The Wasteland Reviewer

Smile 2 (2024) Written Review

It is inevitable for a horror film to get a sequel if it made any money, isn’t it? So many great concepts for horror films have been done to death because there is money in franchises. Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the 13^th have all been turned into decades spanning franchises with few films of actual quality. When you keep going back to the well of the same idea and concept, there is only so much you can do with an idea (even a great idea). But there is a rare occasion where a horror film gets a sequel, and the second time around is done even better. That is exactly what happened with Parker Finn’s Smile. 

What works so well this time around? Finn’s first film, Smile, was a well-crafted if not messy approach to trauma. The tone was overly serious, and it was tackling a complex profession like psychiatry. But with Smile 2, you can tell Finn feels more comfortable and confident in his approach. There are so many bold filmmaking choices throughout the film with long takes, tilted camera angles, camera pans, and such that create a dynamic visual expression. There were examples of this in the first Smile film but there are so many more this time around. There are quite a few shots that feel so engrossing and just put you into a place for fear to settle in and wild elements to hit hard. There is a whole sequence set in a car that utilizes a panning camera back and forth which is so intense with its uncomfortable close-ups and powerful performances on display. 

What is the most important thing for Smile 2 to accomplish? Scaring its audience. Finn certainly delivers plenty of times with his latest horror effort. There are some scares in this film that just hit on another level. You make great use of camera pans to reveal what characters are staring at (in a horrified manner). There is a sequence with a group of dancers which crafts so much tension and suspense. The whole opening sequence that bridges the first film to this one is just full of shocks and surprises along the way. Hallucinations are heavily utilized and what is revealed to be real happening makes for some shocking moments. The creepy smiling people will also never be unnerving to the core. Finn is going to be a directorial force moving forward with this level of craftsmanship and his penchant for scaring the audience. 

How does Finn leverage this new backdrop for this go around? Not many films really capture the feel of a mega pop star, but Finn is able to do that so seamlessly with Smile 2. Skye Riley feels like a big deal. Her music feels like real pop songs that could top the charts. There is one specific rehearsal scene in the film that captures the big-time pop show so perfectly. There are a lot of Lady Gaga influences, and they worked perfectly. Naomi Scott’s look for the film is also pitch perfect. But there is a lot of depth that Finn can leverage in the story. The substance abuse (common in stars like this), the exhaustion, and the mental health strains feel so real in this film. There are a few scenes in the film that capture drug use in such uncomfortable ways. The biggest flaw of Smile 2 is how inconsequential so much of the narrative beats feel when the hallucination elements feel more like narrative crutches and more for shock value instead of some well-crafted. The more you think about “what happened”, the less it will make sense. But once we get to the finale, it all feels worth it. Finn leverages his high concept idea and this pop star story perfectly to leave the audience with a resolution that will have so many consequences with an inevitable sequel thanks to the ambitious scale of this story. 

Outside of Finn, who is the other main MVP of Smile 2? Scott for sure. She gives one of the best performances of the year (regardless of genre). The fear and anxiety you see in her facial expressions, mannerisms, and body language is second to none. There are so many scenes that work thanks to the reactions Scott has to things off screen (and when those camera pans come in, we know how afraid we should be). There is plenty of emotion in the performance as well with all of the trauma from being a recovering addict, in chronic pain, and crumbling under the pressure of her impending tour. There are a few moments where Scott must sell her chronic pain, and you can feel the pain. One scene shows Skye completely breaking down from everything mounting and Scott sells every moment of the pain, frustration, anger, and trauma. Finn’s close-ups put plenty of pressure on the actors to sell with every detail of their faces and Scott delivers on that perfectly. There are others who give strong performances like Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Ray Nicholson, Kyle Gallner, and Dulan Gelula. 

What is so special about Smile 2? This is a horror sequel that is better than the first. It finds better ways to leverage a great concept. This film is truly scary. Scott delivers yet another awards-worthy leading turn in a horror film that will be ignored by awards bodies. The feel and vibes of filmmaking feel fresh and dynamic. There are songs made for the film that are legitimate jams (which is rare for a horror film). Smile 2 is one of the best horror films of 2024 which is saying a lot for a year that is so strong in that genre.