The Elixir Movie Review: A Visually Powerful But Narratively Chaotic Indonesian Zombie Movie
In The Elixir, available on Netflix, Indonesian director Kimo Stamboel turns a simple sci-fi premise into a visceral nightmare. It all starts when Patriarch Sadimin, CEO of a herbal company, decides to test an experimental serum on himself that promises eternal youth. The result, however, is far from miraculous: man turns into a ravenous creature, kicking off a zombie outbreak that engulfs his family and the entire village. When a film decides to move into classic territory, “zombie movie”, the bar of confrontation tends to rise a great deal: it is not enough just for there to be the living dead, blood, and screaming. In that sense, The Elixir, on Netflix, has everything that is expected —and something more — from a film of this genre, but also a couple of limitations that prevent its elevation. The story is a concentration of anguish-infusing sequences: a wealthy family from rural Indonesia, who run a herbal remedies company and, at one point, decide to invest in the miracle of eternal youth via an experimental elixir. The patriarch of the family suddenly ingests one and (as if by magic) seems to rejuvenate, but things eventually come to a head in a zombie epidemic. The film, therefore, explores not only the fear of infection and the struggle for survival, but also the tensions within the family that take the form of both betrayals and extreme ambitions for power.
The Elixir Movie Review: The Story Plot
In The Elixir, the excess is narrated in every sense, even in terms of setting, given that we are in a very remote village close to Yogyakarta, in Indonesia, with near-primordial environments that contrast with elixir technology. Obviously, excess lies above all in the ambitions of the characters, who seem not to recognize – already in the initial phase – the danger of the possible consequences of the Elixir. The strengths of the film, let’s face it, are quite a few and must be identified, particularly in the execution method. It is no coincidence that the special effects due to zombie make-up are very well looked after: skin that dissolves, eyes that turn yellow, splatter moments that surprisingly work in a non-Hollywood context. Stamboel’s direction, he’s not afraid to let loose with a visual mess that’s close to a real choreographed massacre. We can admit that the starting idea — an elixir for eternal youth that instead triggers collapse — you actually demonstrate a metaphorical solidity: the desire to avoid the passage of time at all costs, as in a great mass illusion that ends up, inevitably, crashing against reality.
This filter of “zombies” definitely makes it more interesting than mere carnage, but at too long a pace for its content (approx. 116-117 minutes). In fact, the film accumulates so many irons in the fire that it makes it redundant. Despite the energetic departure, the style begins to repeat itself, and the viewer risks getting lost in the repeated scenes rather than in the internal drama. One of the most curious aspects of the film is its familiar intertwining, built around the ,dynamics of jealousy, greed and resentment. Incapable adult children, ex-friends turned wives, marriages in crisis, and grudges harbored for years: The Elixir uses horror context to exacerbate domestic conflicts. However, these dramas never really manage to generate empathy. The characters, rather than victims of fate, seem to be victims of their own stupidity, and their decisions –often illogical or self-harming – end up arousing irritation rather than compassion.
The Elixir Movie Review and Analysis
An Indonesian zombie movie that is trying to find a way to tell a new story in an era where zombies are already scattered all over the world. By telling the story in a much narrower circle. It’s a small factory in the countryside. Who are about to sell their business and then have a miracle and come up with an elixir of longevity. Amidst problems within the family, the daughter “Nesc” has problems with “Karina,” a friend Close to her childhood, now becoming her father’s wife. She herself is about to divorce her husband, who is looking for the right to sell the factory from her father. The movie tells the story of family problems to pave the way for the zombie outbreak from this drug as a backdrop, starting with her father testing the drug and becoming the first zombie to bite other people. In the house until it became a disaster that spread throughout the city. The two female protagonists are separated while fleeing. Ness’s son went live with Carina. This causes Ness to find a way to find the friend she hates the most in her life. The movie finds events that test their relationship. The family members who fled with them gradually died one by one, until finally they prepared themselves to abandon this hatred for the couple The. movie has the final landing, the ending is a heartbreaking drama based on the general zombie movie formula only
On a technical level, The Elixir is a visually robust work. The practical effects are impressive, with putrid-looking zombies and remarkable care for prosthetic make-up. The action scenes, shot with a frenetic pace and dynamic photography, convey the physicality of the contagion and the brutality of the transformations. However, to this visual force corresponds a noisy and often chaotic script: continuous screams, exaggerated reactions, and incisive dialogues make it difficult to follow the emotions of the protagonists. The film attempts to introduce an element of originality to zombie mythology: the undead are temporarily calmed by the rain, an interesting detail that,article/item however, finds no narrative explanation. Likewise, the scientific aspect of the serum remains vague, leaving unresolved the thematic potential related to the obsessive search for eternal youth and the corruption of economic power. Stamboel prefers privileged action and carnage over reflection, sacrificing coherence and development in favor of an increasingly convulsive pace.
As for Indonesian zombie work, it must be said that it can be done according to normal zombie standards around the world. There’s nothing special. But it must be praised that it is an Asian zombie event in a very rural location. When I saw it, I wanted Thailand to do something like this. With a police station scene, Laterite roads, and grasslands, the movie makes exciting chase scenesIt’s good at a certain level. But they only circle for a few scenes, according to the condition of low-budget movies streaming. But there are some scenes that look strange, such as the main character wearing riot armor and three police officers covering their whole bodies, standing behind each other. With hundreds of zombies rushing in and pressing them together so they couldn’t go anywhere, drones were used to shoot from a high angle to see the hordes of zombies flocking in. This is called the coolest highlight of the story about how the protagonist group will survive. But the movie still has bad flaws, such as the zombies in this story, who don’t know how to use their hands. No matter how close you are, you will only bite your mouth until your handIt’s like being lame. It makes the hand-to-hand fight scenes look very often, without making sense. The story ends in an open-ended way in a village following this formula. But it concludes with another location in a big city that received this medicine as well. If the movie had made part two, it would have seen a larger scale. Invest more than this
Even the characters don’t have what exactly is called excellent characterization, although the family situation is very complex (with an unhappy daughter and a company that does badly). The truth is that, in this context, the screen does not enhance them due to the lack of sufficient time to make them truly live. The risk is that the viewer doesn’t leave the emotional input to “worry” really about the fate of the characters, at least of the primary ones. On the technical side, however, photography alternates bright rural environments with gloomy moments (based on siege), which creates good visual tension. Thanks to the direction, we can perceive the energy of actions, which follow one another, without respite. The Elixir is a visually appealing but narratively weak Indonesian horror film. Between grotesque family dynamics, hyperactive zombies, and absurd decisions, the film entertains only with its graphic violence and quality of effects, without offering anything truly new or memorable.
The Elixir Movie Review: The Last Words
Being sincere, The Elixir fits perfectly into the horror catalog of a platform like Netflix, but doesn’t make enough to “rank up” for a global audience. If we wanted to give a conceptual dimension to the film, we could say that The Elixir also tries to build a broader discussion on the relationship between science and superstition, thanks to the fact that it mentions a deeper reflection precisely on the control of the body (which has the duty not to give in to the passing of time). What remains is a subplot that proves more powerful than dispersive, where the direction seems to enjoy keeping the audience suspended between disgust and curiosity. Bottom line, The Elixir is nothing more than a film that moves confidently in the hope of reinventing a new genre, even without ever succeeding to the end.
Cast: Donny Damara, Eva Celia, Mikha Tambayong, Marthino Lio, Dimas Anggara, Claresta Taufan, Ardit Erwandha, Varen Arianada Calief
Directed: Kimo Stamboel
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3/5 (three stars)
