‘Smile 2’ Blu-ray Review
Stars: Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Ray Nicholson, Dylan Gelula, Lukas Gage, Raúl Castillo | Written and Directed by Parker Finn
The original Smile became a sleeper hit for writer/director Parker Finn in 2022, so it’s no surprise that the film has generated a sequel just two years later, especially given its obvious franchise potential. It’s particularly gratifying to find Finn back in both the writer’s and the director’s chairs, because he’s surely one of the finest jump scare orchestrators in the business.
Smile 2 picks up six days after the events of the first movie, as desperate cop Joel (a briefly returning Kyle Gallner) tries and fails to get rid of the cursed entity that infects each host and makes them see grotesquely grinning figures, before eventually killing themselves, while also wearing a monstrous smile.
We then meet the entity’s latest potential victim, pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), who is attempting to stage a grand tour comeback, after recovering from a mental breakdown, following a horrific accident in which her famous boyfriend (Ray Nicholson) was killed. Skye is already finding recovery difficult, but things get progressively worse when she starts seeing smiling figures after her drug dealer commits violent suicide in front of her.
The film is cleverly constructed so that it functions as both a sequel and a stand-alone movie. Indeed, it’s arguably more effective if you haven’t seen the first film, because certain wtf-moments are repeated and lose their impact a little the second time round.
On a similar note, the focus on Skye’s character pays great dividends, not just in the way the entity represents her own guilt and trauma, but also because as a beloved popstar, she’s already in a world where everybody smiles at her anyway. To that end, there is a very amusing sequence where she is doing a fan meet-and-greet and the audience isn’t entirely sure if the little girl with the unsettling smile is the entity, or just a really creepy superfan.
As with the first film, Finn proves an absolute master of the jump scare and there are several in Smile 2 that will have you leaping out of your seat. They are considerably heightened by the fact that Finn frequently opts for total silence on the soundtrack, rather than tipping off the audience with scary music cues, a technique that pays off brilliantly in terms of increased and sustained tension.
The performances are excellent. Scott delivers a complex performance as Skye, whereby she’s not entirely sympathetic, but she’s also convincingly frazzled and haunted throughout. There’s also strong support from DeWitt (who gets a stand-out scene) and Dylan Gelula is good value as Skye’s former best friend, with a good line in sardonic remarks.
However, Smile 2’s real stroke of genius lies in the casting of Ray – son of Jack – Nicholson, who has inherited his father’s characteristically devilish smile and must have saved the production a small fortune in special effects.
On that note, the effects are excellent, from the chilling creepiness of the various smiles (you can imagine teenage fans of the film freaking each other out by imitating them, almost as if the film was deliberately designed with that in mind) to a veritable smorgasbord of gory moments. Gloopy highlights include the drug dealer death at the beginning and a gleefully nasty short sequence that illustrates a story someone is relating to Skye.
In short, Smile 2 is a worthy sequel that won’t disappoint fans of the first film, delivering satisfying amounts of shock and gore, and making the most of its creepy premise. It also ends on an absolute belter of a final scene, ensuring that a third part is all but inevitable.
Special Features:
- DELETED AND EXTENDED SCENES
- EAR TO EAR
- THE RISE AND FALL OF SKYE RILEY
- BEHIND THE MUSIC
- A NEW SMILE COMMENTARY BY DIRECTOR PARKER FINN
**** 4/5
Smile 2 is out now on DVD and Blu-ray from Paramount Home Entertainment.