The storyline is predictable, the characters make stupid choices, and the movie is a bit long, but despite that, the makeup, practical & special effects, and emotive performances all combine for a visually gross and emotionally exciting narrative.

Once it gets going, The Elixir never lets up the pace, powering along through a sea of guts and gore with some hugely imaginative and genuinely spectacular high octane sequences even as it rarely loses sight of the character beats set up in the first act.

So much about the production, execution, and vision of The Elixir is great, despite its main flaw. The problem is simply that this particular flaw happens to be a cardinal sin of zombie movies: characters don't behave realistically.

The director sacrifices his characters – their bodies and their intelligence – and indulges far too many contrivances for the sake of delivering near-non-stop action and gore.