“Smile 2” Is A Great Horror Sequel, Worth Smiling For | Review

Somewhere in 2022, when the first “Smile” hit the screens, the expectations of many horror fans – including me – were low. Ostensibly, another film with a familiar story about a curse that passes through people, like in the wonderful “The Ring” or “It Follow,” in which the main fear factor is people smiling creepily, like in “Truth or Dare.” In fact, “Smile” was a great film, which managed to maintain a tense atmosphere, scare the hell out of me in several scenes, and also showcase the talent of director and screenwriter Parker Finn, who based it on a short film he created called “Laura Hasn’t Sleep.”

A little less than two years have passed, and after “Smile” became the highest-grossing horror film of 2022, with more than $ 217 million it made worldwide, it was clear that a sequel would be coming. The expectations from this movie were higher, at least for me, because we’ve already seen what Finn can do. The casting looked intriguing, and the story is based on the same idea from the previous film, with a particular twist.

After watching the film, and while I’m writing the review, I can declare with a big smile – and hopefully not too scary one – that “Smile 2” does not fall short of its predecessor in almost any aspect, thanks to some very effective scenes, a well-constructed story (even if not tight enough) and especially one named Naomi Scott, who does an excellent job there.

What Is Smile 2 About?

“Smile 2” opens with a scene that takes us back to the events of the first film, with police officer Joel (Kyle Gallner) trying to get rid of the curse that came upon him after witnessing the death of the heroine of the first film. He tries to murder a drug dealer in front of his partner, which should provide viewers with some disturbing smiles but also remove the curse from him. Unfortunately, things go wrong; too many killings are happening, and a drug dealer named Louis (Lukas Gage, “Euphoria,” “The White Lotus,” “You”) sees the murder. The curse passes to him because the detective dies under predatory circumstances, while we don’t get our creepy smile yet, but don’t worry.

From there, with the help of someone named Drew Barrymore, who plays herself here on her talk show, we get to know our heroine, Skye Riley (Naomi Scott, “Aladdin,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “Power Rangers”), a successful pop singer who has suffered severe trauma. She got seriously injured in a car accident, in which her actor boyfriend Paul (Ray Nicholson. Yes, the son of) lost his life. Riley went into a crisis, found solace in drugs and alcohol, and cut off contact with the few people she had. Now, she’s trying to get back to her senses and get back to singing, but music – or demons – can kill.

Quickly, when Riley is filming a music video for a very catchy pop song (a few days later, I found myself humming “Doctor, I Need a New Brain” while my daughters were looking at me like crazy), we discover that the pain from the accident is still there and that she needs hefty doses of Vicodin to cope with it. She goes to the house of her unofficial drug supplier, that drug dealer named Louis from the beginning, who is behaving hysterically. We finally get the smile we’ve been waiting for after Louis kills himself in a – um… creative way, showing that weights are a dangerous thing – and passes the curse on to Riley.

Here’s the “Smile 2” trailer to get you in the mood. If you’re one of those who resist watching trailers because they might ruin the film or parts of it (for example, the trailer of the first movie indeed destroyed the head-turning scene), and rightly so, you can skip to the following paragraph:

Smile 2 Plot: The Same Curse, A New Lady

“Smile 2” is a roller coaster, which works more or less according to the first film’s formula. We get some creative and quite jumpy scares in some parts and some slower moments, including characters smiling scarily. It may sound silly or at least ineffective after the first film, but for some reason, it still works. There may have been room in the sequel to expand the story and take it to new directions, at least on the level of narrative or symbolism, but “Smile 2” manages to get by without it.

“Smile 2” again plays on the gap between reality and imagination. After all, the same demonic entity makes people who have been “infected” with the curse imagine that people around them are having a creepy smile while hurting themselves or others. As in the first film, we lose our grip on reality along with the heroine, as Parker Finn uses cinematic expressive tools from the previous movie, with a few additions: you know, a reversed camera, an excellent soundtrack, a dramatic zoom-in on the heroine’s face, reflections in the mirror, and so on.

