Parker Finn's 2022 feature directorial debut, Smile, could have been easy to pigeonhole as a younger sibling to It Follows. The two films do follow extremely similar premises — a metaphysical jumps from host to host with a relentless intent to kill and traumatize as many people as it can on its way. While the sequel to It Follows has had almost 10 years to marinate, Smile 2 rides the momentum and success from its predecessor just two years later and ups the ante. Choosing to go big instead of going home, Finn, serving once again as both writer and director, takes everything that he learned from the success of Smile and puts it on the big stage.
Newly sober and recovering from a car crash that killed her boyfriend (Ray Nicholson), pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) has seemingly managed to heal physically and psychologically as she prepares to jet off on her highly anticipated comeback tour. However, the back pain that she continues to struggle with from this accident has left her dependent on Vicodin. After a visit to her dealer (Lukas Gage) that ends in a bloody crime scene, Skye soon finds herself as the host for the entity that terrorized Sosie Bacon's Rose Cotter in the first film.
No stranger to the stage, Naomi Scott masterfully captures all of the nuances that come with being a troubled pop star. As she prepares for tour, Skye faces an uphill battle as she tries to desperately prove to her mother (Rosemarie DeWitt) and team that she won't waste this second chance. From gruelling rehearsals that aggravate injuries from the car crash, a disastrous presentation at a fundraiser, and an attempt at reconciliation with an old friend (Dylan Gelula), the chance that this tour will go off without a hitch becomes even more unlikely as the entity continues to warp Skye's reality.
Skye's struggles resonate as real-world pop stars like Chappell Roan have become more candid about the harassment and toxic fan behaviour they have experienced. For what could be easily written off as an unrelatable character because of her superstardom, Skye's struggles with very real fears and trauma make Scott's performance even more captivating.
The relentless pacing at the beginning of the film falters towards the second act, as the tightly woven storyline unravels along with Skye's mental state. Scenes begin to linger for too long, exchanges between characters begin to feel flat and repetitive, and the narrative feels like it's running out of steam — much like its central pop star. The previously high stakes seem to lower when plot becomes more predictable as the film approaches the two-hour mark.
Smile 2 is the perfect theatre movie, from its larger-than-life locations to well-placed jump scares that will send popcorn flying. From the main stage of Skye Riley's comeback tour to a Pizza Hut walk-in freezer, Finn's stadium-high ambitions are equalled by Naomi Scott's singular performance.
Joining the ranks of Saleka Shyamalan, who rose to fame as Lady Raven in this summer's Trap, Scott's Skye has officially solidified 2024 as the year of the Pop-Star-Stuck-in-a-Horror-Film Cinematic Universe.