Smile 2 is better than 1, but still too timid [critique]

The sequel to Smile is especially driven by Naomi Scott's invested performance as dark Taylor Swift.

In 2022, we found that smile was worth a look, “without revolutionizing the genre”. Two years later, what's left? A franchise for the Paramount studio, in the style of “very low-budget horror inspired by a short film” (it's a subgenre in itself: remember Into the Dark in 2016, a bad feature based on a good short), with this Smile 2 who wants to raise the level. The bet is almost fulfilled, since Smile 2 is, objectively, a better film than the first. “Almost”, because it’s still a lot of effort for not much. Smile 2 begins a few days after the first, and always follows the course of a curse taking the form of a horrible smile on the face of the wearer. A curse that causes more or less horrible hallucinations, to the point of madness. Here, the victim's name is Skye Riley. A pop superstar trying to rebuild his career and health after a terrible drug-induced car accident. She tries to get back on her feet by avoiding falling back into her addictions – not easy when you are possessed by the spirit of Smile.

The performance of Naomi Scott in Taylor Swift doing everything not to fall into Dark Side of the Force is to be welcomed, even if the film does not really seek to delve into anything societal (addiction to painkillers, the great villain of US fiction from the 1920s, is better treated in Dopesick Or The Fall of the House of Usher) nor even meta (Trap by Shyamalan is clearly brighter in this respect). And on the infectious minimalist horror side, It Follows still remains unsurpassable. It is also a matter of context: while the very generous Terrify 3 ravages the rooms, the efforts made by Smile 2 to freak out its audience seem very small, much too classic. After a flashy intro (a large sequence shot that isn't maddening), the entire film is based on jumpscare, on long set-ups interrupted by a loud noise. Director Parker Finn thus has an unfortunate tendency to cut the crazy scenes – the coolest moments, therefore – with a rude awakening and a straight cut when they finally become interesting. That said, as for the first smilethe ending scene turns out to be very funny, and leaves a very good impression: the one that Smile 3 could finally fulfill all the promises of its intriguing concept.