Spanish dystopian sci-fi thriller The Platform arrived on Netflix last month and has been gaining quite a following. The movie runs for an hour and a half but covers various themes, most notably class inequality which seems to be the ‘in-thing’ in cinema after the success of Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite. The movie is set in a futuristic prison which has multiple levels, each level holding two inmates.
A platform holding various kinds of delicacies arrives at each level from top to the bottom. But as is expected from the gluttony of humans, the ones at the upper levels finish most of the food, leaving meager scraps for the ones below. One prisoner decides to become the messiah, attempting to share food equally at all levels. The philosophical sci-fi take, which the movie offers, can be found in a few other sci-fi gems too, which have similar themes or premises. Here we count down 15 such sci-fi films that you can watch after The Platform.
Updated June 24th, 2020 by George Chrysostomou: As the science fiction genre continues to develop thanks to a host of new releases across streaming platforms, fans have plenty of options to explore for fans of this dystopic fiction, so we’ve decided to add more must-watches for fans of The Platform.
The Road (2009)
While The Platform plays on the theme of dystopian fiction that has come before it, that same hopeless tone can be found in the adaptation of the well-renowned novel, The Road.
The film centers on the relationship between a father and a son who are desperately trying to travel across the country in order to survive the apocalypse they are faced with. It features traditional science fiction elements, but with a horror twist that draws on the character’s deepest fears.
1984 (1984)
George Orwell’s political work has inspired generations of philosophical thinkers. It has also had a renowned effect on society, with concepts like room 101 and Big Brother playing into everyday vocabulary.
The movie, starring John Hurt, is a fantastic retelling of one of Orwell’s most popular pieces and is an insight into how humanity responds to the complete control of actions and even thoughts.
A Quiet Place (2018)
The hopeless and cynical elements of The Platform can be seen in a straight-up horror and science fiction clash. A Quiet Place takes a basic concept of an invading species and turns it on its head.
This psychological thriller plays with sound beautifully, as the humans on the run can be identified purely by what the alien creatures can hear. It raises the tension in a way that is rarely replicated on film.
Ex Machina (2014)
There are very few films that take the time to genuinely explore the technology behind the robotic uprising, but Ex Machina demonstrates the process of artificial intelligence becoming sentient.
What’s more, this is all explored through the emotional relationship between a man and a robot. Underscoring this journey is a tension that builds as more life is revealed within the AI, as the movie reaches a climax perhaps just as shocking as moments in The Platform.
Blade Runner: 2049 (2017)
Blade Runner: 2049 continues on from the original classic and continues to explore some of the tropes found in other work from Phillip K. Dick. The writer was no stranger to exploring dark and gritty futures.
The dystopia set out in the Blade Runner franchise is perhaps one of the most realistic in cinema. Add this to the complex questions surrounding what it really is to be human and the result is a Hollywood blockbuster that’s far deeper than most other popcorn flicks.
Okja (2017)
Parasite isn’t the only Bong Joon-Ho film to deal with themes of social inequality. In fact, the South Korean director has incorporated the theme in nearly all of his films. On the surface, this tale of a girl and her pet (who happens to be a lab-created ‘super pig’) seems like a heart-tugging saga of friendship. But what we get is an R-rated satire on how the rich run the meat trade, and try to manipulate nature for their own capitalistic gains.
The movie is even more relevant today if you look at the wet markets in Wuhan (from where the coronavirus supposedly spread). Here, a small section of rich Chinese actively supports the killing and trade of exotic animals. Apart from its profound storyline, this Netflix film also offers stellar performances by Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, and Tilda Swinton in a double role.
Cube (1997)
Cube isn’t the most perfect sci-fi thriller but credit should be given to this Canadian independent flick for its unique Kafkaesque atmosphere. The film involves various individuals trapped in different industrialized cubical rooms, some of which are rigged by traps. Some find it to be a predecessor to Saw, a horror classic to which even The Platform was compared.
Even if one might find the story weak in today’s standards, the visuals still stand out. Each of the cubes was built with precision and intricacy by a mathematician himself. Just like The Platform, the movie is bound to keep you at the edge of your seat watching the protagonists trying to figure out an escape route from their cubes.
Children Of Men (2006)
Alfonso Cuaron’s dystopian vision of 2027 deals with a world where the human race is infertile. Miraculously, a woman gets pregnant and all sections of society seem to be after her for their own ulterior motives. Clive Owen plays a righteous man who volunteers to ensure her safety. The premise, the cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki, and Cuaron’s screenplay are enough reasons for you to watch this modern classic.
