JP Nunez
My enthusiasm for Smile 2 has been an absolute roller coaster. As a fan of the original Smile, I got excited when I heard a sequel was in the works, but everything changed when the trailer came out. I thought it looked like a soulless rehash of the first film, and that put a huge damper on my excitement for it. But then the early reviews started dropping, and my anticipation began to creep back up once again. I was legitimately surprised at how positive they turned out to be, so when I walked into the theater to see this movie for myself, I fully expected a scary good ride.
Smile 2 was written and directed by Parker Finn, and it stars Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Dylan Gelula. In the film, Skye Riley is a pop superstar about to embark on a comeback tour. She’s battled drug and alcohol problems, and she was in a near-fatal car accident about a year ago, but now, she’s ready to get her life and her career back on track.
There’s only one problem. To deal with her lingering back pain, Skye buys Vicodin from a local drug dealer, and when the guy kills himself in front of her, she becomes the latest target of the Smile franchise’s supernatural antagonist. The poor woman begins to experience terrifying visions of people with horrific smiles on their faces. As time goes on, she even loses her ability to distinguish fantasy from reality.
Right off the bat, I have to let you know that if you haven’t seen the original Smile, you’re probably going to have a tough time getting into this one. When Smile 2 starts, we follow Joel, the police officer from the first movie, and the phrase “six days later” even pops up on-screen to let us know exactly where we are in the timeline. For Smile fans, it’s a great way to get back into this world, but if you’re not familiar with that original film, you’re just going to scratch your head and wonder, “Six days after what?”.
With that one preliminary issue out of the way, let’s dive into the real meat of this movie. As I said before, the marketing made me worry that Smile 2 would be an uninspired retread of the same story we saw two years ago, but I was wrong. Sure, on the most basic bare-bones level, it’s the same general idea, but it’s executed very differently and, more importantly, much better.
For starters, the horror is more effective this time around, and that’s saying something. I thought the first Smile got by almost exclusively on its fun scares, so for this one to surpass that already high bar, it has to be good. Writer/director Parker Finn effortlessly cranks up the tension with little more than a mysterious sound and a look from star Naomi Scott, and when he breaks that tension with a jump scare, you might need a drink to calm your nerves.
I’m often very critical of the way mainstream horror flicks use cheap jump scares, but let me tell you, the ones in Smile 2 are genuinely terrifying. There was even one that made me let out a phrase I probably shouldn’t repeat here, so if you’re even remotely a fan of this brand of terror, you’re going to have a great time with these frights.
Along similar lines, Smile 2 is also much gorier than its predecessor. The first film showed us flashes of blood and guts every now and again, but when this one gets gnarly, the camera lingers. We get to see the gore in all its disgusting glory, so it’s clear that Parker Finn was given a significantly higher budget for this sequel.
Next, let’s talk about Naomi Scott’s lead performance. She plays Skye, and she’s asked to convey all sorts of stress, trauma, and terror. Not only does her character have to deal with the supernatural entity that’s attached itself to her, but she also has to manage the struggles of mega-stardom, and Scott completely nails it every step of the way. She even has a Nic Cage-worthy freakout or two, so she almost forces you to sympathize with this poor woman.
That masterclass in horror acting gives Smile 2 a solid emotional foundation, and it’s especially important because Skye isn’t terribly developed, at least not at first. We learn more about her as the movie goes on, but Scott’s fantastic performance gets you on board with the character right from the get-go. It allows the film to hit the ground running, and once it starts, it doesn’t slow down until the credits begin to roll.
Last but not least, I have to say a few words about the themes of Smile 2. The original Smile was an allegory for trauma and the importance of having people we can rely on, but this one uses its amorphous monster in a different way. As I said before, Skye has to deal with the entity as well as the downside of worldwide popularity, and every time this thing makes its presence felt, it mimics one of the woman’s more down-to-earth struggles.
To take just a couple of examples, there’s a scene where the creature imitates an obsessed fan Skye met earlier that day, and at another point in the movie, it resembles the backup dance crew she works with. That correspondence between horror and human drama makes the story a clear metaphor for the real-life pitfalls of fame and fortune, so once again, this is far from the soulless rehash I was afraid it would be.
In case you couldn’t tell, I had a great time with Smile 2. Sure, there are a few things I can nitpick here and there, but they didn’t really affect my enjoyment of the film. The awesome horror, great lead performance, and new themes make it a hell of a good time, and if you ask me, I’d even say it’s better than its predecessor. So if you’re a fan of that first movie, I think you’re really going to like the sequel, and even if you didn’t love Smile, I still suggest giving this one a shot. It’s just that good, so you might be pleasantly surprised.
Smile 2 is playing in theaters right now.
