SMILE 2

***

Directed by Parker Finn.

Starring Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Peter Jacobson, Lukas Gage.

Horror, US, 127 minutes, Certificate 18.

Released in cinemas by Paramount Pictures on October 17

As fans will no doubt be aware, SMILE proved to be a major financial success for Paramount when it was released back in 2022. Therefore, it is hardly surprising to learn that a sequel is now playing in cinemas. Writer and director Parker Finn returns to bring us SMILE 2, and he once again delivers a compelling story about a demonic entity which leaves its victims grinning maniacally.

Naomi Scott stars as Skye Riley, a very famous and successful singer living in New York City, who finds herself experiencing horrific visions after witnessing the death of a friend. Although it initially appears that Skye is going insane, it soon becomes clear that the demonic entity from the first movie has latched itself onto her, and that it will not relent until it has destroyed her completely. Scott is clearly a talented actress, and she creates a harrowing portrait of a woman who struggles to regain a firm grip on her sanity. A prime example of said talent in which Skye delivers a speech at a charitable event, with Scott’s acting in this sequence alone worthy of awards..

Peter Jacobson appears as Morris, a nurse who understands the truth about the demonic entity. The evidently gifted Jacobson brings such persistent desperation to his role that Morris instantly becomes one of the most memorable characters in the film. Rosemarie DeWitt plays Skye’s mother and manager, Elizabeth, who despite being motivated by greed from Skye’s financial success, also wants the best for her daughter. DeWitt manages to perfectly balance the caring maternal nature alongside the more business-oriented side of the character, making Elizabeth into someone who viewers will equally respect and loathe.

As with the original film, SMILE 2 heavily relies on lengthy hallucination segments and dream sequences. Before long, the way in which viewers are regularly fooled into thinking that events which were really happening were simply visions soon becomes tiresome. This is also a film where people often scream at the top of their lungs, which was grating to listen to. Several minutes could have been trimmed from the long runtime, as the film lasts for over two hours, with one particularly long and uneventful scene in Skye’s apartment certainly needing to have been shortened. On the other hand, while multiple scenes contained irritating jump scares, the film thankfully still relies on building genuine tension and suspense in many other sequences.

Although it would be a stretch to call SMILE 2 a musical, the film features several invigorating song and dance sequences in which Skye rehearses her musical numbers ahead of her upcoming world tour. As we learned from ALADDIN, Scott clearly is a gifted singer, and that is similarly evident here. And despite also not exactly being a comedy, there are plenty of humorous moments in SMILE 2, including a scene where Skye encounters an assortment of strange and obsessive fans at a meet-and-greet event. Additionally, Miles Gutierrez-Riley is hilarious as Joshua, Skye’s flamboyant assistant, with the actor clearly knowing how to effortlessly make people laugh.

SMILE 2 also addresses the topic of mental health in a meaningful way. The message here is that we should always try to understand what others are going through instead of passing judgement, which is certainly a commendable lesson.

The death sequences are satisfyingly brutal, with the gore being as strong as you would expect. It will certainly please horror fans to watch a film from a major studio featuring so much gore in an age where mainstream entertainment is gradually becoming more sanitised. Nobody in SMILE 2 dies quickly or pleasantly, and viewers will certainly be thankful for this.

It is abundantly clear that fans of the first film will enjoy SMILE 2. And this impressive sequel will also prove to be highly satisfying for newcomers. Despite its long runtime and the occasional issues with the script, the captivating central performance from Scott and the dedicated direction from Finn helps to make SMILE 2 into a film which will leave a smile on your face.

David Gelmini