The Platform 2 (2024) Review!!

Synopsis – A thrilling physical journey that allows an approach to the darkness, where it is scary to look. It appeals to the viewer’s civil responsibility and forces them to face the limits of their own solidarity.

My Take – Released four years ago, the Spanish science-fiction horror-thriller, The Platform (El Hoyo), was a pandemic mega-hit for Netflix, following its stupendous premiere at 2019’s Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the People’s Choice Award for Midnight Madness.

Marking the directorial debut of Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, the film made good use of its allegorical trappings to talk about the familiar tropes of classicist symbolism, human nature and social class. Though it lacked in certain aspects, it offered enough visual distinction and creative thrills to keep one very much engaged for its 94 minute run time.

The second installment, which despite suggestions of being a sequel is actually a prequel, attempts to build on the unique premise of its predecessor, but ultimately falls short on creating the intended impact.

While the first film delivered a gripping exploration of class struggle and human morality within a dystopian setting, this one instead feels like a lesser rehash rather than an expansion of the original concept. It promises extreme potential through the introduction of new characters and rules, but they often lack the depth and development that made the original so compelling.

The social commentary, which was sharp and thought-provoking in the first film, feels muddled and less impactful this time around. Even the pacing is uneven for a 101 minute long film, with stretches that drag and moments that feel forced or contrived.

Though fans of the original may appreciate returning to this world, it also serves as a reminder of how powerful the first film was and how the follow-up lacks just lacks the necessary radical ideas to stand out.

Set once again in the Pit aka “The Vertical Self-Management Centre”, a 333-floor prison, featuring two cellmates per floor, which once a day sees a floating platform containing a vast, medieval-style banquet descend from the very top to the very bottom, stopping briefly at each floor.

Allowing the inmates to gorge themselves on as much grub as they can while it’s there, a result of which the upper levels occupants have their fill, but anyone below Floor 50 is left to choose between starvation and cannibalism.

But by the end of each month, prisoners are drugged and reassigned to a new level in their sleep, meaning fortunes are constantly shifting and those who have just been punished by the greed of their higher-ups are able to exact revenge by leaving them nothing but scraps, too.

The story this time around follows Perempuan (Milena Smit), a tortured artist seeking redemption, who unsure of herself gets on board with the rules and system upheld by the ‘Anointed Ones’ — a group of violent fundamentalist inmates, led by a sightless zealot named Dagin Babi (Óscar Jaenada).

Even convincing her hulking, hairy-backed cellmate Zamiatin (Hovik Keuchkerian) to toe the line after someone on the higher levels ate his pizza. But once she’s reassigned to Floor 180, with a new roommate, Sahabat (Natalia Tena), who lost her arm after falling foul of the Anointed Ones, Perempuan finds herself on the wrong side of a civil war against them.

From here on, the film dissolves into a bloated and murky haze, as director Gaztelu-Urrutia throws in bloody riots, dream sequences and increasingly bizarre Pit lore into the mix, never seeming quite sure of his target.

The brilliance of the concept as both an allegory for capitalism and an entertainingly grisly experiment made the first film a deserving success, but where that one felt lean and fresh, the follow-up finds itself struggling with too many half-formed characters and ambiguous frustrating ideas.

Like the platform itself, this sequel is overflowing with delicious things to chew on when it starts, only to get picked apart as it descends into darkness. The scraps of character detail we get only serve to unmoor from the horrors of Perempuan’s situation. On the other hand, it also shows a remarking depth and range to Zamiatin. From beginning to end, Zamiatin turns out to be the complete opposite of how we’re meant to perceive him, and when the two are separated, it is soul-crushing.

Yes, there are standout moments here. The third act devolves into a wholly expected, intensely bloody showdown between prisoner factions, and the exploration of the drug-induced process of floor reassignment provides a staggering set-piece. Then it barrels ahead further, into a head-scratching final stretch that doesn’t gain any clarity by continuing on into the end credits.

Sure, there’s room to keep expanding on this world, and the ending suggests that director Gaztelu-Urrutia intends to do just that, but the third installment needs to give us a lot more to chew on in order to justify another stint in the Pit.

Performances wise, Milena Smit and Hovik Keuchkerian are fine in their roles. Natalia Tena is excellent as Perempuan’s wild-eyed and one-armed bunkmate, while Óscar Jaenada doesn’t have much to do. Zorion Eguileor returns to play his key figure from the previous film and is entertaining once again. On the whole, ‘The Platform 2‘ is a flat prequel which despite an intriguing premise dissolves into a bizarre mess.