“Smile 2” is an amazing film

7

I saw the first Smile movie. I heard the buzz, loved the hype, and was pleasantly surprised by the new and innovative take on the typical ghost-slash-demon genre that jumps from victim to victim genre (think “It Follows”). After watching the film, I left the theater feeling satisfied and excited for the future of the franchise.

Smile 2 reaches up to 200,000.

Even after watching the trailer, I literally had no idea what to expect with the second iteration of the series. Everything is bigger, worse, scarier. The plot takes new, less expected turns and the performances of the cast, especially lead actress Naomi Scott, are phenomenal. All of this adds up to an experience that I absolutely loved flooring from.

From the moment I sat down I was completely mesmerized. The intro sequence of the film establishes the connection to the first film and from that moment on it is no longer a roller coaster ride; It’s a whole theme park. Having seen many horror films, I am generally not impressed by cheap jump scares, and while this film has some heartbreaking jump scares, they are far from cheap. They all serve to demonstrate the main character Skye’s descent into madness and are artfully realized. Each of them advances the plot and keeps the viewer guessing in a way that doesn’t make it seem like the film is simply made up of connected scares, but rather that the scares contribute to an overarching thread that fleshes out the inner workings of Skye’s mind. The noticeable tension literally made me sink further into my seat and my heart did a complete cardio workout. No film has had such an impact on me in many years, and that’s not because of the jump scares, but because of the tightly wound plot that delivers one shock after another.

And what a legendary story it is. Not to give away the ending, which culminates in a great reveal and an extremely depressing conclusion, is the way director Parker Finn builds tension and convinces the audience of something while simultaneously distracting them from the true nature of Skye’s predicament , masterful. There’s no way I could have predicted it, and that’s the hallmark of great writing; Subverting expectations and delivering a blow that eviscerates the audience. Not to mention, all of this is delivered with an amazing score and great musical direction: I’m a fan of eerie synths and screaming bass lines, and there’s that in abundance here. It also reflects Skye’s background as a singer/actress, as it wouldn’t make sense for such a character to exist in a film without a proper musical theme. It’s all there: dance choreography, a pop song that feels like it could be on today’s radio hit list in real life, and a portrayal of fame that’s true to the ups and downs a sensational superstar would go through.

In short, the film was great. I enjoyed every moment of it and I can’t think of a single criticism that would have detracted from my experience. It’s frightening, unsettling and is sure to leave an impression on even the most hardened moviegoer. It has everything I want in a good scary movie: horror, a solid plot and enough to keep me thinking about the movie for days. Given this outstanding ending, I am extremely excited for the next installment in the series and implore all horror film fans to see “Smile 2” in theaters as soon as possible this Halloween season.