Synopsis:
About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.
What We Thought:
Did you like Smile? Well then you’ll like Smile 2. It’s different enough to not feel like a 100% copycat, but if you read me enough you know this type of horror isn’t something I’m a fan of. Like the first movie it relies heavily on jumpscares and paranormal/supernatural elements and that’s just not the horror I like. I will say it seems like it amped up the gore this time around which I appreciate.
Without a doubt the cold open is the best part of the film. It connects to the story/characters from Smile and is pretty action packed. I wish the rest of the movie went the same way. The biggest issue with the movie is from that point forward it’s way too long. It needs at least 20 minutes cut from it. The action of the cold open is replaced with the story of a pop singer going on a comeback tour after an accident a year earlier. She gets infected and slowly her world spirals out of control with no one believing her and every move she makes blows up in her face.
The thing is, that could have worked and it separates itself from the first film by having a new protagonist and location. The problem is that it’s bogged down with too many characters and side stories. And false endings, but I’ll get to that in a minute. The pop star (a solid performance by Naomi Scott who makes great snot bubbles) is trying to stay sober while drinking Voss Water (watch the movie and its ridiculous product placement) while also dealing with her manager mom, learn choreography while suffering in pain from her accident injuries, meet the fans and now also deal with this smile demon thing. Add in trying to make amends with a friend, appease a guy who wants her to make a charity appearance, try to figure out if a stranger on the phone is helpful and so much more. It’s just too much and the film wanders endlessly because of it.
Then there’s that ending or multiple endings. It just doesn’t know how to end or where it wants to finish. The actual ending is pretty good and leaves the door open for Smile 3, but at that point there had been so many side stories and false endings I just wanted the movie over with. If you still have questions about Inception’s ending after all these years this one will certainly have you second guessing most of what you just saw. A lot of it ends up utterly useless and feels like chunks could have hit the cutting room floor.
I had rewatched Smile a few days before watching Smile 2 and I liked it even less a second time. After watching Smile 2 these films simply aren’t for me. The audience will talk back to the screen and make all kinds of noises, but I sit there bored. I think Parker Finn has creative ideas and is creative with his camera, I just wish I liked his movies more. It’ll make money now that Halloween is getting close and I firmly expect Smile 3 in two years. If you like this subgenre of horror you’ll enjoy it. I don’t really get into them.
The Nerds Templar 