‘Smile 2’ movie review: a gruesome sequel that embraces its black comedy elements

Posted On October 19, 2024October 19, 2024

Arriving a scant two years after the first film unexpectedly busted blocks at the worldwide box office, Parker Finn’s Smile 2 has a lot more riding on it than his feature film debut did. After all, it’s not often an original horror movie from an unknown writer/director escapes the confines of streaming to rake in more than $200million. With the quick turnaround between movies, though, coupled with Finn’s inexperience with studio filmmaking, it all begs the question: is Smile 2 a simple cash grab or a gruesome expansion of the uniquely malevolent world he established the first time around?

Pleasingly, Finn wastes no time in showing his audience that he’s not messing around with this sequel. The opening sequence puts the audience back in the frantic perspective of Kyle Gallner’s ex-police officer, Joel. As he desperately tries to find a way to rid himself of the demonic smile parasite that latched onto him at the close of the first film, Finn’s whipping, constantly moving camera perfectly establishes the film’s overriding feeling: panic. By the time this sequence comes to a screeching halt and the opening titles roll, there can be little doubt that Finn intends to grab his audience by the throat again.

The movie then switches to the story of Grammy-winning pop idol Skye Riley, played by Aladdin’s Naomi Scott. Riley is going through a tough time, having recently announced a return to the music world after a year spent dealing with mental and physical injuries caused by a terrible tragedy. Unfortunately, in some ways, Riley’s backstory is the same trauma porn we’ve seen in countless horror movies of recent years, which means her arc can feel a bit predictable.

It’s good, then, that Finn cast his lead role just as well as he did with Sosie Bacon’s Rose Cotter in the first film. Scott is a revelation as Riley, never striking a false note whether she’s performing a Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga-esque electro-pop number on stage, screaming with blood-soaked mania, or throwing herself around with a physicality any action star would be proud of. It’s a role that asks a lot of the young Brit actress, and she delivers on every single part of it.

The change of setting from the mundane world of a young therapist to the glitzy domain of a filthy rich pop star gives Finn a chance to poke light fun at the entertainment industry, although none of the cultural commentary is particularly revolutionary. Mostly, it allows Finn to stage more significant set pieces at concert practices and charity events for the rich and famous, as well as within Riley’s spacious, ornate apartment. Finn uses the sequel’s increased budget smartly, even recreating the first film’s signature upside-down cityscape shot to a bigger, grander effect.

Charlie Sarroff’s cinematography is simultaneously lush and beautiful but also oppressive and atmospheric. The scenes that play with the looming darkness of the recesses of Riley’s apartment are expertly staged, with moody lighting and inky shadows making it feel like danger lurks in every corner. Cristobal Tapia de Veer’s score, which doesn’t often sound like music in the traditional sense, adds to this sustained sense of tension. It’s a series of discordant, unsettling noises strung together with oddly distorted human wails and will almost certainly make the hairs stand up on the back of most people’s necks.

As for the film’s script, it’s not one of its stronger points. Finn sticks with the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” line of thinking for this sequel and puts together a tale that hits many of the same beats as the first film. This isn’t to say the story is bad or the commentary about mental health doesn’t work; it does. Riley’s addictions lead her to the belief that she is unworthy of love and that the people in her life hate her, and this will ring true for anyone who has suffered through similar issues in the past. In this case, the smile demon, being a metaphor for depression, works perfectly because depression also makes people believe things about themselves that aren’t necessarily true. The only gripe is that similar territory was covered in the first film, and perhaps some new territory could have been investigated.

In the end, though, the real question is the same with any horror movie: is Smile 2 scary? The answer is “yes”. The film is thrilling, gory, and suspenseful, and Finn definitely pushes the violence further this time. Perhaps the most surprising thing, though, is how funny it can be. Finn embraces his concept’s potential for black humour throughout, and it brings some welcome relief from all the demonic murder and mayhem. On a few occasions, this leads to images and sequences that verge on Sam Raimi-esque cartoonish horror, but the director mostly knows where to draw the line before it completely skewers the reality of his film.

All in all, Smile 2 is a worthy successor to the first film, and Finn easily evades any accusations of it being a cynical, thrown-together money-making exercise. Having said that, the movie does set things up very nicely for a potential Smile 3, which could exploit its central concept in new and intriguing ways.

We don’t think this will be the last audiences see of Finn’s pesky smiley-faced demonic franchise player.

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