The movie follows Skye Riley, a pop star embarking on a world tour. Skye's dark history with substance abuse and her boyfriend's death is a recurring problem as she navigates the world of fame, but there is a bigger problem. She becomes tormented by a mysterious 'demon' sort of figure that slowly drives her crazy, she starts hallucinating and spiralling into fits of madness. The end goal of the 'demon' is to force her to commit suicide in front of another person, which causes the 'demon' to then possess them and the cycle continues, with the 'demon' seemingly unbeatable.
I went into Smile 2 with high hopes and left feeling very disappointed...
The plot has potential, despite trying too hard to be relatable to a younger audience. Yet the execution repeatedly fell flat, falling more into laughable than frightening. There were a few notable scenes that should have been scary but were the complete opposite. In one scene, Skye is being chased by a group of people in her apartment - one of the members proceeds to shove their entire hand and arm down her throat. While uncomfortable to watch, it wasn't scary and didn't make sense or add to the plot in any way; this scene felt like an afterthought, a desperate attempt to add some sort of fear to the movie. However, it was just very random and unnecessary. Other scenes were far too reliant on jump-scares. While being scary due to the shock factor, there was no depth to these scenes and they do not enhance the narrative.
Skye's best friend, Gemma, adds to the accidental hilarity of the film. Her reactions to scenes such as when Skye is soaked in blood, and barefoot in a hospital gown are vastly disproportionate. Her response is oddly flat and unfazed. Her lack of emotional range, paired with a monotone delivery, makes these intense moments feel underwhelming as if the gravity of the situation doesn't fully register. Gemma's role seems more like another shallow attempt to infuse youthful energy into the film rather than a meaningful contribution to the plot. Her reactions, or lack thereof, end up making it harder to take the more dramatic elements of the movie seriously as if that wasn't hard enough.
Unfortunately, Smile 2 falls into the age-old truth; the sequels are never as good as the first.
The product placement of VOSS water in the movie is glaringly obvious and impossible to ignore. The character's fridge is constantly stocked with rows of VOSS bottles. Whenever the character is stressed she chugs a bottle of VOSS water, as advised by her therapist to help her gain some control over her substance abuse. The placement of the water bottle is awkward and excessive. What could have been an easily overlooked detail becomes an exaggerated element that draws too much attention, almost making the movie feel like a long, drawn-out commercial for bottled water.
It wasn't all bad - Naomi Scott, who played Skye, was amazing. Her performance was the highlight of the film; her fear and terror were so convincing. A good portion of the film is composed of close-ups of her face - she commands the screen with terror-filled eyes and curdling screams, which for a second makes you forget the ridiculous plot. Scott's acting, paired with a well-written and thought-out plot, would have created the perfect horror movie, yet the writing falls flat, resulting in the merit of the movie relying strictly on good acting.
Unfortunately, Smile 2 falls into the age-old truth; the sequels are never as good as the first.
