‘The Platform 2’ Review – Underwhelming Sequel Lacks Storytelling Conviction

The Platform 2 has finally arrived, riding the Netflix streaming waves this week. The sequel to the surprise hit that made quite an impression during the pandemic. The original Spanish horror-thriller was a bold, brash, and often bizarre experience. Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s film had its chaotic moments, but it resonated deeply by tapping into our collective isolation and alienation, making it eerily relevant in the early days of COVID-19.

However, the follow-up leaves much to be desired. While the themes of classism and race are still present, The Platform 2 tries so hard to expand on the original’s brilliance that it dilutes the core themes and subtext to absurdity. The dark comic relief that once sparked greater tension is gone. Now, replacing it with head-scratching nostalgia and an intrusive, in-your-face camera style that strips away much of the film’s suspense.

Gaztelu-Urrutia’s excessively violent follow-up isn’t so much a sequel as a lateral maneuver—a “sidequel” or spiritual sequel. The setting remains the same: new arrivals enter a giant prison, where a massive tower holds the inmates, and the games begin. The prisoners can move up and down, and the decision comes from various factors. They pick their meals and choose an item for pleasure or protection.

The twist is that the lower you go, the greater your chance of starvation, while the higher you go, the safer you are. This sets up the continued commentary on societal status: those at the top have access to more food and options, an all-you-can-eat buffet. By the time the platform reaches the lowest levels, there’s hardly any sustenance left for those living like cockroaches at the bottom of this concrete caste system.

When a sequel moves this laterally, it needs a stronger focus on character development. That’s where The Platform 2 falls short, landing at the bottom of the prison basement. Parallel Mothers star Milena Smit plays Perempuan, a young artist imprisoned under—of course—mysterious circumstances. Is there any other kind? No, this is where Colonel Jessup would say, “Is there another kind?” A trope we have learned to live within the genre.

The roommate situation is politically correct. Perempuan’s bunking situation is proudly unisex. Her roommate is male, super-sized, and the ham-fisted Zamiatin (Scorpion in Love’s Hovik Keuchkerian) as her first jumpsuit suitemate. There are some tweaks to the food system from the first film. Yet, watching the characters react offers nothing new. The added religious discipline and imagery component isn’t exactly fresh, either.

This detracts from the original energy of the source material. Everything about The Platform 2 feels as if the story is stuck in neutral. Plot developments, like the main character’s backstory, take their sweet time. The film had a chance to expand on the genre’s worldbuilding but feels contrived from the beginning. Motivations from the would-be overlords lack clarity.

The Platform 2 falls victim to sequel pitfalls by pulling back the curtain and failing to live up to the original film’s hype. The script by Gaztelu-Urrutia, David Desola, Pedro Rivero, and Egoitz Moreno features a gutless, unnecessary third act. This is a shame because this was just as the story was gaining some traction. Combined with its excessive, almost gratuitous violence, this sequel feels more like an exercise in grabbing money from a moving platform than a work of conviction in storytelling.

The Platform 2 is currently available to stream exclusively on Netflix.