A few scenes in the film may seem predictable to those who saw the first film – for example, a phone call in which we realize that one of the characters is not really who we thought she was, and we know that in a moment, she will smile. Despite this, “Smile 2” manages, in most cases, to expand the dimension of fear a bit thanks to effective jump cuts and many successful visual images centered on that scary smile that has become somewhat of an art in horror cinema in recent years.

The sequel has a bit more gore than the first film, mainly thanks to characters stabbing themselves with strange objects that we usually use for other purposes, but that’s still within the realm of possibility. Sometimes, the director leaves what happened to the viewer’s imagination, which works.

The Show Of Naomi Scott

Without a doubt, Naomi Scott carries the film on her shoulders. She brilliantly plays the role of a pop star who collapses under the pressure and the demonic entity that haunts her.

We already knew Scott was a good singer after the hit “Speechless” from the “Aladdin” soundtrack, which came after she had released two EPs herself. Here, alongside a few pop songs, some of which are frighteningly catchy – like the single “Blood in White Satin” released as part of the film’s promotional campaign, which included the launch of a website and Instagram page for Skye Riley, and even an entire EP released a week before the film.

Scott is also very convincing as a recovering pop star with some mannerisms, who at one point loses her sanity and is mainly scared to death. Even her hair, in a “Miley Cyrus” haircut that changes several times during the film depending on the character’s condition, shows some great acting ability.

The rest of the cast also does a good job, led by terrific Rosemarie DeWitt (“Rachel Gets Married” and the unnecessary remake of “Poltergeist”) as Skye’s domineering mother who also serves as her agent; the personal assistant (Miles Gutierrez-Riley), who, in the best tradition, also serves as the star’s photographer and social media person; Talented Dylan Gelula (“Dream Scenario,” “Shitouse”), as the best friend from the past who supposedly returns to the heroine’s life, who steals the show in some scenes; and Peter Jacobson (Dr. Taub from “House,” “The Walking Dead”) in a role that is quite familiar in films of this type, of someone who has investigated the issue following a traumatic event he experienced, meets with the heroine and presents her (and the audience) with his story and ways of solving it.

Oh, and one more thing about the son of. As part of the very successful promotional campaign for “Smile 2,” you can see the image of Raymond (Ray) Nicholson on posters. This is not surprising because his creepy smile is reminiscent of the crazy look of his father, Jack, in Stanley Kubrick’s legendary “The Shining,” which we analyzed here in detail recently. So Nicholson Jr.’s role is quite limited in “Smile 2,” with another moment in which he displays the perfect smile and another flashback scene that shows his madness (or if you will, the effects of drugs). Still, you may be disappointed if you were expecting an acting display here that shows that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree or a more significant role.

One can argue that his performance is currently mainly a gimmick – however successful it may be – but still a gimmick. Nicholson Jr. does the job in some of the film’s more compelling scenes, and it’s a good thing the film is content with that because there was potential for a poor imitation of his father here.

There’s No Place For Smiles In Show Business

Quite unusually, “Smile 2” avoids all sorts of themes that Hollywood has insisted on incorporating into its films in recent years, sometimes in the name of progress and with no real connection to the plot. There is almost no sexuality in it (although Naomi Scott is, of course, a beautiful girl), Me Too-style misogyny, black-white relationships (a.k.a. Jordan Peele), homosexuality, and so on. The film focuses on its horror story, which has a structure resembling an urban legend we have seen in supernatural films from Asia or Hollywood.

Still, “Smile 2” combines the terror with a look at what goes on behind the scenes of the show business. This is undoubtedly not the first film to deal with the complex processes that a character goes through in the “Glamour World.” There have been films before that have already presented the madness, the gap between what you see on stage and what happens behind the scenes, or even the loss of sanity as a result (for example, Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” or “Perfection” which we saw on Netflix).

The film presents the difficulty of celebrity life, which will probably be even more complicated when you act like a psychopath in front of the whole world, have difficulty reading From the teleprompter, throw older women off the stage, yell at everything on set, or walking around the street in blood-soaked clothes.

What is noteworthy is that the film successfully combines the processes the heroine goes through and is related to her difficult situation, with the progress of the monstrous entity taking over her life and the loss of connection between reality and imagination. You can see that in several more effective scenes in which the worst “nightmares” of artists take shape, becoming staff members, family members, fans, dancers, and other people who smile at the heroine and pursue her.

