18 What are some of the best underrated sci-fi horror films?

Vocab:

0:10

Enthralling

0:46

mere concept (used to emphasize that something is not large or important

1:17

Spaniard (A Spanish person)

1:25

Come to think of it (cool informal expression, got me thinking)

mire of obscurity (an area of deep, wet, sticky earth)

02:42

harrowing (gonizing, bitter, cruel)

02:55

scraps (food that is discarded (as from a kitchen) food waste, garbage)

03:02

sedated via gas (to cause a person or animal to be very calm or go to sleep by giving them a drug)

spoil (to destroy or reduce the pleasure, interest, or beauty of something)

blown away by the performance (o thoroughly impress, overwhelm, or excite someone.)

Transcript:

0:10

The very concept of this film is so enthralling that five minutes after finding out about it I was already watching it on my television screen.

0:20

This is rare. Usually, what primarily draws me to certain films are the old familiars; Such as which actors are starring, which directors are directing, and which writers are writing. Sometimes, the studio that is producing the film will also become a factor, especially if it has a reputable track record of putting out high quality cinema.

0:46

Surprisingly, and I think this largely true for all of us, usually a mere concept isn’t enough to capture our attentions. This is despite the fact that a film’s concept is arguably just as important as who is acting, who is directing, who is writing and who is producing.

1:10

For this film, literally, all I had to go by was the concept. The director was some obscure Spaniard who mainly stuck to making commercials, and the Spanish actors were entirely unknown to American audiences. Come to think of it, they were probably largely unknown to Spanish audiences as well... Everyone else attached, from the writers to the production companies also hailed from the mire of obscurity. I did recognize Netflix as the distributor, and although there have been stellar, high quality projects released from this platform, I won’t watch a movie just because Netflix is involved.

1:54

But this concept? I just had to watch it play out; Performances and reviews be damned.

2:20

The Platform (2019)

Yes, the entire film is centered around a mechanical platform that delivers food downwards to prisoners in leveled cells. The prisoners at the top levels of the prison can stuff their faces with however much they please, resulting in them always having full bellies. But as the platform progressively descends from level to level, the food starts to run out, leaving those unfortunate enough to be on the lower levels being forced to resort to cannibalism and/or suicide. The harrowing thing about it is that supposedly there’s enough food to sustain everyone in the prison, all 300+ levels of it, but by level 50 or so, even the scraps are completely consumed. What’s more, every month, the prisoners are sedated via gas and randomly transferred to different levels of the prison, so you could be eating like a king one month, and dying of starvation by the next, depending on which level you wake up on.

3:20

I don’t want to spoil anything about the plot, characters, or even the many additional themes explored, but just know, I was completely blown away by the performances, the gloomy scenery, and the social commentary. It was so disturbing, and ultimately rewarding, that this film had me thinking about it for days after the credits rolled.

3:45

The concept captured my attention, but everything else about the film kept my eyes glued to the screen. This is a career launching film for the obscure director, actors and writers involved, and has been released to rave reviews from critics. Unfortunately, being a Spanish film, it’s not well known to American audiences. But do yourself a favor now and check it out; It’s available on Netflix.

Just don’t eat anything while viewing: The entire concept of food goes from arbitrary to horrific. In this horror/sci-fi flick, food becomes the monster.

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