The streaming giant's Surprising New Undead Flick Injects Fresh Air into a Stale Genre

Typically, I've grown tired of zombie movies. Although classics like 28 Days Later and the early seasons of The Walking Dead proved enjoyable, the genre feels mostly depleted nowadays. Even the much-awaited 28 Years Later remains sitting in my watchlist for months. However, the platform's new Southeast Asian horror film, The Elixir, managed to defy what I anticipated and proved remarkably enjoyable.

Impressive Pacing and Character Growth

Among this movie's greatest strengths is its superb pacing. It kicks off using a striking opening sequence where a calm family party gets suddenly disrupted when a van crashes right into the guest area. From the wreckage, an extremely zombie-like stranger emerges and begins assaulting the attendees. This intense scene is immediately succeeded by a flashback, allowing us to see this household before the disaster struck.

In contrast to many zombie films, The Elixir truly allows viewers sufficient opportunity to get to know the primary characters before the carnage begins. There's Nes, a wife and mother with a former close friend, Karina, has become wed to her dad—an obviously uncomfortable situation. Naturally, this has understandably caused a rift between Nes and Karina. Then there's Nes' brother, Bang, described as good-natured but a bit inept socially, and he enjoys playing video games alongside Nes' young son, Raihan. Nes' husband, Rudi, appears to have recently cheated on her. The family head consists of Nes' father, who runs a well-known natural medicine business named Wani Waras, and he appears focused on just two aspects: his work and his marriage to his daughter's ex-best friend. Needless to say, this family reunion is extremely tense.

Invested in the Conflict

I became so invested in the household's issues and their interpersonal drama to the point I almost forgot I was watching a horror film—which might seem like a negative, but ultimately worked well. The Elixir dedicates a significant amount of the film to showing us who each family member is, and how they add to the overall dysfunction. This emphasis on conflicting personalities enabled the audience to relate with the characters enough to be concerned for their fate—a rare feat in a genre that often introduces individuals only to eliminate them soon after. The Elixir doesn't treat its characters as two-dimensional, expendable casualties for an army of zombies to devour, so it's a real surprise once events eventually go wrong.

Evocative of Parasite

The opening sequences of the party and the multiple family interactions in fact evoke the movie Parasite, a tale which disguises itself as a K-Drama featuring somewhat morbid humor prior to making a sudden shift toward shocking ground. These introductory scenes aren't centered too heavily on humor as Parasite, yet The Elixir still gives enough time to immerse in its world prior to it gets turned upside down.

Unique Zombification Origin

The film also offers a fairly intriguing reason for the source of the spreading transformation. Rather than a unintended laboratory incident or some sort of bioweapon, the cause of this contagious disease stems from a recent batch of Wani Waras herbal remedies developed by her dad. Although some background is provided a bit about how it started, it would have been better if the movie devoted a little more focus on how Wani Waras went from a trusted purveyor of natural treatments to creating a lethal elixir which seems to include a highly contagious pathogen. Despite the limited context, the effect this affliction produces on people proves absolutely repulsive, and I appreciate. The Elixir's zombies prove fast, bizarre in appearance, and, maybe most disturbingly, always smiling. This represents a bold decision, but it succeeds. The Elixir's practical effects and computer graphics are also very convincing, and they're practically guaranteed to trigger one's trypophobia.

Capable Characters

More impressive than the gross-out scenes are the characters themselves. Certainly, there are some examples of dubious choices (like any typical undead film), but generally, Nes and her family are inventive and quick-thinking. Additionally, they aren't afraid to strike an undead in the face, stab it with a pitchfork, or hit it over the head with whatever heavy object is available instead of standing still like a deer caught in lights as death approaches.

Realistic Familial Discord

The Elixir doesn't drop its themes on family conflict once individuals begin transforming into zombies, which was a pleasantly realistic subversion from the "We don't get along|"We have issues, but you almost died so I instantly forgive you for everything! cliché frequently used in end-of-world movies. Obviously, Nes cares for her relatives and values her husband, Rudi, yet it's equally apparent she's still clinging to bitterness regarding his infidelity in their relationship. When the family gets separated, they decide via telephone to regroup at a close spot. However, once Bang admits he doesn't know how to get there, Nes expresses an immense level of irritation toward Bang that's clearly been brewing over time. Nes is not flawless, and her relatives—flawed as it is—seem authentic and understandable because the film avoids attempting to promote the idea that a near-death experience immediately resolves familial strife. This causes those instances where these individuals express appreciation for each other feel much more genuine.

Stereotypical Ending

In spite of The Elixir's best attempts to innovate, the ending must be said to be somewhat formulaic. The Elixir doesn't truly offering up some profound message regarding relatives or society, either. Rather, it's mostly serving up frights. Yet these are effective frights, and because the film gives each character sufficient space to develop and avoids penalizing them for their imperfections, the result is an engaging and entertaining