Smile 2 is the rather straightforward title for the sequel of the nightmarish original film, Smile (2022), a film that effectively dragged its short film premise to a feature length good time. Smile was no horror masterpiece, but as a bizarre thriller, it succeeded in establishing an interesting new world brimming with potential. Without getting into spoilers, the original film was adequate enough but likely didn’t fully take advantage of the creative potential of its premise. That means 1 of 2 possibilities for the film’s sequels – either the series goes into intriguing new directions that capitalize on the promise of its conceit, or the franchise becomes a succession of diminishing returns in a failed attempt to capture some out of reach potential.
For a quick refresher, the original film centered on an idea of a curse, one that causes the afflicted to see unnerving smiles on the faces of those around them. This continues until the afflicted person begins to develop a cursed smile themselves and usually results in the taking of one’s own life before the cycle is passed on to another person. Pretty spooky. The original film had some good scares early, but had to invest so much time in developing and investigating the mythology, that it slows down a bit of a disappointing second half. But now that the exposition is out of the way, Smile 2 has the opportunity to craft a less restricted new chapter. The synopsis of the new film, starring Naomi Scott as pop singer Skye Riley, is below and is certainly something:
“Pop sensation Skye Riley begins to experience a series of increasingly disturbing and daunting events as she is about to go on a new world tour and is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.“
The plot is hardly reinventing the wheel but is appropriate for this sort of genre fare. Mental health was a relevant theme of the original film, and seeing this topic expand to the anxieties of a pop singer could feature some strong character development if written with care. We, of course, should also take note of this “dark past,” which should give us some pause on how well the writing on that will be handled. It certainly seems to be hinting at some traumatic event that Skye was either a victim of or saw her make a crucial mistake. Is that enough meat on the bones to make this a worthwhile horror flick and not a turkey? Eh, time will tell, but what we do have now is the recently unveiled trailer 2 for the movie, potentially the last trailer of the marketing campaign. So let’s enjoy the cheesy snapshot of how this series will continue:
So yeah, it seems to be treading down the exact path that you’d figure from the synopsis. Which is also very similar to the original film, which saw the lead character haunted by a previous trauma, raising ambiguity for why they’d become a target for this curse. Now said curse is feasting on another vulnerable individual suffering from mental health issues. While the first film’s depiction of mental health struggles was rather surface level, the actors themselves did a great job of embodying these traits, particularly schizophrenia. Hopefully, the sequel will continue to showcase these ailments tastefully, as opposed to venturing into territory that may seem exploitative.
I’m also curious about how Skye’s relationship with her fans, many of whom will appear with terrifying smiles across their faces, will be handled. It is an opportunity to venture into the topic of parasocial relationships, along with the good and bad that comes in that environment. But just how deeply will the screenplay delve into this topic? I’m cautiously not getting my expectations too high.
The movie as a whole seems bigger, with a higher budget, but doesn’t really have those memorable creepy moments from the original’s infamous trailer. It raises questions on what big moments or setpieces the sequel will have to offer, are the majority of those moments being hidden in the marketing campaign, or if we have already hit the point of diminishing returns. That would be a bummer. But the first Smile was a very unique concept, it’s not exactly easy to just say “let’s do that, but bigger and better now..”
For what it’s worth, Parker Finn is returning to write and direct, after filling the same role on the original as well as the short film which this franchise is based on, Laura Hasn’t Slept. So, at the very least, this will be a consistent vision. But Smile 2 will have to display a lot to show that this movie and this new concept have long-term staying power. That’s the catch about a gimmick – you can catch people off guard the first time, but once everyone knows the tricks of your concept, you almost have to reinvent yourself again if you want your work to continue to have a similar effect.
I’m hopeful that Smile 2 will look to reinvent itself; it seems very similar to the first – except we’re now centering on a different profession for our protagonist. But perhaps that’s just a sign of the marketing not revealing too much. Either way, I’m optimistic that even if the movie has some shortcomings on a story level, it will at least provide enough thrills, scares, and unintentional laughs to make this a solid popcorn flick. It’s ultimately the takeaway from the first Smile – not a great movie, but fun and chilling. That’s really the low bar that this sequel has to clear. We’re not asking for much – just make us feel something.
Smile 2 widens into theaters everywhere on October 18, 2024.