It’s hard to separate the heroine’s nightmare from the curse she’s “infected” with, from the complex situation she’s in after the trauma she’s gone through, from the current struggle with pain, the unhealthy people who surround her, or the lack of a human environment that genuinely sees her. It’s also hard to separate the film from what we hear in the news about stars who have lost it, such as the death of Liam Payne from “One Direction,” or videos of Britney Spears dancing with knives after someone or something drove her crazy.

Everything only gets worse as the film goes on, and it comes to a perfect end in a scene that will probably make me stop attending pop concerts soon. And I wouldn’t want to be a pop star either.

Is Smile 2 Too Long?

Quite unusual for horror films, but not unthinkable, “Smile 2” runs about two hours. If we look at the many searches by users on Google of questions like “How long is Smile 2?” that usually don’t appear, it’s possible that the length does deter some viewers. Usually, Google questions about the length of a movie are less common (from experience, unless someone has heard something about the film being long. The good news is that like other excellent movies we’ve seen recently, like “Terrifier 3” and “The Substance” that exceed two hours, “Smile 2” didn’t feel too long to me.

In several reviews of the movie, I’ve seen references to the fact that there are “too many” musical numbers during it and that they could perhaps have been shortened. I think the musical segments contributed to building the character and her process, even though most of them are catchy and satisfying pop songs. What is true is that, unlike the first film, which created a particular atmosphere of tension almost throughout, with several scenes in which at every shot we thought we would suddenly see a character smiling or panicking, “Smile 2” does take its time.

In my opinion, there were several scenes where the tension could have been improved a bit, for example, in the “ping pong” of close-ups on the characters’ faces, when one of them can begin smiling at any second. Therefore, some may argue that “Smile 2” is too long and that there are predictable parts, certainly after the first film.

On the other hand, the scary or startling scenes are great, and the film gradually builds its tension and horror, even if there is no real mystery in the background. The character’s process is more intense and complex than in the first film, mainly thanks to Scott’s performance. If the first film ended in a particular disappointment (at least for the writer of these lines) due to the discovery of the monster and what happened after that, here the film builds increased tension towards the end and ends, as mentioned, with an excellent and well-made scene.

So, if you were worried about the sequel’s curse, you can rest assured. “Smile 2” does the job, especially for those who liked the first film, and in many ways surpasses it, and is undoubtedly (at least for me) one of the best horror films we have in 2024. It may have earned less at the box office – revenues of just over $137 million as of this writing – but this is still outstanding revenue for a film made on a budget of about $28 million, according to reports. We haven’t heard yet whether will there be a “Smile 3”, and it may be problematic to stretch that smile a little further, but in the meantime, we can smile with hope.

Smile 2 – Frequently Asked Questions

When was Smile 2 released? 

“Smile 2” release date was October 18, 2024.

Who Directed Smile 2?

Parker Finn, who also directed the first “Smile”.

Who plays in Smile 2?

The cast of “Smile 2” includes Naomi Scott in the leading role. The supporting cast includes Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Ray Nicholson, Dylan Gelula, and others.

Who wrote Smile 2?

Parker Finn wrote the screenplay, just like in the first movie.

How long is Smile 2?

The length of “Smile 2” is 127 minutes.

When was Smile 2 produced?

United States.

What language is “Smile 2”?

English

What was the budget for Smile 2?

The estimated budget of “Smile 2” is approx. 28 million dollars, a bit higher than the first film (17 million dollars).

How much did Smile 2 make?

According to Box Office Mojo, “Smile 2” grossed over 138 million dollars, about half domestically (approx. 69 million dollars) and the rest on international markets. These are pretty good numbers, but still less than the first “Smile”, which grossed over 217 million dollars worldwide.

What is Smile 2 MPAA rating?

The movie is rated R for strong, bloody, violent content, grisly images, language throughout, and drug use.

What do the reviews of Smile 2 say?

The rating of “Smile 2” on IMDB is 6.8. On Rotten Tomatoes. The film has an 86% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes.

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