Smile 2 - New Release Review
Director: Parker Finn
Starring: Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Ray Nicholson, Kyle Gallner,
Written by: Parker Finn
Produced by: Marty Bowen, Parker Finn, Wyck Godfrey, Isaac Klausner, Robert Salerno
Cinematography by: Charlie Sarroff
Original Score by: Cristobal Tapia de Veer
Synopsis:
About to embark on a 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 past.
Thoughts:
The first 'Smile' film always conjures up conflicted thoughts in my mind. It’s a really well-done horror with some decent scares and excellent performances but the idea isn’t wholly original. The film is weirdly a rehash of the Blumhouse film 'Truth or Dare' but let’s all be honest, 'Smile' is far superior to that movie. With an insanely good viral marketing campaign and a relatively low budget, 'Smile' achieved over $200 million dollars at the box office, so it was inevitable that we’d see a sequel; but has director Parker Finn cooked up a more superior film or is 'Smile 2' another rehash?
From the opening minutes it’s very clear that Parker Finn has evolved technically as a director. The prologue sequence starring a returning Kyle Gallner (aka Adam’s number one boy) is presented as a prolonged one shot and it’s incredibly effective. The sequence sets the tone perfectly showing that this sequel isn’t going to pull punches when it comes to gore. The film delivers some decent scares to the point that I had to look away from the screen as the tension was getting too much. Like I say, Parker has stepped up his directing style and this is definitely one of the best shot horrors I’ve seen this year.
Once the prologue reaches its bloody end, we are introduced to Skylar Riley (Naomi Scott). An international popstar, about to embark on her world tour after recovering from a tragic accident that badly injured Skylar and killed her actor boyfriend. Naomi Scott gives an all-timer performance here and if the Oscars had any sense they’d be nominating Scott for best actress. She absolutely carries the film and makes you feel for the character when the script starts feeling a little thin (we’ll get to that in a minute.) The supporting cast all do a fine job, no one really stands out as they aren’t given much to do.
Skylar’s recently deceased boyfriend, Paul Hudson, is played by Ray Nicholson (Jack Nicholson’s son) and for the little amount of screentime he has, I thought he was great and wanted to see more of his character. Funnily enough, people have obviously been comparing him to his father, but I couldn’t un-see that he looks exactly like Jake Lloyd.
Unfortunately, the movie does fall down in terms of plot as it is just a repeat of the first film. Girl witnesses' death, starts seeing smiling weirdos for 7 days then y’know spoilers. It’s a real shame because there’s a moment where it feels like the story is going to explore more about why this monster exists but it’s sort of just put on hold in the third act. By the time the movie reaches its final scenes, it ends exactly like Blumhouse’s 'Truth or Dare'. Somehow, Parker circled back to the thing he was trying to get away from.
For as much as 'Smile 2' looks beautiful and has an award worthy performance from Naomi Scott, the film is basically a carbon copy of the original, presenting no new ideas, making it a slug to watch at times. I’d imagine a third will be on the horizon and at this point the idea of watching another one of these doesn’t put a smile on my face.
Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
'Smile 2' is released in UK & Irish cinemas on 18th October
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