"You're not in control, I am!"

About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals into chaos.

Well, what do you know! Parker Finn is essentially retelling the same story, featuring the malevolent entity, but set in a different city, with new characters, and on a slightly elevated scale. It’s clear that this concept of creepy smiles, reminiscent of the Aphex Twin aesthetic, can be rehashed endlessly—find new actors and come up with fresh scenarios. Of course, the director risks backlash for repeating himself, but early reviews before the premiere didn't signal a total disaster now; how the box office fares after the first two weekends remains to be seen.

With an additional $11 million budget, the film opens with a gripping, beautifully crafted long take featuring Kyle Gallner, a fan favorite after Strange Darling. That scene is set in a snowy, desolate landscape around a dilapidated house, creating a high tension right from the start. After such an introduction, confidence in the sequel grew. Most of the budget was spent filming in New York from January to March this year, resulting in grander sets and more extras, contributing to the film's longer runtime. This extended runtime is partly due to the introduction of international pop star Skye Riley, the protagonist of Smile 2, played by the charming and talented Naomi Scott. Fate deals her a cruel hand, as she ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time, becoming host to an invisible parasite that torments her until the end.

Unlike the protagonist of the first Smile, who had two men to confide in, Skye Riley, despite being a famous singer surrounded by people, finds herself with no one to share her pain, completely alone. Stripping away the horror elements, Parker Finn uses the film to explore the harsh realities of stardom—how celebrities are constantly at risk from obsessive fans, endure endless autograph sessions, and face relentless pressure from contracts, schedules, and tours. With a two-hour runtime at his disposal, Finn takes his time portraying this struggle on screen. The producers seemed content to let the director have his way without imposing cuts, likely thinking only of the film's potential profit.

This, of course, raises doubts. Viewers might feel deceived, seeing much of the same content already shown in the first one two years ago. Many will be frustrated by how much the creator relies on the main character's hallucinations. As we know, only the infected can see the monster, and once again, we’re faced with the same invisible threat that other characters are oblivious to, repeated over and over. All of this is meant to build up to a much-anticipated ending that is easy to predict. Once more, we’re left hanging mid-sentence with a clear setup for another sequel. Personally, I think it would be interesting if Parker Finn expanded this emotional virus parasite concept and turned it into a full-blown epidemic, similar to what the US remake of Pulse (which I hate) and its DTV sequels did, where people were in a panic, sealing up windows and doors with red tape to keep the ghosts out.

That said, the sequel does manage to entertain with well-executed, albeit overused, jump scares and screamer moments, all accompanied by tense musical cues. The camera work is excellent, with some interesting inverted shots, though it starts to feel repetitive midway through. The musical set decorations and concert scenes are spectacular, and Naomi Scott's performance as the protagonist is particularly notable. The visual effects are present but don't detract from the horror unfolding on screen. Scott’s portrayal of her character's slow descent into madness is both compelling and tragic, with constant embarrassing and morbid encounters, including a brief two-minute appearance by Ray Nicholson as her deceased boyfriend, with his creepy smile in a nod to the classic scene (you know the one!) from The Shining. Scott’s ability to convey fear—whether bulging her eyes or screaming—adds to the intensity of her role. Her panic attacks, especially when she pulls out her hair, are gruesome to watch. While Parker Finn struggles with building suspense or intrigue, he excels in the gore department. Some kills are particularly brutal, with detailed, graphic bloodshed. The creepy, smiling, silent musical troupe in Skye’s apartment stands out as the film’s most memorable and effective scene.

However, the lore of the smiley monster remains underdeveloped. We learn from Morris' character that the entity can somehow be stopped, but Skye’s character arc falls flat, tied to her addiction and rehab. While it’s not exactly a trauma dump, the metaphor doesn’t land, and the overdone drug rehab angle feels tired. Paired with a barely-there story and low stakes, Smile 2 becomes a hard-to-digest mess, largely due to pacing issues. Though there’s an end goal when Skye finally meets Morris to try to defeat the entity, the journey lacks excitement or tension. The reveal of the slimy, red, gnarly entity was goofy and oddly satisfying—it’s a disgusting creature but one of the film's few highlights.

Overall, I’m not entirely sure why this became a franchise. The concept of a supernatural curse triggering a chain reaction has been done to death, with It Follows and Ringu being standout examples. While the emotional parasite angle attempts to offer something new, it ultimately falls short of delivering a truly compelling story, dragging itself out before ending with an ambiguous conclusion. Although it improves on its predecessor by ramping up the scares and gore, it still feels like little more than a rehash. That said, if a third installment goes global, I’d likely watch it out of curiosity but not with high expectations.