Generally speaking, I'm over undead films. While favorites such as 28 Days Later along with the initial episodes from The Walking Dead were gripping, the genre feels mostly exhausted nowadays. Even the highly anticipated 28 Years Later has been gathering dust on my to-watch queue for months. But, the platform's new Southeast Asian horror film, The Elixir, succeeded in defy what I anticipated and proved remarkably enjoyable.
Impressive Pacing and Personal Development
One of this movie's strongest assets lies in the superb pacing. It begins using a memorable opening sequence where a calm family gathering gets suddenly disrupted when a van plows into the guest area. From the wreckage, an extremely undead-looking individual stumbles out and begins assaulting the attendees. This intense scene is immediately followed by a flashback, giving viewers to observe this household prior to the disaster struck.
In contrast to numerous zombie films, The Elixir actually gives the audience sufficient opportunity to become acquainted with its main characters prior to the chaos begins. There's Nes, a married mother with a ex best friend, Karina, has become wed to Nes' father—an obviously uncomfortable situation. Naturally, this has predictably caused a rift between Nes and Karina. We also see Nes' brother, Bang, described as good-natured yet a bit inept socially, and he loves gaming with Nes' young son, Raihan. Nes' husband, Rudi, appears to have recently cheated on her. The family head consists of Nes' father, who runs a popular herbal remedy business named Wani Waras, and who appears focused on only two aspects: his business and his marriage to Nes' former best friend. Needless to say, this gathering is incredibly strained.
Engaged in the Drama
I found myself so engrossed in the household's issues along with their interpersonal drama to the point I nearly overlooked I was watching a scary movie—something that could sound like a drawback, but ultimately worked well. The Elixir spends a considerable amount of the film to showing us who each family member represents, plus the ways they contribute to the overall dysfunction. This focus on conflicting personalities allowed 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 soon after. The Elixir avoids portraying its characters as two-dimensional, expendable casualties for a horde of zombies to consume, so it's a genuine shock when things finally deteriorate.
Evocative of Parasite
The initial sequences of the party and the multiple family interactions in fact evoke the movie Parasite, a tale which disguises itself like a Korean drama with slightly dark comedy before making a sudden shift into "holy shit" ground. These introductory scenes don't focus as much on humor compared to Parasite, but The Elixir still gives sufficient opportunity to immerse in its world prior to everything gets turned upside down.
Unique Zombification Source
The film additionally presents a quite interesting explanation for the source of the spreading transformation. Rather than an accidental lab leak or some sort of bioweapon, the source of this infectious condition stems from a recent sample of Wani Waras herbal remedies created by Nes' father. Although we do learn something regarding how it started, it would have been better if the movie devoted a little more focus explaining how Wani Waras went from a trusted purveyor of natural treatments to producing a lethal elixir that appears to include a highly contagious virus. Regardless of the limited context, the effect this condition has on humans is absolutely repulsive, and I love it. The Elixir's zombies are fast, bizarre in appearance, and, maybe most disturbingly, constantly grinning. This is a bold decision, yet it succeeds. The Elixir's physical effects and CGI also appear quite convincing, and are almost guaranteed to provoke a fear of holes.
Resourceful Characters
Even better than the gross-out scenes are the characters themselves. Certainly, there are a few instances of dubious choices (like any any good zombie movie), but generally, Nes and her family show themselves resourceful and quick-thinking. Additionally, they aren't afraid to kick a zombie in the face, pierce it using a farm tool, or hit it on the skull with the nearest blunt instrument they find rather than standing still like a deer caught in lights as death approaches.
Believable Familial Discord
The Elixir doesn't abandon its themes of familial discord once individuals begin transforming to the undead, which was a pleasantly authentic deviation from the "We don't get along|"We have issues, but you almost died so I instantly forgive you for everything! cliché often seen in apocalyptic films. It's clear, Nes cares for her relatives and values her spouse, Rudi, but it's also apparent she's still holding onto bitterness regarding his infidelity of their marriage vows. When the family gets separated, they decide via telephone to meet up at a nearby spot. But when 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 isn't flawless, and her family—flawed as it is—seem authentic and relatable since the movie doesn't try to promote the idea that nearly dying immediately resolves family tensions. This causes the moments when these characters express gratitude toward one another seem much more sincere.
Predictable Conclusion
Despite The Elixir's strong efforts to innovate, the conclusion must be said to be somewhat formulaic. The Elixir isn't really presenting any deep message about family or society, as well. Rather, it's mostly delivering frights. But they're successful scares, and because the movie allows every personality enough room to grow and avoids penalizing them for having flaws, the outcome is a captivating and entertaining
