Review: Smile 2

Directed by: Parker Finn

Written by: Parker Finn

Starring: Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson

Rating: [3/5]

Everyone has their demons to face and they appear in different ways as we navigate life. Smile 2 much like its predecessor seeks to present a demon like no other as it takes the often comforting feeling of someone smiling and makes it demented as hell. While serving as an upgrade stylistically to what came before this feature still exhibits the same frustration where things matter until they do not to a frustrating degree. 

Seeking to complete a comeback following a troubled recent past, pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) witnesses someone die from the affliction that makes one smile scarily. Now, while trying to make things work professionally, she must encounter this smiling demon that will not rest until it takes her. 

Picking up seemingly where the previous film left off, Smile 2 has pretty much the same premise but instead of there being an investigative element to the story, we just see how this whole circumstance would take place with a pop star. No longer do we see this with an everyday person but rather an individual who has cameras trained at her at all times while in public. It makes every instance where she gets frightened by these smiling faces all the more tense because of how it will further impact her image. 

For the most part this film works really well in upping ante in regard to the scares this facet has to offer. One scene, in particular, that involved many dancers in Skye’s apartment just took the cake in delivering something so strangely comedic but also bone-chillingly scary in its presentation. A true highlight of the feature and one that truly left me disturbed after the credits rolled afterward even with plenty of movie left. This combined with the general spiral we see Skye go through truly makes this film quite the story to take in, which makes it extremely frustrating to see when the film, much like its predecessor, falters so badly as we get to the end. 

Above all, this film wants to provide shock value, which can happen with this premise when understanding that this being is making Skye’s life terrible to the degree where she will give in and let it take over her. This means creating many circumstances where Skye believes she has found safety, only for the mental games of this spirit to completely flip the script. Smile 2, unfortunately, gets far too liberal with its use of this rug-pulling. It gets to the point where it begins to undercut the emotional journey of this lead character. Nothing displays that reality more than the very ending, which I certainly do not want to spoil but just left me in such a low that it hampered what otherwise was a fantastic film. When nothing means anything then what is the point of the journey? I found myself asking that as the credits rolled. 

This, however, does not take away from the tremendous performance put on by Naomi Scott. While often saddled in lackluster film projects, Scott has always been a bright spot and this film allowed her to go all-out in the psychological struggle of this complex character. Skye is not only a character having a hard time coming back into the spotlight but also truly a troubled person who has many demons to fight internally. Having this affliction stick to her only makes things monumentally worse, but Scott helps embody this nightmare experience. From all the screaming involved and even selling the look and swagger of being this beloved pop star, Scott fit the bill perfectly and even when the surrounding film begins to feel empty, she remains its shining light. 

A common theme with these Smile films where we have a wickedly fun story filled with strong scares but the way they conclude them infuriate me to no end. Will I still watch a third film if they release it? Absolutely, yes because in the end the entertainment value these films, especially this one, brings makes it more than worth my frustrations. Part of it stems from the inherent horror of these smiling faces but also in the way they are continuing to innovate and present these terrifying circumstances to make for an entertaining and terrifying ride.