SMILE 2 is a shocking and paranoid thriller about addiction

“I’m in control.” 

This weekend saw the release of Parker Finn’s “bigger, badder” sequel, SMILE 2 which improved on 2022’s original film in surprising ways, owing an extra layer of depth to lead Naomi Scott’s incredible performance. 

In SMILE 2, global music superstar Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) is staging her comeback tour after a stint in rehab following a tragic drug-fueled car wreck that injured Skye and killed her boyfriend, actor Paul Hudson (Ray Nicholson).

When Skye goes to score some Vicoden from her drug dealer Lewis Fregoli (Lukas Gage) she discovers that the Smile Demon has seemingly infected Lewis after his chance encounter with Kyle Gallner’s Joel, the police officer from the first film. 

Lewis kills himself in front of Skye by bashing his head open with a gym weight, and Skye soon finds her life spiraling out of control as “The Entity” latches onto her. 

Wracked by the guilt of the car wreck that claimed her boyfriend, paranoid about not reporting Lewis’s death to the authorities, and cracking under the demands of her comeback tour, Skye battles demons both literally and figuratively in this insanely bloody and well-shot horror sequel. 

Instead of simply rehashing 2022’s creepy SMILE, director Parker Finn swings for the fences with kaleidoscopic visuals and an incredible atmosphere of horror and paranoia as we follow Skye through publicity shoots, banquets, her New York apartment, rehearsals, and nightmares about her past. 

Naomi Scott rose to prominence as a short-lived Disney star before work on the sci-fi series “Terra Nova” as well as 2017’s POWER RANGER reboot and Princess Jasmine in Disney’s live-action 2019 ALADDIN. 

With SMILE 2, she proves that she should be a superstar tapping into both her vibrant singing as well as her bat-shit acting that seems like it should be in a different film altogether. 

While SMILE 2 is a film about an actual demon, yes, the film also doubles as an allegory for addiction with Skye’s manic downward spiral manifesting in rage and paranoia, hurting and alienating everyone around her. 

But is it scary? You bet your ass it is. 

SMILE 2 has some truly great scares, and director Finn is as adept as ever with not only setting up fantastic scenes but also utilizing body language, paying keen attention to who he hires as the Smile Demon’s vessels / Skye’s visions, including one jaw-dropping scene featuring Skye’s backup dancers.  

SMILE 2, also, is a very cruel and unforgiving film. 

The audience genuinely cares for Skye, and sympathizes with her, even when her darker aspects are revealed. Much like addiction, the audience also becomes a witness to Skye’s depression and mania, and we cannot look away as she ruins her life and everything she touches. 

Skye is never given a moment of reprieve, never given any solace or support. In this sense, SMILE 2 solidifies itself as a tragedy about addiction, seeing into the mind of someone battling forces unseen.

The shocking ending, of course, leaves the door wide open for a SMILE 3 which I’m positive Paramount will be keen on as they secured Parker Finn in a first-look deal after the original film’s success.