Parker Finn’s Smile made a major impact when it hit theaters in 2022 (originally slated for premiere on Paramount+ before wisely being pivoted to the big screen). That film starred a memorable Sosie Bacon as therapist Rose Cotter who witnesses a patient’s violent suicide, setting in motion an increasingly tense set of encounters. These include run-ins with maliciously smiling people, surreal and dangerous situations, and a climatic showdown with a grotesque smiling entity that feeds on trauma and seeks its spread. The entity’s visage is shocking, its effects personal and malevolent, and the film had some terrifying set pieces, creating a mysterious new supernatural creature to lose sleep over.

At the same time, the film wasn’t perfect (despite its success). It’s effective, sure, but also predictable. The entity is clever, creating solid scares and opportunities, but it always felt like it was under-explored, its relationship between smiles and trauma tenuous. Finn once again takes the writer-director reins in Smile 2, with a bigger, bolder vision that maintains the central mysteries while showing much more of what the smile entity can actually do. It’s an exceptional sequel that improves almost every aspect of the original. The result is easily one of the year’s best horror films.

What Is ‘Smile 2’ About?

Superstar pop songstress Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) is coming off a tough year. A year ago, her career was bigger than ever, but substance abuse issues contributed to a haunting crash that killed her equally famous boyfriend, leaving Skye traumatized. One sober year later, Skye’s working towards a career comeback while building towards a massive tour. The pressures of the tour are admittedly a bit much, both emotionally and physically, and on one fateful night, Skye seeks out old acquaintance and drug dealer Lewis (Lukas Gage) to acquire painkillers, as the crash left Skye with lingering scars and bouts of excruciating pain. Drugs he has aplenty, but Skye gets more than she bargained for when he comes out smiling, violently killing himself in front of her eyes. She’s haunted by the death and by increasing encounters with eerily smiling people, heightening Skye’s paranoia and decreasing her sanity in equal measure. What’s a besieged pop star to do? And can she stop the haunting phenomena before it’s too late and she loses her sanity, or worse?

‘Smile 2’ Doesn’t Offer Many Answers About Its Lore
Image via Paramount Pictures

On a purely technical level, Smile 2 is a clear notch above its predecessor. The scale is much larger, giving ample opportunities for larger scenarios. DP Charlie Sarroff’s camera floats above the action, pivots upside down, and makes ample use of Dutch angles and other atypical shots. They’re always motivated, smartly composed, and well-used to set the tone and deliver palpable unease. The script is also both terrifying and genuinely funnier than the first in a way that compliments the tension instead of watering it down. As Gage’s Lewis informs Skye while in the throes of the entity’s smiley assault, “I’m having the worst week,” does more drugs, “THE WORST!” Understatement of the century from a paranoid besieged man pretending to be normal, delivered with excellent comedic flair and timing.

Giving all these aspects their due, it’s Naomi Scott who steals the show here. Poor Skye Riley is routinely isolated, confused, scared half to death, judged, and made to question her sanity, and Scott handles all these challenges exceptionally. She delivers a protagonist who’s sympathetic and problematic, complex, and strong-willed but near heart attack levels of terror for much of the film’s runtime. She’s genuinely incredible in a particular scene with a bevy of dancers, which also happens to be one of the year’s best horror sequences, bar none. Rosemarie DeWitt is excellent as Skye’s ever-watchful mother, while Kyle Gallner memorably returns as Joel from the first film and Ray Nicholson hauntingly adapts his father’s famed Kubrick Stare into a Kubrick Smile. It’s still a massive showcase for Scott, who cements herself as a scream queen to watch.

Related From ‘Scream’ to ‘Smile,’ Kyle Gallner Is Our Modern Scream King He’s been the hero, the villain, and everything in between.

Smile 2 builds a solid track of continual tension, as Scott’s Skye Riley finds herself besieged by the entity. That said, there’s a slight over-reliance on jump scares which, though effective, lose luster as the film progresses. The finale capably introduces a number of surprises that give the entity more intellect, power, and agency than the first film explored, but we don’t know that much more about it by the film’s conclusion. Certain pivots at the end also cast major moments of the film’s happenings in a curious light that will take a lot of thinking to parse through. The final mean-spirited twist isn’t necessarily the best choice if one wants to understand the Smile world better. Opaque though it may be, Smile 2 is a thrilling, often funny, engaging horror entry with a magnificent central performance.

A Smart Script and Naomi Scott Cement ‘Smile 2’ as One of the Year’s Best
Image via Paramount Pictures

The classic, much-repeated lesson of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws is that one is that the monster shouldn’t be seen too often. Jaws is a masterpiece, but the reasons for the limited creature visibility were practical, not normative. An unfortunate side effect of this misapplied lesson is that so many films under-explore their creature altogether, aiming for mystery but leaving much to be desired. At the end of Smile 2, there’s a distinct feeling that the entity’s nature is disappointingly not investigated. Still, Naomi Scott cements herself as a scream queen to watch, the film boasts reliable tension and humor, and the third act may have too many twists, but it’s still exciting, setting up for a finale that’s fun to watch (though it may be predictable). It’s a stellar horror entry and, slight faults aside, it’s an exemplary horror sequel that hits home runs where the original landed base runs.

ReviewSmile 2 is an excellent horror sequel that exceeds the original, with humor, scares, and a stunning performance by Naomi Scott.Release Date October 18, 2024 Director Parker Finn ProsNaomi Scott is a stellar Skye Riley, and lands complete terror amidst a complex set of emotions.The script overall packs ample humor and scares, and it’s a breezy, frightening horror entry.Technically, Smile 2 boasts tight editing and gorgeous, clever cinematography. ConsSmile 2 could be more revealing about its central entity, and consequently its themes.There’s a slight overreliance on jump scares that doesn’t always serve the narrative ideally.

Release Date October 18, 2024 Director Parker Finn

Smile 2 premieres in theaters on October 18.

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