THE ELIXIR

The Elixir (2025)

Directed by: Kimo Stamboel

There seems to be an unwritten law to insert some stupid characters in every zombie movie. It’s fun to shout at the screen sometimes, telling them what to do.

But when all the characters are made stupid, the experience gets to be draining and irritating. It’s not fun anymore. It’s called lazy writing.

This film is an insult to the audience’s intelligence. Most scenarios can be fixed with plain common sense, but the script always finds a way to make the unnecessary happen.

You stop fearing the zombies and start wondering what dumb action the characters will do next.

The police station is full of weapons, but the characters didn’t utilize them all. They can use the second floor, but they open the front door instead. Rather than eliminating the zombies, they keep them. The list of stupidities goes on with every scene.

Nobody in this movie deserves to live. The zombies are classist, eating the poor ones first without hesitation. The policemen are incompetent, getting eliminated easily without putting up a good fight.

The lead characters are nepo babies, lacking critical thinking and surviving skills. Their brains are useless—might as well let the zombies take them.

Despite the realistic makeup and production design, the script pulls everything down. If only the writers didn’t underestimate the viewers, then this movie might have a cure.

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑬𝑳𝑰𝑿𝑰𝑹

Cast: Mikha Tamboyong, Eva Celia, Marthino Lio, Dimas Anggara, Varen Arianda Calief, Ardit Erwandha, Claresta Taufan, Donny Damara

Written by: Kimo Stamboel, Agasyah Karim, Khalid Kashogi

Presented by: Mowin Pictures

Release Date: October 23, 2025 on Netflix 

A Movie Review by: Goldwin Reviews