Generally speaking, I'm over apocalyptic horror. While favorites such as 28 Days Later and the early seasons of The Walking Dead were gripping, this category feels largely exhausted at this point. Even the highly anticipated 28 Years Later has been sitting in my watchlist for some time. But, Netflix's latest Indonesian horror film, The Elixir, succeeded in defy my expectations turning out remarkably entertaining.
Superb Pacing and Character Growth
One of this movie's strongest assets is its superb pacing. It kicks off using a memorable opening sequence in which a calm family gathering gets suddenly disrupted by a vehicle plows into the seating section. Out of the van, an extremely zombie-like stranger stumbles out and begins assaulting the attendees. This intense moment is immediately succeeded by a flashback, giving viewers to see the family before the disaster struck.
Unlike many undead movies, The Elixir actually allows viewers sufficient opportunity to get to know the primary personalities before the carnage begins. We meet Nes, a married mother whose ex close friend, Karina, is now wed to Nes' father—an obviously uncomfortable situation. This has understandably led to a rift among Nes and Karina. We also see her sibling, Bang, who is good-natured yet a bit inept socially, and who loves gaming alongside Nes' young son, Raihan. Her spouse, Rudi, seems to have recently cheated on Nes. This household head is Nes' father, the owner of a well-known natural medicine business called Wani Waras, and who appears focused on only two aspects: his work and his wife to his daughter's ex-best friend. Unsurprisingly, this family reunion is extremely strained.
Engaged in the Conflict
I found myself so invested in the family's dynamics along with their interpersonal drama to the point I almost forgot I was watching a horror film—something that could sound like a negative, yet in the end worked well. The Elixir spends a significant amount of the film depicting us the identity of every relative represents, plus the ways they add to the overall dysfunction. This emphasis on clashing traits allowed the audience to connect to the personalities enough to be concerned for their outcome—an uncommon accomplishment in a genre that often 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 when things finally go wrong.
Reminiscent of Parasite
The opening scenes from the gathering and various family interactions in fact evoke the movie Parasite, a story which disguises itself like a K-Drama featuring somewhat morbid humor prior to making a sudden turn toward shocking territory. These introductory scenes don't focus as much on humor as Parasite, but The Elixir nonetheless provides sufficient opportunity to immerse in the setting before everything gets turned upside down.
Unique Infection Source
The film also offers a fairly intriguing reason for the source of the spreading transformation. Instead of a unintended laboratory incident or some sort of biological weapon, the source for this infectious condition originates in a new sample of Wani Waras herbal remedies developed by her dad. While we do learn something regarding its origins, it would have been better if the movie devoted additional time explaining how Wani Waras went from a reputable supplier of natural treatments to creating a lethal potion that appears to contain an extremely infectious pathogen. Despite the lack of background, the effect this affliction produces on humans proves absolutely repulsive, which I love it. The Elixir's undead prove fast, bizarre in appearance, and, maybe most disturbingly, always smiling. This is a daring decision, but it succeeds. The Elixir's physical effects and CGI are also quite convincing, and are practically guaranteed to trigger a fear of holes.
Resourceful Personalities
More impressive than the gross-out scenes are the characters themselves. Of course, we see some examples of dubious decision-making (like any any good undead film), however for the most part, Nes and her relatives are inventive and quick-thinking. They also aren't afraid to strike a zombie in the head, stab it using a farm tool, or hit it on the skull with the nearest blunt instrument is available instead of freezing like a deer caught in lights as death nears.
Realistic Familial Discord
The Elixir doesn't abandon its focus on family conflict when people start turning into zombies, this proved a welcome realistic deviation from the "We don't get along|"We have issues, but you almost died I immediately forgive you for everything! trope frequently used in apocalyptic films. It's clear, Nes cares for her family and values her spouse, Rudi, but it's also clear she remains clinging to bitterness over his betrayal of their marriage vows. Once the household gets separated, they agree via telephone to meet up at a nearby location. However, once Bang reveals he doesn't know how to get there, Nes expresses an immense level of irritation on her brother which has obviously been brewing for years. Nes is not perfect, and her family—flawed as it is—feel realistic and understandable since the movie doesn't try to promote the notion that nearly dying instantly cures family tensions. This causes the moments when these characters do show gratitude for each other seem far more sincere.
Predictable Ending
Despite The Elixir's strong efforts to break new ground, the ending is admittedly a bit stereotypical. The Elixir isn't really presenting any deep message about family or community, either. Instead, it's mostly serving up frights. Yet these are effective frights, and because the movie gives each character enough room to grow and avoids penalizing them for their imperfections, the outcome is an engaging and entertaining
