Smile 2 Review: Naomi Scott Shines In This Superior But Flawed Sequel

Director and Writer Parker Finn created horror film Smile in 2022 to mixed reviews. The original movie was moody, slow paced, and played more psychological than supernatural. Although the concept was original and terrifying, its pacing and ambiguous nature made it hard to love. In Smile 2, Finn improves on every level from the first film, creating a flashier, fast paced and equally terrifying new story. There are times the film can trip over its own ambition, and cheap scares are still prevalent throughout, but lead actress Naomi Scott carries this latest entry with a passionate performance and amazing skills as a performer that lends itself well in this superior sequel.

Smile 2 is a direct follow-up to the original film, taking place only a few days after the events of the original to continue the curse. After a failed attempt to redirect the curse of the smile, a drug dealer accidentally becomes the next victim and then later transfers it to struggling pop superstar Skye Riley. She is on the verge of a comeback after surviving a fatal accident one year before. She is struggling with exhaustion and a drug addiction, and now the curse of the smile threatens to derail her plans for success unless she can figure out a way to stop it for good.

In Smile 1, Sosie Bacon gave a good performance as Rose Cotter playing the hallucinations and disturbances like a schizophrenic person. In Smile 2, Naomi Scott brings all of her musical and physical talents to the role, transforming into a complicated pop star Skye Riley. She sings original songs and performs choreographed dances, all while dealing with the pain of her injuries and the increasingly intense hallucinations. She comes across as having a mental breakdown rather than suffering from a mental disorder. She truly captures the sheer amount of work that it takes to be a pop superstar and what the pressure can do to a person's mental health. Naomi Scott may be well known for playing Princess Jasmine in the live action Aladdin remake, but she is truly at her best in Smile 2.

The story has a similar vibe and beat as the original film, with paranoia and hallucinations creating the majority of the scares. This time however we have a more fleshed out character with Skye, highlighting her struggles with drug addiction, anxiety, and the trauma she went through in the accident that derailed her career. Unfortunately, much like the original, it can feel a lot like gratuitous torture porn, with a lot of cheap jump scares and inconsistent hallucination sequences that lead nowhere but to be disorienting. Although this is done on purpose, it also takes away from the impact of the story being told, having the audience question if story sequences actually happened and why we should care at all.

Production design is improved in this sequel. Many musical numbers have tight choregraphy and the cinematography. There is plenty more gore and action sequences this time, with gruesome death sequences with fantastic practical effects. Set designs range from a small frat pad apartments all the way to large concert venues. Where the first one was a grounded and a more moody affair, we get fabulous costume design and flashy dance sequences, including a fun yet disturbing dream sequence that puts all of the physical talents of the backup dancers to good use.

Smile 2 takes all of the lessons learned from the first film and improves upon them in every way. From the star power of its lead actress, to better pacing and production design, there is no denying it is a better film all around. Still, the story can stumble upon itself with gratuitious scares and dream/hallucination sequences that derail the point of the story. Otherwise, I enjoyed Smile 2 and with its shocking ending, I’m excited to see what direction the franchise goes from here.

Pros

-Naomi Scott deserves all the praise for her performance

-production and design is improved

-better pacing and story

Cons

-cheap scares

-unnecessary hallucination and dream sequences

-gratuitous psychological torture

Overall Score: 7 out of 10