Smile 2 First Reviews: One of the Best Horror Films of the Year

Another horror franchise is born with the release of Smile 2, which continues the terrifying premise of the first Smile, released in 2022. Like the original, which was Certified Fresh, the sequel is receiving rave reviews. Many critics are even calling the movie an improvement, as it goes bigger and bolder with its story, scares, and set pieces. Every review, though, champions the performance of Naomi Scott in the lead role as a pop star terrorized by the movie’s monster, recommending the sequel at least for her work if nothing else.

Here’s what critics are saying about Smile 2:

How does it compare to the first Smile?

Smile 2 is a triumph. Not just a good horror sequel, but a superior one.
— James Preston Poole, Discussing Film

Smile 2 is one of the best horror sequels ever made.
— Jonathan Sim, ComingSoon.net

Smile 2 is definitely a better movie than the first in a lot of ways.
— Jack Martin, Film Feeder

I was worried that the sequel would not live up to my expectations. However, it exceeded them.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

The filmmaking craft is a considerable step up here from Smile.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

It’s a fun enough encore performance but one that is frustratingly unwilling to break free from the first film’s formula, giving audiences more of the same but with an even more giant smile.
— Will Mavity, Next Best Picture

Sadly, Smile 2 doesn’t feel as fresh as its predecessor.
— James Mottram, NME

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

How is it different?

Smile 2 is the ideal horror sequel, expanding on and refining everything that worked in the first film, introducing a fresh perspective, and never letting its foot off the gas.
— James Preston Poole, Discussing Film

Filmmaker Parker Finn utilizes the larger budget this time around to give more scale to the horror. He also indulges in some more complex direction, which is occasionally too much, but mostly adds to the experience.
— Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

Smile 2 builds on the insanity of the first film by being an intense, gory sequel done right.
— Jonathan Sim, ComingSoon.net

Where Smile 2 does improve on its predecessor is its macabre sense of humor.
— Will Mavity, Next Best Picture

The first and third acts of Smile 2, in particular, are extremely different from the first film.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

Restraint gets jettisoned in favor of bigger, bolder excess.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

Is it still scary?

There is more gore, more lore, and more scares. This movie is absolutely terrifying… One of the scariest movies of the year.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

What makes Smile 2 so scary? Parker Finn and his crew have an iron grip on the atmosphere… Finn also pulls out all the stops for the actual scares.
— James Preston Poole, Discussing Film

As with the first Smile, the jump scares are plentiful… Still, the scares aren’t as fresh as the first time around.
— Will Mavity, Next Best Picture

There are two excellent jolts in Smile 2, and the fact that there aren’t more is perhaps the most disappointing aspect of this supernatural nightmare.
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast

The elements that made Smile get under your skin are sacrificed in bloody spectacle and the relative simplicity of the conceit gets muddied as the movie pushes beyond the two-hour mark.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

How is Naomi Scott in the lead role?

Naomi Scott delivers a revelatory lead turn that ranks extremely high among the year’s best genre performances.
— Jack Martin, Film Feeder

Naomi Scott delivers a daring performance you should rush to see in theaters.
— Brittany Patrice Witherspoon, Screen Rant

Scott delivers a career-defining performance, tackling so many layers to her character and with seemingly effortless ease.
— Meagan Navarro, Bloody Disgusting

Naomi Scott is the perfect choice to play Skye Riley. She is incredible in the role and… knocks every single aspect out of the park.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

Scott is terrific at showing the way Skye’s terror plays into her guilt over the people she hurt when her substance abuse issues were out of control.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Her work in this movie is astonishing… nothing short of mesmerizing.
— Jonathan Sim, ComingSoon.net

While the film isn’t an acting showcase for the most part, Naomi Scott is quite effective… turning in what is easily her best work to date.
— Will Mavity, Next Best Picture

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

What are some other reasons to see the movie?

The best thing about Smile 2 is that it keeps the audience off balance, starting with how Cristobal Tapia de Veer’s unsettling electronic score works on us.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

Dan Kenyon’s dense sound design is another highly effective component, often blurring the lines between ambient noise and composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer’s chilling score, which incorporates clanking, groaning, juddering industrial sounds and leans heavily into distortion.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

The film, as shot by cinematographer Charlie Sarroff, looks uncannily sharp, sterile even, as though we’re trapped in a sickeningly clean psych ward. The visuals of Smile 2 put the audience into a dream-like state, where reality can be easily broken by a garish vision, turning that dreamy fog into a vivid nightmare.
— James Preston Poole, Discussing Film

How is the script?

Writer-director Parker Finn does a wonderful job evolving the story and bringing more to the table this time around.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

Oddly enough this time around, Finn’s script leans into humor… Don’t expect the horror film to have the best commentary on mental health issues.
— Brittany Patrice Witherspoon, Screen Rant

How I wish the story, which is pretty much delving into the same-old been-there, done-that territory, is as good as the visceral horror elements.
— Casey Chong, Casey’s Movie Mania

Finn perhaps just needs to back off a little from the misconception that more is more and maintain a greater focus on his story skills.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

Does it have any major problems?

Perhaps this is just an unfortunate side effect of being a horror sequel, but everything is more obvious in Smile 2.
— Brittany Patrice Witherspoon, Screen Rant

The uncertain shuffling between what’s real and what’s a very visceral hallucination ultimately becomes a weakness as the story progresses, even if some of the latter sequences are virtuoso set pieces.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

The film is a frustrating watch because you are constantly impressed by so many elements of this film, yet you are also bogged down by a number of things that don’t really belong in something with this level of filmmaking quality.
— Jack Martin, Film Feeder

The film is too long by almost twenty minutes, and with a poor third act.
— Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

Will horror fans leave happy?

Smile 2 makes for one of the year’s biggest horror surprises… a perfect Halloween treat for those in need of a good scare — or twenty.
— Meagan Navarro, Bloody Disgusting

The sequel will leave plenty of horror fans grinning from ear to ear.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

This film will leave you gagged and gasping for air, and it’s one of the finest horror movies of 2024.
— Jonathan Sim, ComingSoon.net

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

Will we want to see more?

After that ending? I need more. Bring on Smile 3.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

Finn probably can keep making Smile sequels as long as he feels like it. Provided that he mixes up at least the setup like he did here, I’m more than fine with that concept.
— Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

It gets the job done frequently enough to be a chart-topper — and, more importantly, suggests that its compelling conceit might still be fully exploited by a future series installment.
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast

Should there be a third Smile movie (again, it all depends on how much this sequel would fare at the box office), I hope Finn would stop relying too much on rehashing the first movie’s formula and start expanding the mythology surrounding the demonic entity.
— Casey Chong, Casey’s Movie Mania

Is there even a need for a Smile 3? Parker Finn’s sequel ends on such a wild note that it may be just best to let the rest take place in our imagination.
— James Preston Poole, Discussing Film

82% Smile 2 (2024) opens in theaters on October 18, 2024.

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