‘The Elixir’ (2025) Netflix Movie Review - Another Dumb Zombie Flick

At this point, I am sick and tired of watching zombie movies. This new trend of using a synonym for zombie, that is, the “undead,” is useless. But here we are, with another such plot that makes absolutely no sense. Based on the backdrop of Indonesia’s herbal medicine industry, the movie shows what happens when people become greedy for eternal youth.

At the center of it is Wani Waras Hotel, a formerly thriving company but now running in shambles. In an attempt to revitalize the business, the company developed a medicine that gave eternal youth, or so it claimed. However, the results were completely the opposite. Those who consumed the medicines turned into zombies. The first victims of the same are a family, and soon this spreads into the whole town. We also have Kenes, who is grappling with a divorce. She also has an estranged relationship with her father. Then we see Karina. She is Kenes’s father’s young wife. She used to be Kene’s best friend, but now things have just become very complicated. Kenes’s ex-husband has an affair with an employee of a pharmaceutical company, which adds to the messed-up family situation. With the ongoing outbreak, the family must survive while eliminating zombies and also resolving their complicated family dynamics. Will they survive?

First of all, the entire relationship of this family is so complicated that zombies are just another character. The makers made this so complex that, for once, you will forget that the town is zombie-infested. It is more like a family drama going on. Father marries daughter’s best friend, daughter has a broken marriage, son doesn’t have a care in the world. Like what is happening? They could have focused on the medicine company that promised “eternal youth”, but no, the focus was on this extremely overcooked family relationship. What do we get? Nothing fantastic really. The makers give a deep focus on the relationship that Kenes and Karina share. But that, too, doesn’t make much sense now when you watch it. At one point, you will question what and why you are watching whatever you are watching. The rest of the visuals are the same as you have seen before for any zombie movie- there is blood, biting, and dead people who are just roaming here and there, hungry. The genre is the same old, the plot is slow and complicated, and there’s nothing much to watch.

I wish we were told more about the company and less about the family. Also, it is very difficult to understand what the plot is actually about. The first few scenes hardly offer any clarity to us as we watch it. Yes, some of the horror scenes do give you jump scares. For that, I will give it to the makers. But I wish we had more of it. Somewhere, the plot becomes very predictable, and you are left with nothing new to watch.

So dear viewers, if you are a die-hard fan of the horror and zombie genre, this movie is for you. But even then, it might not leave you well satisfied. For those of you who aren’t into this genre, I would suggest trying something else if you wish to start watching a movie of this genre. All in all, it is an average movie.

Final Score- [4/10]
Reviewed by - Neerja Ch
Follow @NeerjaCH on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times