Smile 2: Grin or Frown Worthy?

Preparing for the Tour

Hook up the mics, test the lights, and watch out for that malevolent haunting. It’s time to start gearing up for the show! Smile 2 is a sequel to the 2022 horror film Smile, which was one of the most surprising hits of that year. Originating as a short film titled Laura Hasn’t Slept, the first Smile received positive reviews from critics and achieved extraordinary box office success, earning over $100 million in North America alone. Now, the creative team behind that sleeper hit–including director Parker Finn, who also helmed the original short film–has returned to this universe with a new installment just in time for Halloween.

As a whole, 2024 has been a solid year for horror movies, both critically and at the box office. New installments in iconic series, such as A Quiet Place: Day One, Alien: Romulus, and Terrifier 3, were all financially successful and received positive reactions from both critics and audiences. Smile 2 is the latest movie to join that club, earning reception similar to what its predecessor received. In fact, many have even stated that this sequel is better than the original Smile. Even with these glowing reactions, though, I was still a bit skeptical prior to seeing this film.

This largely stems from my thoughts on the first Smile. While I appreciate many aspects of it–including its performances, atmosphere, and tone–I found it rather overrated due to its slow pacing, overuse of jump scares, and unsatisfactory ending. Even when the trailers for the sequel started coming out, I expected it to be more of the same as before. Nonetheless, I still wanted to give the movie a shot in the spirit of the spooky season, especially given the positive word-of-mouth it has been earning. I walked into the theater cautiously optimistic.

I caught a showing of the film on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2024, at the Hackettstown Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas near campus. As such, the inevitable question arises: can this movie leave me with a smile of my own, or was this franchise never worth revisiting?

Catching the Curse

Smile 2 centers on a pop star named Skye Riley, who is preparing for a world tour. However, after witnessing a tragedy before her eyes, she finds herself haunted by the Smile Curse. This malevolence torments its victims with hallucinations over several days before it takes them over, kills them, and passes on to someone else. Riley must face her past and regain authority of herself before everything spirals too far out of control and she fully falls victim to the curse. The film stars Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Peter Jacobson, Ray Nicholson, and Kyle Gallner (reprising his role from the first film), among others.

With talent both new and old taking part in this sequel, I am satisfied to report that this is a step up from the first Smile. It maintains many of the positive aspects I had with the predecessor, and even improves upon them in certain ways.

Notably, the film’s atmosphere and tension are top notch. There is a consistent sense of dread throughout the entire runtime which is amplified as the story progresses. Combined with the uncanny visuals and terrific performances, it makes for a tense viewing that will leave viewers on the edge of their seats. This all culminates in an ending that still haunts me, even days after I left my seat; it is honestly one of the most memorable conclusions to any movie I’ve seen this year.

Another aspect that improved for me from the first film was the use of jump scares and how they were utilized. I found the first Smile a bit too reliant on these particular scares, as they all followed a similar setup, making them predictable from a mile away. Smile 2 may still have a fair share of predictable scares, but many of them were used effectively. They would happen at more unexpected moments in the film; even when you think it might be safe, a scare could suddenly pop up, frightening the living daylights out of you. This adds more to the tension in the tone, and makes for an engaging yet horrifying experience.

Don’t Be Fooled

The characters in Smile 2 all stand out in their own sort of way, but the true star of the show comes from the main protagonist, pop star Skye Riley. The artist is portrayed brilliantly by Scott, who truly sells the situation no matter what scene she’s in. Whether it’s partaking in rehearsals ahead of the world tour or losing her mind as everything unravels, Scott adds a strong performance that makes strong use of confidence, skepticism, and fear. 

Scott also released an album in honor of the film, Smile 2: The Skye Riley EP, featuring original songs performed by Riley in the movie. Shockingly, the soundtrack provides some catchy songs with lyrics that actually foreshadow the movie’s events. I’d recommend giving the album a listen, especially if you’ve watched the film, to see if you can grasp what some of these tunes are truly saying.

Speaking of the musical aspect, the idea of making a pop star the new bearer of the smile curse adds another layer of stakes to the movie. Without giving too much away, I can say that the consequences of failure are grander compared to the more limited cast of characters from the first Smile. The movie also encourages viewers to keep guessing, and figure out what’s real or not. This approach adds more depth to Riley’s psyche, and makes way for some effective twists as the pressure of the situation builds further.

A Bit Off-Beat

While there are many factors of the film I can praise, I did also have a fair share of faults which largely tie back to the writing. For all the clever twists and Scott’s strong acting, the core story of the movie itself is derivative of the previous film. Many familiar beats are hit, making for an occasionally predictable series of events. I honestly wish they had come up with a few new ideas to explore in this sequel, since a movie with high tension loses some of its thrill when viewers can see certain events coming. 

One of my biggest issues with the first Smile was the pacing; I felt every minute of its two-hour runtime because it moved so slowly. The sequel’s pacing saw slight improvement from before, but still came off as a bit draggy in a few areas. Some scenes could have been trimmed while others felt out of place and repetitive, especially during the first half of the film. While the pacing did pick itself up in time for the climax, it still was decently dull in the beginning of the feature. I can respect how the film takes its time to add more psychological dread to the conflict, but some sequences did come off as a little tedious in turn.

Smiling Ear to Ear

Overall, despite occasional slow pacing and predictable story outcomes, Smile 2 is a step up from its predecessor due to its fantastic tension, frightening atmosphere, improved scares, terrific acting, and haunting conclusion. I recommend this picture to horror movie fans, especially those who love the first Smile or a psychological approach to the genre. 

This is a strong film to watch ahead of Halloween, but it’s worth noting that this is not a movie for everyone. Smile 2 is rated R for language and graphic content, which might not appeal to certain crowds. However, fans of the horror genre will appreciate the execution of the final product, which they can now catch in theaters nationwide, including Hackettstown’s very own Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas.

As someone who was not very thrilled with Smile, this sequel left me with the grin I had hoped for; it’s a movie worthy of buying another ticket to see a second performance of.

My Rating: