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Typically, I've had my fill of undead films. While classics like 28 Days Later along with the initial episodes from The Walking Dead were enjoyable, this category seems mostly exhausted nowadays. Even the highly anticipated 28 Years Later remains gathering dust on my to-watch queue for months. However, the platform's latest Indonesian zombie flick, The Elixir, succeeded in defy my expectations and proved quite entertaining.

Superb Pacing and Personal Growth

One of the film's strongest strengths lies in the excellent pacing. It begins with a striking initial scene in which a peaceful family party is violently disrupted when a vehicle crashes right into the seating section. Out of the van, an extremely undead-looking individual emerges proceeding attacking the attendees. This dramatic scene is then succeeded by a flashback, allowing us to see the family prior to the tragedy struck.

Unlike many zombie films, The Elixir truly gives the audience sufficient opportunity to get to know its main personalities before the chaos ensues. There's Nes, a married mother with a former close friend, Karina, is now wed to her dad—an obviously awkward situation. This has understandably caused a falling out between Nes and Karina. We also see her sibling, Bang, who is kind-hearted but a bit inept socially, and he loves gaming alongside his nephew, Raihan. Her spouse, Rudi, appears to have lately been unfaithful to Nes. The family patriarch is her dad, the owner of a popular herbal remedy company named Wani Waras, and who seems to care about just two aspects: his work and his wife to Nes' ex-best friend. Unsurprisingly, this gathering proves extremely strained.

Engaged in the Drama

I found myself so engrossed in the household's issues along with their interpersonal drama that I nearly overlooked this was a scary movie—which might seem like a drawback, but in the end worked well. The Elixir spends a significant amount of the film depicting viewers the identity of every relative represents, and how they contribute to the general turmoil. This emphasis on conflicting personalities allowed the audience to connect to the personalities enough to care about their outcome—an uncommon feat in a genre which frequently presents individuals just to eliminate them shortly afterwards. The Elixir avoids portraying its cast as flat, expendable casualties for a horde of the undead to consume, thus it's a genuine surprise once events eventually deteriorate.

Reminiscent of Parasite

The opening sequences from the gathering and the multiple household exchanges in fact evoke the movie Parasite, a tale that masquerades as a Korean drama with slightly dark humor prior to taking a sudden shift into "holy shit" territory. These introductory scenes aren't centered as much on humor as Parasite, yet The Elixir still provides sufficient opportunity to immerse in its world prior to everything gets turned upside down.

Unique Zombification Origin

The film also offers a quite interesting reason for the source of the spreading zombification. Rather than an accidental laboratory incident or some sort of biological weapon, the cause for this infectious condition originates in a recent sample from Wani Waras herbal remedies created by Nes' father. While we do learn something regarding its origins, it would have been better if the movie had spent additional time on how Wani Waras transitioned from a trusted purveyor of holistic medicine to creating a lethal elixir that appears to include an extremely infectious pathogen. Regardless of the limited background, the impact this condition produces on people is absolutely repulsive, which I love it. The Elixir's undead prove quick, bizarre in appearance, and, maybe most disturbingly, always smiling. This represents a daring decision, yet it succeeds. The Elixir's physical effects and computer graphics are also quite realistic, and they're practically certain to trigger a fear of holes.

Capable Characters

Even better than the gross-out scenes is the cast themselves. Certainly, there are a few instances of questionable choices (like any typical undead film), however for the most part, Nes and her family show themselves inventive and sharp. Additionally, they don't hesitate to strike a zombie in the head, pierce it using a farm tool, or beat it on the skull with the nearest heavy object they find rather than standing still like a deer caught in lights as death nears.

Realistic Familial Discord

The Elixir doesn't abandon its themes of familial discord when people start turning into zombies, this proved a welcome authentic deviation from the "We don't get along|"We have issues, but you almost died so I instantly pardon you for all your mistakes!" cliché frequently used in apocalyptic films. It's clear, Nes cares for her family and cares about her husband, Rudi, but it's also clear she remains clinging to resentment over his betrayal in their relationship. When the family gets separated, they decide over the phone to meet up at a nearby 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 family—flawed as it is—seem realistic and relatable because the film doesn't try to promote the notion that nearly dying instantly cures family tensions. This causes the moments where these individuals do show gratitude toward one another seem much more sincere.

Stereotypical Conclusion

Despite The Elixir's strong efforts to break new ground, the ending is admittedly somewhat stereotypical. The Elixir doesn't truly offering up some profound message about family or community, either. Instead, it's mostly serving up scares. Yet these are successful scares, and since the movie allows every personality sufficient space to grow and doesn't punish them for their imperfections, the result is a captivating and enjoyable