The Platform 2 Review: A Frenetic Dive Into the Depths of Chaos
Say this for The Platform 2: it wastes no time getting to the point. Without so much as a recap of its predecessor—a sci-fi horror hit that captivated Netflix audiences a few years ago—the film dives into philosophical debates about law and economics within its first 10 minutes. By the 40-minute mark, a major character has already resorted to self-immolation. The pacing is remarkably fast, considering the film is set in a series of bleak, unadorned rooms within an enormous vertical prison.
The mechanics of the prison, known as “The Pit,” were explored in the first film, but even newcomers can quickly grasp the setup. Prisoners, who opt into this bizarre structure either as punishment or some other exchange, are randomly assigned levels each month. Once a day, a platform loaded with gourmet food descends from the top (level 0) down to the unknown depths, stopping briefly at each level. The catch? The higher you are, the better the feast. Those at the top gorge themselves, leaving scraps—or nothing at all—for the unlucky souls further down. It’s a brutal, survival-of-the-greediest system, and it’s only a matter of time before someone on top finds themselves near the bottom, and vice versa.
This rotating hierarchy should inspire solidarity, but instead, it breeds panic and selfishness. As the sequel opens, prisoners have tried to impose order: each person can only eat the food they requested, and trades are allowed to ensure balance. Of course, things quickly unravel. It only takes one person eating someone else’s pizza to throw the entire system into chaos. Zamiatin (Hovik Keuchkerian), a grim, shirtless brute who shaves every inch of his body, demands immediate retribution. His levelmate, Perempuan (Milena Smit), advocates for caution, and surprisingly, her logic gets through to him. The two form an unlikely bond as tensions escalate across the floors.
Soon, Zamiatin and Perempuan find themselves caught between two factions: one led by a self-appointed “anointed one” who enforces rigid rules—dictating that a dead prisoner’s food must be discarded rather than redistributed—and another group advocating for more “freedom” despite the fact that no one is truly free in The Pit. The power struggle is relentless, and the characters’ roles shift so frequently, it feels dizzying.
The film’s central metaphor is equally fluid. At different points, The Platform 2 critiques capitalism, questions the feasibility of true equality, tackles religious fanaticism, and delves into the darker sides of human nature. Director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia throws all these ideas into a chaotic, bloody mix, featuring cannibalism as a weapon and grotesque, nonsensical backstories that twist the narrative.
The speculative fiction elements are thought-provoking, but the film’s rapid pace leaves little room to fully explore its characters. Perempuan, in particular, emerges as the central figure, but despite Milena Smit’s solid performance, her character remains elusive, constantly shifting with the erratic plot. Just when the movie seems ready to settle into something more novel, a green-lit, eerie sequence brings back the sci-fi elements and slow-building suspense that made the first film so gripping. The blood-soaked chaos takes on a more poetic tone, but the film hurtles forward to a baffling final act that leaves more questions than answers—even as the credits roll.
Gaztelu-Urrutia seems to approach his own concept from level 0, treating it like an all-you-can-eat buffet of ideas, rushing to sample as much as possible before it’s taken away. While The Platform 2 is chaotic and messy, it’s also daring in its ambition, delivering a wild ride for those who can keep up.