The new-born baby in this film is in many ways, a metaphor for new life or rebirth of society. It might be a stretch but the child at the end of The Platform is also like this symbol of hope. The hero is just a guide in helping this divine child to change society.
Metropolis (1927)
The OG film in terms of sci-fi, this silent German classic was far ahead of its time. Again set in the year 2027 (a century from when the film was released), Metropolis is about a romance between a wealthy businessman’s son and a leader of the working class, and how they try to bridge the extremes of class struggle in an industrial society. Thrown in the mix are a mad inventor and his robotic creations, who aim to take over this modern dystopian realm.
Directed by Fritz Lang, the visionary film’s legacy lives on in many sci-fi films where one character decides to be a messiah for his people, to defy the authoritarian system ruling an unequal society.
The Last Days (2013)
Los Ultimos Dias aka The Last Days is a Spanish film that deals with the experiences of a man trapped in his office as he deals with the potential end of the world. The ‘lone-survivor-in-a-ravaged-planet’ theme is a staple in the genre but this movie is still worth your time, especially if you enjoyed the quirkiness of The Platform.
The direction is handled well and the special effects are also commendable for a non-Hollywood production. There’s a human element too to the post-apocalyptic premise as the protagonist has a spat with his lover before. So, now, surviving in this dystopia also drives him to reunite with his love, if she’s alive that is.
Moon (2009)
Solitude is a key theme in a majority of philosophical sci-fi films, and Moon is the epitome of this. Like many other sci-fi protagonists, Moon finds Sam Rockwell as an astronaut who tries to find the reason behind his mission, his purpose in life, and finally, his own existence.
Rockwell gives a commendable performance as an astronaut stationed at a far corner of Earth’s moon for three years who eventually discovers that he’s not alone (revealing the twist would be too big a spoiler). Being Duncan Jones’ directorial debut, it was an unexpected surprise with its grounded approach in scientific realism. Jones couldn’t follow up the same success in his other films but he has been working on a graphic novel sequel to Moon.
Sunshine (2007)
In the same vein as the previous film, Danny Boyle’s Sunshine has a group of astronauts on a mission to reignite the Sun. In their interstellar trip, they encounter an accident and the Sun’s ‘almost supernatural’ influence impacts their behavior.
The influence of classics like Solaris and 2001: A Space Odyssey is clearly there but Boyle crafts a tale on the human spirit with such originality that the film stands on its own. It’s not all mind-numbing philosophy as the movie has its share of action too.
High-Rise (2015)
This Tom Hiddleston-starrer is what The Platform would have been if it was set in the 1970s. Instead of a prison, the setting is a building furnished with all sorts of conveniences. The building is such a Utopia that its residents hardly step outside and develop a parasitic relationship with the building.
But chaos ensues when the building’s infrastructure starts falling. Just like The Platform, High-Rise too warns us in a metaphorical way about the unruly repercussions that overuse of resources can have on us humans.
Elysium (2013)
In the same year when Avatar was breaking box-office records, Neil Blomkamp, a South African filmmaker broke out with his sleeper hit District 9, a found-footage film on racial relations between humans and aliens. The movie which drew parallels from the Apartheid regime redefined the depiction of class inequality in sci-fi.
Blomkamp followed it up with an action thriller with similar themes. Elysium stars Matt Damon as a man living in a post-apocalyptic Earth who aims to reach Elysium, an outer-world paradise that is inhabited by the privileged elites. Maybe, this might be true in the future if our planet actually becomes uninhabitable, as space travel is surely going to be expensive!
Snowpiercer (2013)
As soon as The Platform released, online discussions increasingly compared it to Snowpiercer, another Bong-Joon Ho sci-fi film. In many ways, both movies are similar. They have a similar color palette and the underprivileged in the film are often shown as famished. The rich eat the best of the meals while the poor are forced to gulp down cockroaches down the truth. But it’s not just inequality but also a sense of optimism that both films share.
Chris Evans’ protagonist character also aims to devise a method to break the system of the poor being used to run a train that never stops. Just like the prison in The Platform, the train has some compartments in which the rich lead a life of satisfaction. Finally, both films end with the viewers finding a young girl being the symbol of hope for the rebellion. The protagonist was never a messiah, merely a guide to get things started. Whether they succeed or not, that’s open to interpretation but one thing’s clear that they gave their best in trying to change the system.
