Welcome back to the blog readers. If you remember from one of the very first posts I put on my blog (in which I ranked my favorite and least favorite films of 2022), you will know that Smile (2022) is probably my favorite horror film of the last 5 years or so. Masterful performances, a beautiful story about trauma, and a twist ending so good M. Night Shyamalan (aka Shamhammer) came calling led to one of my favorite experiences in a theater that year, all to the tune of the sixth best film that year in my opinion (four of my top 5 were Oscar nominees that year). Would we have the same electric result the second time around? Stick around to find out.
Smile 2 was written and directed by Parker Finn. The film stars Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Kyle Gallner, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Raúl Castillo, Dylan Gelula, and Ray Nicholson. In the film, pop star Skye Riley begins to experience a series of increasingly disturbing events as she embarks on a tour.
Now here's the thing about these Smile films. As you all know, I am not a fan of horror films (not because I am easily scared, because they normally suck). But something was different about the first Smile film. Not only is it a great film, like I said, it is a great experience. I was not looking for Parker Finn to reinvent the wheel with this film, just to give us as enjoyable (or more enjoyable) a time than he did two years ago. And I honestly think that not only is this film better than Smile, not only does this film indeed give us a better time than Smile, this is probably my new favorite film of the year.
The first thing I want to talk about is the performance of Naomi Scott as Skye Riley. Most of the time in horror films, the performances are not something you write home about. And if they are, they usually wind up being overlooked (such as Toni Collette's performance in Hereditary (2018)). But I am happy to report to you that Naomi Scott gives one of my favorite performances of the year in this film. We start with her character Skye being a recovering drug addict who struggles with a sense of identity but begins to lose her mind when she inherits the "Smile Curse." The things that Scott is put in are enough to bend reality, but Scott is our vessel through the crazy as she gives one of the most raw and passionate performances of the year, one I fear will be completely overlooked by the Academy come nominee time.
Very much like the first Smile, a major theme of this film has to do with the idea of getting through personal trauma. For Rose in Smile, it was her abusive drug-addicted mother but for Skye Riley in Smile 2, it is the death of her boyfriend and her drug addiction. So there is a version of events in which addiction is another theme involved in this film. These films are so good at exploring the inner machinations of someone and what motivates them to do the things they do. One other theme that this film has involves the trappings of fame and what that can do to a person. I do like what Parker Finn is able to say about the themes of trauma and fame that would garner him an Adapted Screenplay nomination if I had a vote.
Finally, I would like to talk about the music of this film. Usually, a horror film does not feature actual musical songs but I think Trap (2024) may have altered the landscape for music to be used in a thriller/horror film. Whereas in that film singer and star Saleka Shyamalan wrote and performed her own music, the music for Skye Riley was forged by others. Featuring one song cowritten by Tate McRae and another by Scott herself, the songs in Smile 2 are actually catchy and relate to the story being told. I especially want to highlight the songs "Grieved You," "New Brain," and "Blood on White Satin" for being the standouts.
In conclusion, Smile 2 is a brilliant horror film that takes everything great about the first film and flips it to make this the best film of the year thus far. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.
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