SMILE 2 (4K): More of the Same...Only Bigger

SMILE 2 (4K UHD SteelBook)

2024 / 127 min

From Paramount

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

2022’s Smile was a solid horror film built on a creepy premise, that of a malicious entity that transfers from one human host to another by inducing suicide. Whoever witnesses the suicide becomes ‘infected’ themselves, driven mad during the course of the week before, they too, take their own lives. With unsettling imagery, a consistently dark tone and a good overall performances, the film was a gory good time.

That it was also a sleeper hit made a sequel inevitable. Original writer/director Parker Finn is back with more sick tricks up his sleeve for Smile 2. Save for Joel (Kyle Gallner) returning in a wild prologue, this film tells essentially the same story with new characters, only bigger, bloodier and often morbidly funnier. Hey, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? Narratively, Smile 2 doesn’t reinvent the wheel or anything, but for now, the formula is still pretty fresh.

This time around, the protagonist/victim is Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), a famous pop diva and recovering addict trying to resume her career following a tragedy the previous year…a car crash in which she was injured and her boyfriend died. While she's trying to score Vicodin for recurring pain, her dealer kills himself, a hellish smile never faltering as he bashes his own face into a pulp (one of many spectacularly gruesome scenes).

Thus, Skye’s now “possessed” by this entity, which subjects her to hallucinatory torment while those in her circle - including demanding mother/manager (Rosemarie DeWitt) - think she’s either suffering from exhaustion or is back on drugs. And because she’s famous, everyone appears more concerned over how her increasingly bizarre behavior will affect her career (allowing the narrative to inject a bit of amusing social commentary). Skye herself can’t understand what's happening until she meets Morris (Peter Jacobson), a nurse who’s been tracking the entity’s pattern ever since his brother met the same fate. However, his solution to destroying it might be more than Skye is able or willing to do.

When the cat finds your toes under the blanket.

One thing Smile 2 does very well - better than the first film - is making the viewer as disoriented as its protagonist. The story initially seems fairly straightforward - maybe even a little meandering - but by the middle of the second act, we’re increasingly unsure if what we’re witnessing is real or not, a tone the film maintains all the way through the climax. Along the way, there are effective set-pieces, some of which are disturbing, others laced with surprising black humor. It concludes with a final scene that’s both horrifying and hilarious (maybe even a little apocalyptic).

The movie could’ve used some trimming during the first hour, especially since Skye doesn’t always come across as a particularly sympathetic character (though Scott certainly goes all-in with a knock-out performance). Still, Smile 2 ends up being a fun sequel with a nasty mean streak. The concept may be familiar, but hasn’t worn out its welcome quite yet.

Smile 2 looks and sounds great in 4K UHD, with a detailed overall image that makes for a pretty immersive experience. I was especially impressed with Dolby Atmos audio track, which has remarkably good balance. The SteelBook packaging features a clever design that creatively reflects the film’s themes and tone.

EXTRA KIBBLES

4K, BLU-RAY & DIGITAL COPIES

FEATURETTES - Ear to Ear; The Rise and Fall of Skye Riley; Behind the Music; A New Smile; Smiler: A New Monster; Turn That Frown Upside Down; Show Me Your Teeth. These segments run approximately 5 minutes each and feature interviews with cast & crew, as well as some behind-the-scenes footage.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By writer/director Parker Finn

DELETED/EXTENDED SCENES