Smile 2 (2024, dir. Parker Finn)

by | Oct 16, 2024

Certificate: 18

Running Time: 127 mins

UK Distributor: Paramount Pictures

UK Release Date: 17 October 2024

WHO’S IN SMILE 2?

Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Kyle Gallner, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Raúl Castillo, Dylan Gelula, Ray Nicholson

WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?

Parker Finn (director, writer, producer), Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Isaac Klausner and Robert Salerno (producers), Cristobal Tapia de Veer (composer), Charlie Sarroff (cinematographer), Elliot Greenberg (editor)

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

A pop star (Scott) is plagued by a smiling demon…

WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON SMILE 2?

Back in 2022, when writer-director Parker Finn leapt onto the screen with his debut feature Smile (adapted from his own short film Laura Hasn’t Slept), I remember dubbing it a half-and-half movie. Half of it really works, such as Finn’s stylish and eye-catching filmmaking as well as the performances of lead Sosie Bacon and supporting players like Kyle Gallner.

The other half, though, was much more of what you’d expect from a standard horror movie: jump-scares aplenty, characters doing ill-advised things to simply get the movie to its next narrative point, and an ending that all but makes the entire movie rather pointless. It’s all executed very well, but its stubborn commitment to the traditional horror tropes did drag it down, at least for me.

Two years later, Finn is back with Smile 2, a film that is the exact same as the first one. Sure, a number of significant details are wildly different, but the basic storytelling structure of it is pretty much identical, which to elaborate further on might reveal some unwanted spoilers for this film, or indeed the first one if you’ve not yet watched it. That being said, Smile 2 is definitely a better movie than the first in a lot of ways, but those expecting the formula to be properly shaken up, especially if you weren’t as keen on that previous film to begin with, will be left with anything but a big grin on their faces.

The film starts off extremely strongly, with a fantastically executed one-shot sequence featuring Gallner’s character from the first movie, which could well have been its own standalone short film like the very one that inspired the original Smile in the first place. This sequence is genuinely impressive, and at times I was even caught off guard by some of the filmmaking tricks that Finn deploys to pull it off, which for the restricted budget they probably had makes it all the more fascinating to watch.

Shortly after, we are introduced to our true protagonist: Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), a music superstar who’s preparing for her big comeback tour, after a tragic accident claimed the life of her boyfriend (Ray Nicholson), and after her heavily publicised substance abuse and subsequent recovery. Whilst visiting drug dealer Lewis (Lukas Gage) for a quick pickup, she is horrified when the initially unnerved Lewis suddenly commits horrific suicide in front of her, all with a sinister smile across his face. Soon, Skye herself begins seeing the shape-shifting and reality-distorting demon everywhere she goes, inflicted with the same curse as Lewis and countless others before him, driving her crazier and more unhinged by the day.

Beyond the fact that Smile 2 is essentially a spiced-up retread of its predecessor, albeit one that does ultimately produce stronger results, the film is a frustrating watch because you are constantly impressed by so many elements of this film, yet you are also bogged down by a number of things that don’t really belong in something with this level of filmmaking quality. Once again, Finn impresses with his skills as a director, incorporating alongside cinematographer Charlie Sarroff a number of very ambitious shots that play around with numerous camera and editing tricks, creating a memorably distorted reality where it feels as though you are gradually becoming just as mentally unstable as our protagonist.

Speaking of whom, Naomi Scott delivers a revelatory lead turn that ranks extremely high among the year’s best genre performances. As the embattled pop diva Skye Riley – think Taylor Swift if she suddenly started making the same kind of music as Dua Lipa – the actor excellently conveys the intolerable pressures of constantly being judged within the public eye, and being subjected to inhuman treatment by those taking advantage of her fame, whether it’s at public fan meet-and-greets or in curt conversations with her management. Even her mother, played with some passive-aggressive stage parent menace by Rosemarie DeWitt, treats Skye more like a business (she is her manager) than her own daughter, and via Scott’s increasingly unnerved turn you really do sympathise with this character – at least, up to a point – and understand how she was probably already on her way to a major mental breakdown long before the smiling demon even shows up.

I do want to reiterate that Smile 2 is a better movie than the first. The ambition is higher, the scares are creepier, the acting and filmmaking is stronger, the gore is ever impressive (though you can definitely tell that most of it is CG rather than being done practically), and it has more intriguing things to say about mental health, especially within the context of being so prominently famous. However, it is difficult to shake the fact that so much of this movie is structured almost beat for beat like the first, to where you can easily predict where it’s going to end up because you’ve literally seen it all before.

It’s such a shame because there is a lot to really like about this film, but just as before Finn is too limiting in his own storytelling potential, for whatever reason refusing to take his concept beyond what worked previously, which in turn damages the goodwill of an otherwise solid horror sequel.

So, whereas the first Smile was a half-and-half movie, Smile 2 is much more of a three-quarters-and-one-quarter movie. Three quarters of it are genuinely strong, but that remaining quarter does reduce that smile quite significantly.

SO, TO SUM UP…

Smile 2 is a stronger movie than its predecessor, with stronger scares and filmmaking tricks as well as a revelatory lead turn by Naomi Scott, but those hoping for a shake-up of the formula will be disappointed to know that it is an almost beat for beat revisit, only with slightly better results this time around.

Three out of five stars

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  1. Smile 2 First Reviews: One of the Best Horror Films of the Year - […] Smile 2 is definitely a better movie than the first in a lot of ways.— Jack Martin, Film Feeder…
  2. Smile 2 First Opinions: One of many Greatest Horror Movies of the 12 months - Epoca News - […] Smile 2 is certainly a greater film than the primary in loads of methods.— Jack Martin, Film Feeder […]

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