SMILE 2

US, 2024, 128 minutes, Colour.

Naomi Scott, Rosemarie de Witt, Lucas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Ray Nicholson.

Directed by Parker Finn.

Smile is a beguiling word. And many smiles themselves are beguiling. But, this is not the kind of smile in the title of this film. Rather, there is that other aspect of a smile, a grin, sometimes a fixed grin which might look immediately cheerful but is ultimately sinister.

In fact, this is the opening for this reviewer’s take on the original Smile. And it applies to this sequel – even more so. Smile was a popular and critical success or a horror/terror film in 2022. Now, fans and critics seem to be united in the view that Smile 2 is even better. One might say that if the two film were submitted for an examination, Smile might be awarded Distinction while Smile 2 gains a Higher Distinction.

But this does not mean that this is a film for every audience. Rather, it presupposes in its audience an interest in horror and terror, some bloodthirsty scenes but much more than this. And the crass language is gratingly incessant.

The original film was written and directed by Parker Finn. With the original success, he obviously feels that he can let himself go – and the film runs 128 minutes. There is a very clever and tantalisingly filmed prologue, headed “six days later”, so the continuity. And the actor, Kyle Gallner, reprises his role to pass on the deadly smile, some kind of evil parasite that takes over a person, their descent into hysteria and hallucinations, into madness, and the compulsion to pass on the parasite. The audience needs to pay attention to this opening sequence to appreciate what is happening later in the film.

But, this is a story that take place in the world of  ro ack ‘n’ roll singer, an aura of the Taylor Swift tours and concerts, with a number of song and dance sequences, elaborately staged, and the music videos style. In fact, the central character, Skye Riley, is played by British actress Naomi Scott, in fact a singer who has her own music videos. There is also her show business mother, Rosemarie de Witt, her entourage and supporters. This is her comeback after recovering from addiction, and a car crash which killed her husband (seen in flashbacks and played by Ray Nicholson, reminding audiences of his father, Jack Nicholson’s smile.)

Naomi Scott gives a powerhouse performance, and then some! She is on screen for most of the film, having her normal moments, the musical productions, the personal relationships, the aftermath of her husband’s death, her insecurities, and her being possessed by the smile parasite, leading to all kinds of hallucinations, a descent into violent madness. Naomi Scott is persuasive at every moment.

In many ways, the plot here is a variation on the original film, but taken in different directions, often spectacularly, frighteningly (and, whether it was the editing plus the sound volume, several jump shocks – and the man sitting behind this reviewer jumping, kicking the seat and exclaiming loudly!)

For audiences who like terror of films and their psychological dimensions.

1. The popular and critical success of the first film? Terror? Horror? Psychological dimensions?
2. The sequel beginning six days later, the prologue, a character in the car, observing, going to the house, the confrontation, the shooting, the drug dealers arriving? The issue of the man possessed by the parasite, the drug dealer observing and being possessed by the parasite?
3. The credibility of the plot, the reworking of the original, the issue of the parasite, scientific, psychological, paranormal? The smile, seeing others smile, the victim smiling, and the hallucinations? Unreality, mental disturbance? Violent consequences?
4. The story of Skye Riley, her success as a singer, the flashbacks to her earlier career, videos, her black hair and style? The story of the accident, the death of her husband, her injuries and surgery? The background of addiction? Her rehabilitation? Need for pain killers because of her back injury? (And the later flashback of the accident, the hostility between the couple, her engineering the crash, his death and smile?)
5. Skye and preparing for the new tour, her age, her career background, success, the number of fans, the Taylor Swift kind of aura? Her appearance, hair style, her appearances in the musical numbers, their style, performance, focusing on her? The music videos style?
6. Skye and her relationship with her mother, fostering her career, controlling it, always present? The young assistant and his eagerness? Those associated with productions, the choreographer and his style, patience, Skye and her falling, the hallucination with her leg,, injuries, her moods?
7. Skye, going out at night, going to the dealer, the strange encounter, his behaviour, disappearance, her looking for him, reappearance, smashing himself, his death? The parasite in her?
8. The style of the hallucinations, the visuals, the past, grotesques? The dreams, her waking hours, lapses in consciousness? The characters, behaviour, eerie? And the number of jump cuts and people jumping in their seats?
9. The reconciliation with Gemma, the stories of the past? The phone communications? Gemma’s arrival, the reconciliation, helping, Skye, oversleeping, her mother’s impatience, going to the meeting, her falling?
10. The scenes of the fans, the adoration, Skye managing with them, photos? Autographs? The main situation, the lineup, the girl and her smile, the obsessed fan and his threats…?
11. Darius, financial support, the request for the function, her being upset, the growing hallucinations, stage, the prompter and its stopping, her improvising, getting more awkward, about herself, the audience, the host on the stage, the confrontation, pushing the old lady and her injuries? The embarrassment, her being hurried away?
12. Growing possession, the text message from the friendly nursing aid, their meeting, his proposal, her rejecting, her growing desperation, the hallucinations worsening? Meeting him, the process, the freezer, the plan for her death, the apparition, the confrontation, the needle?
13. The hallucinations in her room, her mother arriving, the violent killing of her mother?
14. The failure of the operation, the parasite and its taking over, the end and the close-up of Skye and her smile?
15. Audiences and terror of films, touches of horror and violence? Psychological implications?