After 2022’s critically acclaimed Smile, a movie defined by its eerie grins, relentless jump-scares and quiet meditations on trauma, horror aficionados have been itching to know whether director Parker Finn could pull off the near impossible – to deliver a worthy sequel in a genre that sees so few.
Smile 2 follows Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), a pop sensation braced to embark on a world tour. After a traumatic encounter with her Vicodin dealer Lewis (Lukas Gage), the singer grapples with a demonic entity, her troubled past and the weight of a highly publicised comeback in the entertainment sphere.
From its opening frame, this elastic follow-up braces its audience for a picture larger in scale, budget and terror. Unleashing a remarkable one-shot sequence that spans almost 10 minutes, Finn ups the ante with a brutality so visceral it puts its predecessor to shame.
What unfolds next could be described as Jump Scare: The Movie, although, it would be wrong to diminish a flick of such scope down to cheap gimmicks. This is a filmmaker in possession of endless potential, so dynamic with his camera, plumbing through the depths of depravity before ceasing its movements at critically dark moments.
Naomi Scott is hauntingly superb here, emitting cries and expletives befitting of the ‘Scream Queen’ label whilst juggling a multifaceted role that calls upon her musical talent. The product is a performance as twisted as it is impressive; a turn that sees Scott continue her ascendance from Disney Channel roots to a newfound icon in the horror canon.
This gives us chills. Get tickets for #Smile2 now – in theatres Friday. pic.twitter.com/Vs4tzamLH5
— Smile Movie (@SmileMovie) October 14, 2024
Paired with Cristobal Tapia de Veer’s pulsating score and the shifty freneticism of cinematographer Charlie Sarroff, Finn has delivered a rare sequel that improves upon its foundations, dialling up the intensity whilst honing in on the finer character details that set Smile apart from its less focused or thematic contemporaries.
There’s a core parallel at play here between the central characters of this franchise and the Smile entity that haunts them. Just as Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) was a therapist in the preceding instalment, Riley is similarly responsible for the joy of those around her as such a widely popular and influential figure in its follow-up.
Thus, it seems apt to note that both women are stalked by a demon that will never stop smiling, even when it comes at their expense of their own.
If horror is a genre defined by its final act, Smile 2 leaps and falls in equal measure. If the story appears convoluted, it’s only in pursuit of an ending that will sear its effects into the spectator’s mind and the face of Smile for future sequels.
It may seem too early to tell but, provided Parker Finn is at the reins, this could turn out to be a horror franchise for the ages.
RATING: 4/5
Smile 2 is now playing in UK cinemas.
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