The Platform 2 2024 Movie Review
2019’s The Platform was a corker, stirring through the constant barrage of average summer actioners to become a Netflix smash for several weeks. Many stating that it was a tense dystopian sci-fi about the brutality of law and how surviving on tiny morsels of food can be the difference between life and death. It will always be remembered for its potent story, gory themes, dark tones and the strength of human willpower. When Netflix and director Galder Gaztelu Urrutia announced a follow-up many were stating if it would live up to the original, some saying that it didn’t need one (some films don’t). But The Platform had such an interesting concept it would be enticing to see where a sequel could go – a hopeful escape – a brutal downturn of the authority that put them people there, and would the food actually make it to the bottom?
Enter The Platform 2 – continuing that gripping story, the tense atmosphere and the brutality of human surviv…nope. No such luck here, only one of those things is on show here. The former is a brilliantly made portrayal of human survival, slowly cascading through the psyche of the human mind and kicking in the will to survive once the main source we need is gone. Descending through the walls of this monstrous pit of torture. The story’s main focus is on Perèmpuan (Milena Smit) a new resident in the pit who has one item of food that she asked for, a love of ham and croquettes. And she’s bamboozled by tales of new cellmate, the food distribution and finally a merciless anarchic leader who sees himself as some kind of messiah, who’s there to check if cellmates listen to the rules. Chaos ensues as an uprising of a prisoner revolution stirs through the pit walls in attempt to overthrow the leader. Unlike the brilliant original, The Platform 2 tries it’s best to be as taught and gripping but fails thanks to awful story structure, and terrible direction. It’s clear that within the first half hour it’s apparent that this return by director Galder Gaztelu Urrutia is a grave error as it descends into a delirious sludge of colour gels.
The story touches on religious iconography with a mysterious blind cult leader who with his follows makes sure that everyone is doing as they’re told. That goes about as well as it sounds, brutality ensues even going as far to go through the cannibalism and slasher film territory turning into a rehash of Cannibal Holocaust mixed with a bit of Friday the 13th (no that doesn’t make sense, go with it). It doesn’t help any further when there are hanfisted callbacks to the original which will make you scratch your head in confusion. The change in the plot isn’t half as interesting or at all interesting as the basic premise of the plot of the original. So, it’s a rehash, but then not, but also, yes. Confused? That’s how you’re supposed to feel. No claps of adulation here, nope, just birds spinning around your head like you’ve woken up from a coma.
Albeit, it’s not entirely dull, as Milena Smit does her best to give a convincing performance, feeling the emotion of other cellmates and wasting away to almost nothing when the food runs out. But it doesn’t expand on the original plot line or even the ideas of the original. Instead just harshly rewrites them from a different perspective. If you’re hoping for some loose ends to tied off here, then you’ve come to the wrong place. The Platform 2 just showcases that not every film needs a sequel, much like The Descent 2 before it, it should have stayed as a solo act, just like Robbie Williams when he left Take That.
