Netflix’s Indonesian zombie thriller The Elixir is built on a sturdy if familiar setup: an estranged family is forced back together as a zombie outbreak rips through their town after a trial run of Jamu, a traditional herbal medicine, warps into a wrinkle-erasing miracle with monstrous side effects. Director Kimo Stamboel leans into pulp and gets plenty of mileage from the hook. The early chaos is tight and sticky, the gore is squeamish in a way that recalls peak The Walking Dead, and the effects often look pleasingly practical. As a piece of international genre fare, The Elixir has enough snap to sit alongside Netflix’s better imports.
The problem is what happens once the initial shock wears off. At 118 minutes the movie keeps sprinting long after its lungs give out, and the momentum is undercut by thin characterization and baffling decision making. The family drama never deepens beyond stock resentments, so late-stage sacrifices land with a whimper instead of a wallop. Even when the survivors find believable shelter, they repeatedly wander into avoidable peril to keep the plot grinding, which makes the danger feel mechanical rather than tragic.
Stamboel’s command of tension and texture is not in doubt; he stages close-quarters mayhem with clarity and lets the blood run. What The Elixir lacks is a point of view that distinguishes it from a crowded subgenre. The infected origin is novel enough, but the film settles into conventional beats and never quite finds the specific emotional thread that would elevate the carnage.
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As a night-in chiller, The Elixir delivers serviceable thrills and an impressive splatter quotient. As a story, it is only half-alive. Zombie diehards will have a decent time; everyone else may wish this one were shorter, sharper, and less content to follow the herd.
Score: 5/10
The Elixir (2025)
- Cast: Mikha Tambayong, Eva Celia, Marthino Lio, Dimas Anggara
- Director: Kimo Stamboel
- Genre: Horror, Thriller
- Runtime: 118 minutes
- Rated: R
- Release Date: October 23, 2025
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