‘The Platform 2’ movie review: Perplexing plot and staggering symbolism puts this sequel a level below its predecessor 

A still from ‘The Platform 2’
| Photo Credit: NICOLAS DASSAS/NETFLIX

It’s raining sequels! While none of them seem to have what it takes to recreate the magic of its original film (I’m looking at you, Joker: Folie à Deux), Netflix’s hit Spanish dystopian thriller The Platform, which made us read a little too much between the lines during the pandemic, is back with a follow-up. The predecessor introduced us to a world where residents of a ‘Vertical Self-Management Center’ are allotted different floors every month. They are fed through a platform that descends filled with food from the top and unsurprisingly, the lower it gets, the lesser food it carries, and chaos ensues. While the first film revelled in keeping us on the edge of our seats, The Platform 2 digs deeper into its theme’s mythology.

Unlike sequels that try to give a quick recap before the audience settles down and savours their first bite of the overpriced popcorn, The Platform 2 wastes no time throwing us right into the middle of the pit. This time, there seems to be an order in place; in a series of intercuts, we are shown how all inmates choose their favourite dish and within the pit, they are expected to pick only the food they had earlier chosen or swap it with someone after their consent. But like every system, some break the rules and a series of incidents make us question whether the system in place was even the right move.

The Platform 2, in an attempt to add to the lore of the original film, retains a few of the elements that make the franchise stand apart. For starters, the film moves at a breakneck speed and as with the first film, it helps overcome the fatigue of watching the happenings unravel within the same building with just a few primary characters. And just like The Platform, the sequel takes the same heavy-handed approach towards its symbolism, if not more. As expected, when the residents don’t stick to the rule, the system collapses and floor-mates Perempuan (Milena Smit) and Zamiatin (Hovik Keuchkerian) are spectators who are forced to get themselves involved in this metaphor for our society. They eventually learn about ‘the anointed ones’, those “lucky enough to meet the Master”, who now ensure the law is upheld and the chain that assures a fair food distribution is kept in check.

The metaphors for real-world issues and takes on capitalism and religion are the core ideas on which the franchise is built and the sequel goes overboard with them. The film has blatant references to Christianity with the Master often called the messiah. There’s even a sequence where Perempuan hallucinates an image of the Master in what looks like a recreation of The Last Supper. Add to it that the platform features 333 levels with 2 inmates, adding up to a grand total of the infamous 666.

Perempuan’s journey from being a mere spectator to becoming a cultist who becomes an enforcer only to go against the system and end up as a revolter is where the makers shine in this film that’s too convoluted for its own good. There are some brilliant touches though, like her cellmate who talks about imaginary numbers eventually becoming her imaginary friend — just like in the first film — and the parallel to her life outside the facility to how art literally imitates her life at the fag end of the film.

A still from ‘The Platform 2’
| Photo Credit:
NICOLAS DASSAS/NETFLIX

But The Platform 2 fails to linger on its best moments and with secondary characters that appear and disappear in moments, the film makes it a challenge to build a connection with its audience. Unlike how the first film made us root for Goreng, the sequel fails to humanise the characters whose motives are supposedly to not fall for their animal instincts. The motivation of the loyalists’ group to maintain order by violent means feels like an easier conflict than digging deeper into the psyche of the inmates which made the first part a winner.

Like most sequels in recent times, the number of reasons for The Platform 2 to exist is as low as the amount of food that reaches the final level in the system. And the English dubbing doesn’t work particularly in favour of the sequel. While The Platform felt like an unlimited buffet that had something for everyone, its sequel is a set meal that leaves you unsatiated.

The Platform 2 is currently streaming on Netflix