Masuk Free Press

co reviewer Gianna Petilo

We are nearing the end of the spooky season, which means that horror fans are trying to cram in as many horror movies as possible before the scary spirit fades away. Among these movies is the Smile franchise, which has recently seen an increase in popularity after the release of its second film. This leaves us to wonder: Is Smile 2 worth the watch, and does it live up to the hype? 

The main character of Smile 2 is Skye Riley, a well-known Grammy-winning pop star played by actress Naomi Scott. She becomes entangled in a terrifying curse that haunted others in the first Smile movie. Smile 2 follows Skye as she attempts to unravel this mystery and rid herself of the curse, while slowly losing grip on her sanity.

Naomi Scott acted out the role of Skye Riley flawlessly. The actress perfectly captured the themes of trauma, pressure, and isolation that a pop star would be struggling with. She made each emotion that Skye Riley was experiencing seem genuine, especially as the movie went on and Skye descended deeper into madness. A problem she struggled with by herself soon slowly revealed itself to the world. 

The movie causes viewers to question their reality, constantly wondering whether Skye’s experiences are genuine or merely figments of her imagination. We found ourselves thinking something was real at first, only to realize later that she imagined it. This caused us to lose trust in our minds, not knowing what to believe. This was arguably scarier than most of the jump scares. The psychological aspect is one of the strongest elements of Smile 2, effectively keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. Throughout the movie, as Skye was losing her mind, we felt as if we were on the journey with her, feeling all the emotions alongside her. Smile 2 definitely did a good job establishing a connection between the viewer and the main character, leaving us invested in her life.

Because Smile 2 is a horror movie, we were expecting it to be terrifying and leave us emotionally scarred. It was disturbing, especially the unsettling, uncanny smiles. This made us uneasy at some points. Not to mention the ominous, eerie sound effects, which helped create a creepy atmosphere. Just when we thought we could take a breath, that music would start playing and we had to brace for a jump scare.

However, like many modern horror movies, the jump scares became predictable halfway through. Despite this predictability, the suspense and tension never truly left us throughout the movie. The film still managed to maintain its unsettling atmosphere, creating a sense of fear without relying solely on jump scares. We were on the edge of our seats for the entire duration of the movie, constantly wondering what was going to happen next and waiting for the next creepy smile.

Smile 2 was a perfect blend of fast-paced action and suspense. It started off with an intense scene that set the tone for the rest of the movie. An unidentified man creeps around a drug dealer, strikes his neck with a knife in front of the drug dealer’s brother, and kills them both. Though it seems like taking both their lives was unintentional and one was meant to live. Another man walks in looking for unprescribed pharmaceuticals and accidentally witnesses this scene, he becomes important to the story later. This panics the mysterious individual, and leads to another gruesome death scene. These action-packed scenes were balanced out with some quieter moments, whether it was character development or the second before a jump scare. The movie flowed smoothly throughout different paces, which was definitely one of its strengths.

Overall, in our opinion, Smile 2 was worth the watch. The sequel perfectly encapsulates the themes that viewers enjoyed from the first movie while switching up the characters and the plot. From the opening scene, the movie had a chaotic and scary tone. We were immediately drawn into the mystery surrounding the curse. Skye Riley’s mental decline is portrayed effortlessly, and Smile 2 successfully establishes an unsettling atmosphere that keeps viewers invested in the story. We left the theater with hopes that there would be a third movie. Who will the curse haunt next?