Parents' Guide to The Platform 2

Unfortunately, this film feels like it's trying to stretch out an original idea too thinly. Even though The Platform 2 follows different main characters, most of it, if not all of it, feels like a retread of the first movie. The structural formula of the first is largely followed: Introduce the situation and main character, introduce flashes of violence, break up action with calm moments, leave those intervals with brutal set pieces of gory violence, and try to develop character along the way so that by the time the end arrives, we care. But even aside from the vague ending (which also somewhat mirrors the ending of the first film), viewers will likely be divided over who is the more interesting lead. Still, focusing on the character of Perempuan is refreshing, even if the story fails her in the end.

While the initial metaphor of "The Platform" remains, this sequel struggles to find something else or something more to say about capitalism, people, greed, selfishness, idolatry, insanity, prison industrial complexes, or punitive systems generally. It feels like this movie is simply saying, "Hey, remember this idea? Remember how cool and interesting it was?" At least the performances are effective, and the characters definitely get to chew up many of the scenes, so to speak. If only there was a stronger overall concept behind this follow-up than the same one that prompted the first film.