Typically, I'm over undead films. While favorites such as 28 Days Later along with the initial seasons of The Walking Dead proved enjoyable, this category feels mostly depleted at this point. Even the highly anticipated 28 Years Later has been sitting on my to-watch queue for months. But, the platform's new Southeast Asian zombie flick, The Elixir, succeeded in defy my expectations turning out quite entertaining.
Excellent Rhythm and Personal Growth
One of this movie's greatest strengths is its excellent pacing. It begins using a striking initial scene where a peaceful family gathering gets suddenly interrupted when a vehicle plows into the guest area. From the wreckage, an extremely zombie-like individual stumbles out and begins assaulting the partygoers. This intense moment is immediately followed by a flashback, allowing us to see this household before the tragedy occurred.
In contrast to many undead movies, The Elixir truly gives the audience sufficient time to become acquainted with its main personalities before the carnage begins. We meet Nes, a wife and mother whose ex close friend, Karina, has become married to Nes' father—an obviously uncomfortable dynamic. This has understandably led to a rift between the two women. We also see her sibling, Bang, described as good-natured yet socially awkward, and he enjoys playing video games alongside Nes' young son, Raihan. Her spouse, Rudi, seems to have recently cheated on Nes. This household head is her dad, who runs a well-known natural medicine business named Wani Waras, and who seems to care about only two things: his work and his wife to his daughter's ex-best friend. Needless to say, this gathering is extremely strained.
Invested in the Drama
I found myself so engrossed in the household's issues along with their interpersonal drama to the point I almost overlooked this was a horror film—something that could sound like a drawback, but in the end paid off. The Elixir spends a significant portion of its runtime depicting viewers who each relative represents, and how they add to the overall dysfunction. This focus on conflicting traits allowed the audience to connect to the personalities sufficiently to care about their outcome—an uncommon accomplishment for this style which frequently presents individuals just to kill them off shortly afterwards. The Elixir avoids portraying its cast as two-dimensional, expendable casualties for an army of zombies to devour, thus it's a real surprise once events finally go wrong.
Evocative of Parasite
The opening scenes from the gathering and the multiple household exchanges in fact evoke the film Parasite, a story that masquerades like a K-Drama with somewhat morbid humor prior to taking a sudden turn toward "holy shit" ground. These introductory scenes aren't centered too heavily on comedy compared to Parasite, yet The Elixir nonetheless provides enough time to immerse in its world before everything gets turned upside down.
Unique Zombification Source
This movie also offers a fairly intriguing reason regarding the origin of the contagious zombification. Instead of a unintended laboratory incident or a type of bioweapon, the source for this contagious disease originates in a recent sample from Wani Waras herbal remedies developed by her dad. While some background is provided something regarding its origins, it would have been better if the movie had spent a little more time on how Wani Waras went from a trusted purveyor of natural treatments to creating a lethal elixir that appears to contain a highly contagious virus. Regardless of the limited background, the impact this affliction produces on people is absolutely disgusting, and I love it. The Elixir's zombies prove quick, freaky-looking, and, perhaps worst of all, constantly grinning. This represents a bold decision, but it succeeds. The Elixir's physical effects and computer graphics also appear quite convincing, and are almost guaranteed to provoke a fear of holes.
Resourceful Personalities
Even better compared to the gross-out moments is the cast themselves. Certainly, there are a few instances of questionable choices (like any typical zombie movie), however generally, Nes and her relatives are resourceful and sharp. Additionally, they aren't afraid to kick an undead in the head, pierce it using a farm tool, or hit it on the skull with the nearest heavy object they find instead of freezing like prey caught in lights while danger nears.
Realistic Family Discord
The Elixir doesn't abandon its focus on family conflict once individuals start turning into zombies, this proved a welcome realistic deviation from the "We don't get along|"We have issues, but since you nearly died so I instantly forgive you for all your mistakes!" trope frequently used in end-of-world films. Obviously, Nes cares for her family and values her spouse, Rudi, yet it's equally apparent she remains holding onto resentment regarding his infidelity of their marriage vows. Once the household becomes split up, they agree via telephone to meet up at a close location. But when Bang admits he doesn't know how to get there, Nes expresses an immense level of irritation on her brother that's clearly been brewing over time. Nes isn't perfect, and her relatives—flawed as it is—feel authentic and understandable because the film doesn't try to push the notion that nearly dying instantly cures family tensions. This causes the moments when these characters do show gratitude toward one another feel far more genuine.
Predictable Conclusion
In spite of The Elixir's best attempts to innovate, the conclusion must be said to be a bit formulaic. The Elixir isn't really presenting some profound message about family or community, either. Rather, it's mostly delivering scares. But they're effective frights, and because the film gives each character enough room to grow and avoids penalizing them for having flaws, the outcome is an engaging and entertaining
