Typically, I've had my fill of apocalyptic horror. Although favorites such as 28 Days Later along with the initial episodes from The Walking Dead were enjoyable, the genre feels mostly depleted nowadays. Even the much-awaited 28 Years Later remains gathering dust in my watchlist for months. But, the platform's latest Indonesian horror film, The Elixir, succeeded in defy what I anticipated and proved quite enjoyable.
Impressive Pacing and Personal Development
Among this movie's strongest assets lies in the superb rhythm. It kicks off using a memorable opening sequence where a peaceful family gathering is violently disrupted when a vehicle plows into the seating section. Out of the van, an extremely zombie-like stranger emerges and begins assaulting the partygoers. This dramatic moment is then succeeded by a look back, allowing us to see this household prior to the disaster occurred.
In contrast to many undead movies, The Elixir truly gives the audience sufficient opportunity to become acquainted with its main personalities prior to the chaos begins. There's Nes, a married mother with a ex best friend, Karina, has become wed to her dad—a clearly awkward dynamic. This has understandably led to a rift among Nes and Karina. Then there's her sibling, Bang, described as kind-hearted but a bit inept socially, and who enjoys playing video games alongside his nephew, Raihan. Her spouse, Rudi, appears to have recently cheated on her. This household head consists of Nes' father, who runs a well-known herbal remedy business called Wani Waras, and he appears to care about only two aspects: his business and his marriage to Nes' former best friend. Needless to say, this gathering proves extremely strained.
Invested in the Conflict
I became so engrossed with this household's issues along with their interpersonal drama to the point I almost overlooked this was a scary movie—which might sound like a drawback, but ultimately paid off. The Elixir spends a significant amount of the film to showing viewers the identity of every relative represents, plus the ways they add to the overall dysfunction. This emphasis on clashing traits allowed the audience to relate to the personalities enough to care about their outcome—an uncommon feat for this style which frequently introduces characters just to eliminate them soon after. The Elixir doesn't treat its cast as flat, disposable victims for a horde of zombies to consume, thus it's a genuine surprise once events eventually go wrong.
Reminiscent of Parasite
The initial sequences of the party and various family interactions in fact bring to mind the movie Parasite, a tale that masquerades like a K-Drama with slightly dark humor before making an abrupt turn toward "holy shit" territory. These introductory moments don't focus too heavily on humor compared to Parasite, yet The Elixir nonetheless gives enough opportunity to immerse in its world prior to it gets turned upside down.
Original Zombification Source
This movie also offers a quite interesting reason regarding the origin of the spreading zombification. Instead of an accidental lab leak or a type of biological weapon, the cause of this contagious disease originates in a new batch from Wani Waras herbal remedies developed by Nes' father. Although we do learn a bit about its origins, I wish the film had spent additional time on how Wani Waras went from a reputable supplier of holistic medicine to creating a lethal potion that appears to contain a highly contagious virus. Regardless of the limited context, the effect this condition produces on humans is utterly repulsive, which I love it. The Elixir's zombies are fast, bizarre in appearance, and, maybe most disturbingly, always smiling. This represents a daring decision, yet it succeeds. The Elixir's physical effects and CGI also appear quite convincing, and they're practically guaranteed to trigger a fear of holes.
Resourceful Characters
More impressive than the gross-out moments is the cast themselves. Certainly, we see some examples of questionable decision-making (as in any good undead film), but generally, Nes and her relatives are inventive and sharp. Additionally, they aren't afraid to kick a zombie in the face, pierce it using a farm tool, or hit it over the head with whatever heavy object is available instead of freezing like a deer in headlights while danger approaches.
Believable Family Discord
The Elixir doesn't abandon its focus of familial discord when people begin transforming into zombies, this proved a pleasantly realistic deviation from that "We don't get along|"We have issues, but since you nearly died so I instantly forgive you for everything! trope often seen in end-of-world films. Obviously, Nes loves her relatives and values her spouse, Rudi, but it's also apparent she's still clinging to resentment over his betrayal in their relationship. When the family becomes split up, they decide via telephone to regroup at a close location. However, once Bang admits he is unaware the way to the location, Nes expresses an immense level of irritation on her brother which has obviously been brewing for years. Nes isn't flawless, and her family—with all their imperfections—seem authentic and understandable since the movie doesn't try to promote the notion that nearly dying instantly cures familial strife. This makes the moments where these individuals express gratitude for each other seem far more genuine.
Predictable Conclusion
In spite of The Elixir's strong efforts to innovate, the ending is admittedly a bit formulaic. The Elixir doesn't truly offering up some profound message regarding relatives or community, as well. Instead, it's mostly serving up frights. Yet these are successful scares, and because the film allows every personality sufficient space to develop and avoids penalizing them for their imperfections, the outcome is an engaging and entertaining
