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Generally speaking, I'm over zombie movies. While favorites such as 28 Days Later along with the initial seasons of The Walking Dead proved enjoyable, this category seems mostly exhausted nowadays. Even the highly anticipated 28 Years Later has been sitting in my watchlist for months. However, Netflix's latest Southeast Asian zombie flick, The Elixir, succeeded in defy what I anticipated turning out quite enjoyable.

Impressive Pacing and Personal Development

Among the film's strongest assets lies in the excellent pacing. It begins with a striking opening sequence in which a calm family gathering gets suddenly disrupted when a van plows into the seating section. From the wreckage, an extremely zombie-like stranger stumbles out and begins assaulting the partygoers. This intense scene is then succeeded by a look back, allowing us to see the family before the tragedy struck.

Unlike numerous zombie films, The Elixir truly allows viewers sufficient opportunity to get to know its main characters before the carnage begins. We meet Nes, a wife and mother with a ex close friend, Karina, has become married to Nes' father—a clearly uncomfortable dynamic. This has understandably caused a rift among Nes and Karina. We also see Nes' brother, Bang, who is kind-hearted but a bit inept socially, and he enjoys gaming with his nephew, Raihan. Her spouse, Rudi, seems to have recently cheated on Nes. The family head is her dad, who runs a well-known herbal remedy company called Wani Waras, and he appears to care about just two aspects: his business and his marriage to his daughter's ex-best friend. Unsurprisingly, this family reunion is extremely tense.

Invested in the Drama

I became so engrossed with this family's dynamics and their personal conflicts that I nearly forgot I was watching a scary movie—something that could sound like a drawback, yet in the end worked well. The Elixir dedicates a considerable amount of its runtime to showing us the identity of every relative represents, and how they contribute to the general dysfunction. This emphasis on conflicting traits allowed the audience to relate with the characters enough to care about their outcome—an uncommon accomplishment in a genre that often introduces characters only to kill them off soon after. The Elixir doesn't treat its characters as two-dimensional, expendable casualties for an army of the undead to devour, so it's a genuine shock when things eventually go wrong.

Evocative of Parasite

The initial sequences from the gathering and the multiple household exchanges in fact bring to mind the movie Parasite, a story that masquerades like a Korean drama with slightly dark humor before making a sudden turn toward shocking territory. These introductory moments aren't centered too heavily on comedy compared to Parasite, but The Elixir nonetheless provides sufficient opportunity to immerse in its world prior to everything gets turned upside down.

Original Infection Source

This movie also offers a quite interesting explanation regarding the origin of the contagious zombification. Instead of an accidental laboratory incident or some sort of bioweapon, the cause for this contagious disease stems from a recent batch of Wani Waras natural medicines developed by Nes' father. Although some background is provided something regarding its origins, I wish the film devoted a little more time on how Wani Waras transitioned from a reputable supplier of natural treatments to producing a lethal elixir that appears to contain a highly contagious virus. Regardless of the limited background, the impact this affliction produces on humans proves utterly repulsive, and I love it. The Elixir's undead prove fast, bizarre in appearance, and, maybe most disturbingly, constantly grinning. This is a daring choice, but it succeeds. The Elixir's physical effects and CGI are also very realistic, and they're almost guaranteed to trigger one's trypophobia.

Capable Personalities

Even better compared to the gross-out scenes is the cast themselves. Of course, we see a few examples of questionable decision-making (like any any good zombie movie), however for the most part, Nes and her family show themselves inventive and quick-thinking. Additionally, they aren't afraid to strike an undead in the face, pierce it with a pitchfork, or hit it over the head with the nearest heavy object is available instead of freezing like prey in headlights as death approaches.

Believable Family Discord

The Elixir doesn't drop its focus of familial discord once individuals start turning into zombies, which was a welcome authentic subversion from that "We don't get along|"We have issues, but since you nearly died I immediately pardon you for all your mistakes!" trope frequently used in apocalyptic films. Obviously, Nes loves her relatives and cares about her husband, Rudi, yet it's equally clear she remains holding onto resentment over his betrayal of their marriage vows. Once the household becomes split up, they decide via telephone to regroup at a close location. But when Bang reveals 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 is not flawless, and her relatives—flawed as it is—feel authentic and understandable since the movie doesn't try to push the idea that a near-death experience immediately resolves familial strife. This makes those instances when these characters do show appreciation toward one another seem much 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 offering up some profound message about family or community, either. Rather, it's mostly serving up scares. Yet these are successful frights, and since the movie allows every personality sufficient space to develop and doesn't punish them for their imperfections, the result is an engaging and entertaining