Dog’s Movie House: “Smile 2” The Rare Sequel That Nearly Matches The Original!

“Smile 2” picks up six days after then end of the first film, where cop and former boyfriend of Sosie Bacon’s character now carries the suicide-causing demon and is looking to get rid of it. Joel (Kyle Gallner) is planning to kill a thuggish drug dealer with a witness, transfering the demonic infection to the surivor. Things take a disastrous turn with everyone dead save for a sad sack dope dealer who witnesses the entire thing. His name is Lewis (Lukas Gage) and he figures greatly into the rest of the story.

The scene switches to New York City where we meet Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) a singing superstar starting a new tour after a year off due to a devestating car accident that killed her boyfriend (Ray Nicholson). She was also strung out on drugs and alcholol and so the year was also used to successfully complete rehab. With her domineering mother (Rosemary DeWitt) pushing her, Skye is working night and day to get everything just right, just in time to aggravate an old back injury from the car wreck. Turning to an old friend for some Vicodin for the pain,, the old friend just happens to be Lewis, who is several days under the influence of the unseen demon. He freaks out, collapses in front of Skye, then the now-familiar demented grin shows up and he proceeds to bash himself to death in the face with a 45-pound weight. Having been the only witness to the event, Skye becomes the next carrier for the demon and soon she’s seeing horrific visions and lot’s of people giving her those creepy grins. Now, with the help of the brother of a former victim (Peter Jacobson), Skye has to try and stop the evil from destroying her even as her sanity continues to erode.

“Smile 2” succeeds because of the choice of lead. The original had Bacon and a psychologist, so her responses were going to be different, perhaps more measured at first, because of her training. Scott’s Skye is a mess to begin with and provides a very different experience during her haunting. Skye is also world-famous, adding a layer of paranoia that pays off wonderfully in a couple of early scenes. Skye is already facing the pressures of the celebrity lifestyle even before the freaky stuff starts, putting her a step behind her predecessor when it comes to dealing with the problem. It helps that Naomi Scott is absolutely fantastic here, giving a performance that radiates such fear that the audience can’t help but be swept up in her extreme anxiety.

The setting and new leading lady are both important because the storyline of “Smile 2” is very similar to the first film, only larger in scope. But because Skye is so different than Rose the situations play out with enough differences to make “Smile 2” an original vehicle that stands on its rather than being an imitation of “Smile.”

Like the first film, Parker Finn ratchets up the tension to nearly unbearable levels, with odd camera angles and zoom shots that make the copious and effective jump scares all the more frightening. Even scares you absolutely know are coming take you by surprise. The script for “Smile 2” even more than the original, blurs the line between illusion and reality to the point that you aren’t really sure what’s going on, especially during the finale, with most of the twists being wonderfully effective. There is also some serious gore here, although most of it is quick it is especially nasty at times, so be warned.

The performances are all uniformly outstanding, with Scott hitting it out of the park. Gage has some nice moments as Lewis, especially as his time on Earth comes to an end. DeWitt manages to inject just enough humanity into her roll as Skye’s mother to not come off as the prototypical stage mom, and Dylan Geluta is a hoot as Gemma, Skye’s estranged best friend, whose deadpan reaction to the surreal events will make her a fan favorite. And special mention goes to Ray Nicholson as Skye’s deceased boyfriend Paul. He shows up in hallucinations and his creepy smile sure makes him look like his famous father. He also has a corker of a scene during a flashback showing Paul and Skye arguing just before the car accident. Hopefully we’ll be seeing more of him soon.

Overall, “Smile 2” is just about as scary as the first film, with bigger scares and a larger overreaching story. Scott gives one of the best performances ever in a horror film, and Skye’s torment is destined to keep you up nights. It may not have the novelty of the first film, but “Smile 2” more than makes up for with tension and scares. You will watch much of this film with your eyes covered! 4 1/2 Out Of 5 On Kendog’s Barkometer! So Sayeth The Kendog!

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