For the most part, I've had my fill of apocalyptic horror. While favorites such as 28 Days Later along with the initial seasons of The Walking Dead were enjoyable, this category feels mostly depleted nowadays. Yet the highly anticipated 28 Years Later remains gathering dust on my to-watch queue for some time. However, the platform's latest Indonesian horror film, The Elixir, managed to defy my expectations and proved remarkably entertaining.
Excellent Pacing and Personal Growth
One of this movie's greatest strengths is its superb pacing. It kicks off using a striking opening sequence in which a calm family gathering gets suddenly disrupted when a van crashes right into the seating section. From the wreckage, a very undead-looking individual emerges and begins assaulting the partygoers. This dramatic moment is then followed by a look back, giving viewers to observe this household before the tragedy struck.
In contrast to numerous undead movies, The Elixir actually gives the audience sufficient opportunity to become acquainted with its main characters prior to the carnage begins. We meet Nes, a wife and mother whose ex close friend, Karina, has become wed to her dad—a clearly awkward dynamic. Naturally, this has understandably caused a rift between Nes and Karina. We also see her sibling, Bang, who is kind-hearted but socially awkward, and who loves playing video games alongside his nephew, Raihan. Nes' husband, Rudi, seems to have recently been unfaithful to Nes. The family head is Nes' father, who runs a well-known herbal remedy business named Wani Waras, and who seems to care about just two aspects: his business and his wife to his daughter's former best friend. Unsurprisingly, this gathering is extremely tense.
Engaged in the Conflict
I became so engrossed in the family's dynamics along with their interpersonal drama that I almost overlooked this was a horror film—which might sound like a negative, but in the end worked well. The Elixir spends a significant portion of its runtime to showing viewers who each relative is, and how they add to the overall dysfunction. This focus on clashing traits enabled me to connect to the personalities enough to care about their outcome—an uncommon feat for this style which frequently presents individuals only to kill them off shortly afterwards. The Elixir avoids portraying its cast as two-dimensional, expendable casualties for an army of zombies to consume, so it's a real shock when things eventually go wrong.
Evocative of Parasite
The initial scenes from the gathering and various family interactions in fact evoke the film Parasite, a tale that masquerades like a Korean drama with somewhat morbid humor before making an abrupt shift into shocking ground. These introductory scenes aren't centered as much on comedy as Parasite, yet The Elixir nonetheless provides sufficient time to settle into its world prior to everything gets upended.
Unique Zombification Source
This movie additionally presents a fairly intriguing explanation regarding the origin of the spreading transformation. Instead of a unintended laboratory incident or a type of biological weapon, the cause for this infectious condition stems from a new sample from Wani Waras herbal remedies developed by her dad. Although we do learn a bit about its origins, it would have been better if the movie had spent a little more time explaining how Wani Waras went from a trusted purveyor of holistic medicine to creating a deadly potion which seems to contain an extremely infectious pathogen. Regardless of the limited context, the effect this condition produces on humans is absolutely disgusting, which I appreciate. The Elixir's zombies prove fast, bizarre in appearance, and, maybe most disturbingly, always smiling. This is a daring decision, yet it works. The Elixir's practical effects and CGI also appear very convincing, and are practically guaranteed to trigger a fear of holes.
Capable Personalities
More impressive than the gross-out moments are the characters themselves. Certainly, there are some instances of dubious decision-making (like any typical zombie movie), however for the most part, Nes and her family are resourceful and sharp. They also don't hesitate to strike an undead in the head, pierce it using a farm tool, or beat it over the head with the nearest blunt instrument is available instead of freezing like a deer caught in lights as death approaches.
Believable Family Discord
The Elixir doesn't abandon its focus on family conflict when people start turning to the undead, which was a pleasantly realistic subversion from that "We don't get along|"We have issues, but you almost died so I instantly forgive you for everything! cliché frequently used in apocalyptic movies. Obviously, Nes cares for her relatives and values her spouse, Rudi, but it's also clear she's still clinging to bitterness over his betrayal of their marriage vows. Once the household gets separated, they decide over the phone to meet up at a nearby spot. But when Bang reveals he doesn't know the way to the location, Nes unleashes a massive level of irritation on her brother that's clearly been brewing over time. Nes is not flawless, and her relatives—with all their imperfections—seem authentic and understandable because the film avoids attempting to promote the notion that nearly dying immediately resolves family tensions. This causes the moments when these characters express gratitude for each other seem far more genuine.
Stereotypical Conclusion
In spite of The Elixir's best attempts to break new ground, the ending is admittedly somewhat formulaic. The Elixir doesn't truly presenting some profound message regarding relatives or society, as well. Instead, it's primarily serving up scares. Yet these are successful frights, and since the movie gives each character sufficient space to develop and doesn't punish them for their imperfections, the result proves a captivating and entertaining
