Film Review: SMILE 2 (2024): Naomi Scott Shines in an Annoying but Nevertheless Intriguing Horror Sequel

Smile 2 Review

Smile 2 (2024) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Parker Finn and starring Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Ray Nicholson, Dylan Gelula, Raul Castillo, Kyle Gallner, Drew Barrymore, Zebedee Row, Roberts Jekabsons, Sean Stolzen, Jon Rua, Margot Weintraub and Christopher Bailey.

Filmmaker Parker Finn has crafted one of the most annoying movies ever made with his sequel, Smile 2. This film gives off vibes of the recent A24 horror film, Talk to Me, although the original Smile was made a year before Talk to Me came out. It’s probably not true that Finn took influence from the success of the recent hit, The Substance, but it sure feels like he did. Smile 2 has the unfortunate timing of coming out almost immediately after The Substance which made almost all other recent horror films pale in comparison with its “go for broke” mentality. Smile 2 has the same kind of initiative and ambition but falls a bit short of the recent Demi Moore picture, The Substance.

Smile 2 has cast a new scream queen in Naomi Scott and the choice to place her in the leading role here is a good one. This new film also features a clever cameo by Drew Barrymore which is humorous when horror fans recognize that Barrymore appeared in the first Scream picture. There’s more good news. Rosemarie DeWitt of Rachel Getting Married fame plays Scott’s character’s mom in the picture. She’s a high-caliber actress and to see her in a scary movie is a breath of fresh air, especially for fans of the versatile DeWitt.

Now, the plot of Smile 2 is pretty interesting despite having scenes which rank as some of the most frustrating ones ever filmed. Scott portrays a pop star singer named Skye Riley who is clearly suffering from some kind of traumatic past. The show must go on, however, and she yearns to be back in the limelight. Well, maybe her mom, Elizabeth (DeWitt), wants her back on stage more than Skye ever wanted to be when the main story line of the new sequel officially kicks into gear.

As we all know, the demonic force in these Smile movies shows people witness horrific suicides where the victim smiles before dying which will then lead the witness to slowly go crazy his or her self. The movie opens with a bit of this concept before diving into the story of Skye who lost a seemingly somewhat abusive boyfriend named Paul Hudson (Jack Nicholson’s similar looking son, Ray Nicholson). Early on, there is a gruesome suicide scene as well which culminates in a man hitting his head on some kind of hard metal that makes for more ugliness in an already freaky movie.

There’s no need to talk too much about the build-up of Smile 2 but once Skye is in front of an audience at a charity event to offer hope to kids, she cannot read her electronic cue cards. This leads Skye to tell her viewers that she is frustrated and she spews out negativity at the event which culminates in her accidentally knocking an old lady down. You see, it seems that Skye is getting text messages from a man named Morris (Peter Jacobson) who is a nurse that suggests the only way for Skye to escape the demon at hand is to die herself for a few minutes. Then, Morris could bring her back to life. So, Skye thinks it’s a bit odd to die in order to stop the unseen monster at hand here which unjustly possesses its victims.

There are graphic sequences here that Finn outdoes himself in regards to the way he creates them on-screen. A scene where Skye is partially hospitalized and her mother is trying to help her is particularly well done as is an attempt by Skye to flee with a friend (Dylan Gelula) to Staten Island in order to get help. But, discussing the plot can’t hide the fact that this is one annoying picture just like Talk to Me was to a lesser extent. It’s clear Skye is in over her head and going nuts a little bit at a time but the movie has developments that will have you shaking your head in disbelief.

There is a scene where a group of smiling freaky people pursue Skye in her apartment and that makes for one of the most interesting scenes in the picture. But, Smile 2 wants to have its cake and eat it too. The ending isn’t earned here like it was in The Substance. Too many things are occurring in Skye’s head and the audience has to figure out which ones are real and which ones aren’t. This movie isn’t as satisfying as the original Smile at all.

Naomi Scott is amazing in her role and adds a lot of distinct character traits that make the unlikable Skye tolerable. It’s hard to deal with scenes of her hair being ripped out of her head, though, and sometimes, the movie goes over-the-top before it has to. Rosemarie DeWitt ultimately steals the movie in her big potential death scene within the picture where you will have to see what happens for yourself. Nicholson is also a very commanding screen presence as well in his brief screen time within the movie.

In the end, Smile 2 is so interesting that you’ll be bound to keep watching it if you are a horror movie fan. On the other hand, it seems like this kind of story was done better in both Talk to Me and parts of The Substance. The biggest nightmare Smile 2 initiates happens while watching it as the film’s viewers could end up talking back to the screen uttering words of disbelief to express their confusion over just what the hell, exactly, is going on here.

Rating: 6.5/10

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