Smile 2 Review – The Stage Is Not Safe

I guess many folks have soured on franchise movie-making in recent years, albeit sometimes justifiably so. For it’s seemingly rare that these extended series happen to improve upon itself, but perhaps that’s what Smile, of all things, has already accomplished. That’s owed to a dedicated vision by Parker Finn, who began this saga in the short film Laura Hasn’t Slept. Smile arrived in 2022, and despite some controversy in its depiction of mental health, created a new iconic horror film announced by a viral trailer, then living up to much of that hype by way of an inventively chaotic tragedy that featured weird and outlandish set pieces, but still evoking enough dramatic weight to be taken seriously.

A great sequel builds on what came before and can choose to put a definitive exclamation point on the story or widen the scope and possibilities of the world. Smile 2 is one of those films, brimming with confidence and a higher budget. It ventures to balance a great deal of empathy with a whole lot of terror. That is a tricky tightrope because it is possible to just simply exploit the trauma of these characters for entertainment, and there is a great deal of that. But the movie also pays mind to the idea that these characters are victims stuck in cycles, and while their mistakes are aplenty, much of what afflicts them is sadly due to factors that require more nuance.

The story this time around follows Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), a pop star trying to make a comeback after several hellacious years. At the peak of her fame, she was a party girl indulging in all of life’s vices, but that addiction has become the source of pain after a critical accident and the loss of her Fiancé. Managing her physical therapy and the stress of her tour along with a media blitz that is determined to repeatedly bring up her past, Skye secretly turns to drugs for a reprieve. But her dealer is like the last guy you’d want selling you drugs; he seems to not have slept in days and is probably his own biggest customer. He even pulls a sword on her on sight. At this point, most would calmly exit and simply download WeedMaps, but Skye is cornered and ends up seeing a horrific physical act that leaves her mentally scarred. Little does she know that she’s taken part in the transfer of a demon, one that will play on her fragile psyche as she begins to notice individuals brandished with that familiar grin at the most inopportune times.

The challenge that the movie has is in taking what started as novel, but has now become a familiar concept. The sequel doesn’t spend much time recapping the original. In fact, most of the characters are firmly removed from the world of their predecessors. The movie begins with a bang, picking off right where the original left off as a last ditch effort to close the book on that story, but natural human error leads to the Smile demon with the opportunity to continue its rampage. While the original established several unique jump scares, the sequel is grander, increasing the film’s scale and photography. There’s a particularly tense tracking shot that ends up leading into a brutally marvel image, one that also doubles as a way to entice viewers to actually pay attention to the opening credits – I’m sure many in the industry loved that.

The performances are just as manic as the original. Lukas Gage appears as that aforementioned drug dealer, who you can tell was probably told that there’s no way he can play this part too big. There’s no line reading that’s too over the top for him, and there is no scenery that should go unchewed. Kyle Gallner returns from the original, appearing briefing as equally empathetic and desperate and perhaps does as much as anyone to hammer home the stakes of the demon’s immoral assault on its victims.

Scott turns in possibly a career elevating role, portraying a Skye that sometimes exhibits more depth than the script actually affords. As well thought out as the story may be, it’s still heavily reliant on typical tropes and conventions, with Skye often alienating herself from the support system that’s trying to help her. But some of that dynamic could have been further explored, most notably the relationship between Skye and her mother & manager (Rosemarie DeWitt). That bond hints at the complicated history of parents being involved in the Hollywood careers of their young children, including how that affects the relationship and the psyche of those involved.

Instead, Smile 2 seems more interested in the surface level depiction of Skye’s dependence on drugs, without fully exploring where those root causes may be. Nonetheless, considering that this story started in the world of therapy, takes us to the anxious and unsafe glass castle of a pop star, and effectively ends in a way that actually opens up a world of possibilities in terms of how the globe can be affected by this virus, and it begs the question of how delicately Finn will depict these sensitive topics in a potential conclusion to the story. Horror has profited on pain for a long time, and both the consumers and especially the producers and filmmakers are complicit in that relationship. The Smile movies are hardly the first to use real-world trauma as the jumping off point for an exciting story.

However, my hope would be that the Smile franchise, if it continues, can be more cognisant of that imperfect dynamic. Skye’s story is actually quite fascinating, even if it is pieced together by borrowing from a host of actual musical celebrities such as Demi Lovato and Britney Spears. Essentially, the question that Smile 2 begs is if these demonic entities can be defeated, and more importantly, will the movies and the audience learn anything meaningful about how to combat the cycles of real-life trauma.

While Smile 2 doesn’t handle everything perfectly in terms of its depictions, it absolutely succeeds as thrilling entertainment. The performances are intense while the elegant camerawork and energy Finn brings behind the camera makes it a horror sequel that ups the ante on the premise while still offering much of what you liked about the original. Upon our initiation into this world, Smile can seem just like a gimmick with only fleeting interest. But Finn takes the world building seriously, clearly trying to angle this yarn into his horror epic. Perhaps a trilogy can do that, as there’s quite a lot of unexplored material left on the bone. But in the meantime, Smile 2 does it’s job in proving that it’s premise is no fluke – it’s as relevant to the anxieties of human experience and interaction as any deeply loved horror flick, even if that isn’t something to smile about.