The Eerie Allure of Smile 2
If you’ve seen Smile from 2022, then you’ve essentially seen Smile 2 from 2024. You can read my blog on the first part, Smile, here if you’re interested. I wrote that one a while ago and don’t recall if I said but, my little girl wanted to watch these movies for some reason so, we had a family movie night and did. When the sequel came out, she wanted to watch it as well, so again, movie night it was and Smile 2 was the choice. I haven’t really been impressed with either of these films and as I begin to pen this blog, I don’t expect my thoughts to be lengthy. Really, it’s like Silent Night, Deadly Night, in that you can just watch part one and stop. Look out for a creepy smile on someone’s face and let’s jump into this review.
Why Smile 2 Struggles to Impress
Some parts of Smile 2 were better paced than others and, we’ll discuss them in the upcoming prose. Overall, Smile 2 was slow. I found myself checking the progress bar often to see how much movie was left. The main reason, I think, Smile 2 suffered pace wise was that it focused so much on one single character. It seemed like 90% of the movie cataloged the torment of a single girl. I get it, this is the point but, I feel like they could have worked this differently so that the movie didn’t drag as much. I didn’t find this sequel as creepy as the original either. The idea was so unique the first time around but, this second lap around the story lost something for me. Even the eerie smiles were not as well done – this really sucks because that was the selling point.
A Closer Look at Smile 2’s Strong Start
As far as good qualities, there weren’t a lot. I will say that the intro to Smile 2 was impressive. It was very energetic and grabbing. If the rest of the movie would have kept this pace, we would be having a totally different conversation. I liked how the title of the movie came on the screen too. This remined me of Microwave Massacre from 1979 – read my thoughts on this one here. The opening surprisingly plays heavily into a latter part of the movie too. Smile 2 includes a couple of well-done jump scares as well. I’m honestly not a fan of these but, this film did a good job with a couple. I said this in my blog on Smile, but this monster is silly-looking. You see very little of it in Smile 2 and, I’m noting this as a good thing.
Another good quality for Smile 2 is the ending. Yes, this was good because the dragging movie was finally over but, the part 3 setup couldn’t have been better. The premise, for those that don’t know, is that this monster gets inside of a person and possesses them. The host is then tormented until they un-alive themselves in front of someone else who the monster then inhabits. So, after what seemed like an eternity of this girl pop star being tormented, she ends herself on a stage in front of thousands of her fans. Keeping the premise in mind, look at that setup for part 3. Now, there are thousands of people that the creature just went into. Smile and Smile 2 only have one host at a time so, part 3 could potentially be a drastic change in the story.
Parenting Perspectives on Smile 2
From a parent’s perspective, Smile 2 was not the worst thing I’ve watched with my daughter. She’s a teen now so, we have raised the bar a little. For what it’s worth to people reading this blog, Smile 2 really wasn’t a bad movie as far as stuff to watch out for with kids. I don’t think that putting the idea of un-aliving oneself in front of kids is ever a good idea so, this is something to be mindful of. The language is terrible in Smile 2 and there’s even some choice vocab outside of normally used profanity. As with Smile though, there are no sex scenes and no nudity. This seems to be odd for a movie made in 2024. There is gore in the Smile’s sequel but, it is not done to the standard of other movies of today.
Smile 2: Is It Worth Your Time?
There, I told you so – this blog wasn’t long at all. Again, if you’ve seen Smile, you can go ahead and not worry about part 2 of the Smile movies. There’s not a lot, in my opinion, of significance with Smile 2 to discuss. The power in this franchise was the initial pitch of the idea. I don’t see a bright future for more films. I have one big question though – where is this abandoned pizza hut? I dig taking photos of abandoned places and would love to get an abandoned pizza place. You can look at my photography of said places here if you’re interested.
Thank you for taking the time to read this artist’s thoughts on Smile 2. I will not be watching this movie again anytime soon. Probably won’t watch part 3 either… whenever it comes out. However, I invite you to follow my art journey on social media, visit my website, and consider supporting and buying my work here. If you liked this blog or the movie, please share. Also, feel free to comment, especially if you are a fan of this flick. I’m curious too, if you’re a fan, why? Peace.