Smile 2 (dir. Parker Finn)
By: Adam Freed
There is no questioning the monumental impact that Smile (2022) made on the horror community. The film’s viral marketing effectively created a shockwave of buzz that drew curious audiences to theaters two years ago. Smile 2 is a direct follow up to its predecessor and offers a very similar disconcerting and uncomfortable tone, yet lacks the stickiness to own any permanent real estate inside the heads of audiences. Smile 2 returns Parker Finn to the director's seat in a film that expands upon the premise that a demon can occupy one’s mind and then be passed from victim to future victim. Despite the sequel carrying a bloated runtime, Smile 2 certainly doesn’t run short on the brand of low brow thrills that horror fanatics seem to desire.
The second film follows pop superstar Skye Riley, played convincingly by Naomi Scott (Aladdin). Riley is attempting to make good on a second chance at her career after a drug induced car accident nearly cost her her life a year prior. Naomi Scott carries her weight with a performance that demonstrates her range as audiences witness her spiral into darkness. One of the most unsettling aspects of Smile 2 is the inescapable feeling that as audiences witness the pop star question the reality of her surroundings, truths are presented and dismissed nearly simultaneously. This confounding choice dances on the edge of the film rendering itself purposeless. A movie, no matter how preposterous, has a duty to provide its audience at least a small patch of stable ground on which to stand. Most likely fans who anticipate this middling sequel will find themselves satiated, but it is unlikely to turn new audiences in the directions of what is sure to become, at minimum, a trilogy.
What ultimately prevents Smile 2 from standing among genre elites is its over-reliance on predictable jump scares and gruesome imagery in lieu of a deeper psychological horror that has the capability to bore permanently into one’s mind. In addition, rather than establishing the sequel as a stand alone film, its clunky opening scene attempts to sew itself to the original, a choice that adds 10 minutes of unneeded run time and serves neither film well. Smile 2 would be best packaged in a sleeker presentation, rather than its bloated 127 minute final cut. To Parker Finn’s credit, Smile 2 lands most of its punches, but doesn’t seem interested in fighting for anything of historical relevance.
Target Score 5.5/10: Smile 2 is as unsettling as it promises to be, yet beyond that, accomplished very little. Fans of the original horror film will surely be entertained by the spooky season sequel, while fans of meaningful storytelling may walk away somewhat perplexed.