break new ground, the conclusion is admittedly a bit formulaic. The Elixir doesn't truly offering up some profound insight regarding relatives or society, as well. Instead, it's mostly delivering scares. But they're successful scares, and because the film gives each character sufficient space to develop and avoids penalizing them for their imperfections, the outcome proves an engaging and enjoyable
