Overview
About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley 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.
The first Smile film delivered a solid initial, albeit familiar, concept, and was presented in a slick and stylish manner. However, the final act of that first film left me feeling disappointed due to the revelation of the demon entity that is behind the curse, which felt like it somewhat diminished the creepy psychological horror the first two acts suggested. That said, with this sequel I went in with the knowledge of that demonic entity, and as a result there was less risk of feeling like I was mis-sold on a concept. By the end of Smile 2 I felt that I actually enjoyed this entry more than the first – but not by much.
Picking up from the end of the previous film, this sequel begins with a pre-credit stunning single take sequence that is simply breathtaking in the frenzied manner in which Joel (Kyle Galiner), who was the witness to Rose’s final act at the end of the first film, tries to pass on the curse to someone who deserves it. Making for a strong way to open the film, whilst also closing off the events of the previous film, for this scene alone Smile 2 is worth seeing. Then the main story kicks in, which sees pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) preparing for her comeback tour after a very public struggle with substance abuse which led to a fatal car crash that killed her boyfriend and actor Paul Hudson. However, her injuries from the crash have led to her dependance on vicodin for her pain, and as her mother and manager Elizabeth (Rosemarie DeWitt) won’t risk her becoming addicted, Skye has to procure the medication from her old dealer. But her visit to the dealer results in her witnessing him brutally smash his face in, with an all too familiar smile, and from that point on Skye starts to see that smile on random faces, doubting her own sanity, and wondering if the pressures of stardom and the upcoming tour, combined with the post traumatic flashbacks to the fatal crash, are breaking her sanity.
Obviously, we as the audience know what is going on, and are just waiting for the events to play out in a similar manner to the way they did in the first film – and unfortunately that is pretty much what we get. By the end of the first act I had already worked out where the film was headed, and knew exactly what the closing moments would be, as extremely familiar ground is trodden in what is essentially just a bigger scale version of the first film. But you know what, I didn’t actually mind that is was formulaic as the presentation was so good.
Writer/Director Parker Finn returns for this entry, and builds nicely on the style he brought to the first film, with some marvellously disorienting camerawork, fluid motion shots, fantastic use of shadow, and (of course) that aforementioned opening scene. This is a director playing with the familiar in order to hone their skills and refine their style, and I’m all for it. The horror (when it comes) is brutally effective, and whilst there is a reliance on jump scares, Finn plays a few of these really smartly. Indeed, I’ve mentioned previously how I rarely find jump-scares effective due to them feeling far too signposted, but there was one in here that utilised a slight misdirect and caught me completely off guard!
The story, whilst treading familiar beats, does shine a spotlight on stardom and the pressures associated with it – in a world where you have to plaster a fake smile for your fans at all times, and the fans are always smiling maniacally, would a smiling presence even be noticed as being out of the ordinary. The film taps into aspects of survivor guilt and trauma effectively, all aided by a sensational central performance by Naomi Scott who delivers a career defining and complex part deserving of attention.
Smile 2 builds on the first, not really offering anything new to the mythos of the curse, but utilising it in a smart and creative manner to lift the result above the film that preceded it. However, the familiarity does let it down somewhat, and I only hope that any future entries into the series carve something a bit fresher from the core concept, rather than just rinse and repeat the basic idea again.