Smile 2 bests the original as one of 2024's 'best surprises', critics say

Horror sequels are a reliable formula for Hollywood, so Smile 2 was always going to happen. Parker Finn's original movie in 2022 was an enormous hit, managing $217m (£167m) at the worldwide box office from a pretty modest budget. The sequel got a green light almost immediately.

Smile 2 follows a pop star, played by the live-action Aladdin's Naomi Scott, whose preparations for her world tour are seriously damaged when she witnesses the brutal death of a grinning man. Soon, that grin is following her around, as if she's its next target.

The first movie was a critical darling as well as a box office hit and, thus far, it appears that the sequel has followed suit. At the time of writing, 79% of reviews counted by aggregator Rotten Tomatoes are positive. The first film managed 80%.

Eric Eisenberg at CinemaBlend wrote that the sequel "has a great chance of going down as one of the year’s best genre surprises, and it’s certainly one of 2024’s scariest horror movies". He explained that the film completely surpassed its predecessor, writing that "Smile walked so that Smile 2 could sprint".

AP's Mark Kennedy reserved much of his praise for Scott, writing: "One thing to really beam about is leading lady Naomi Scott going for it all-out, all snot, smeared blood and wide-eyed, full on-fear. Scott manages to pour her humanity into the part — diva, whimpering, defiant, strung out, panicked. She even sings on the soundtrack — songs that are credible hits."

Read more: Smile 2 director thinks horror franchise can explore 'different kinds of diverse stories' (BANG Showbiz, 2 min read)

Scott's performance gives the film an emotional core and provides genuine social commentary on the difficulties of being a pop star, which Owen Gleiberman noted in his review for Variety. He said: "Almost every scene of Smile 2 is infused with the awareness that to be a pop star in the 21st century is to conduct oneself like an industry: a never-ending exercise in corporate image management."

Gleiberman added: "Smile 2 is a flash-cut horror parable, but the story it’s telling is that pop fame makes you crazy. The movie is hardly subtle, yet Parker Finn has become a clever enough filmmaker to make reality feel like a hallucination and hallucinations feel like reality."

Read more: Smile 2 star Naomi Scott 'dove in head first' for 'intense', 'physical' shoot (Yahoo Entertainment, 3 min read)

William Bibbiani at The Wrap noted the film's dark sense of humour as a big step up from the first movie's all-consuming bleakness. "The first Smile was oppressive and cruel to the hero and the audience alike, but Smile 2 takes real glee in ruining its hero’s life and manipulating the audience," he said.

Bibbiani concluded that Smile 2 is "more of the same", but that there's a lot to love. He said: "It’s just as scary, and this time it’s feistier and funnier, proving that the premise has legs and also some malleability."

Over at Deadline, Pete Hammond was less positive, though he found room to praise Scott's performance and some of the horror sequences. He argued that everything feels too familiar, saying: "Finn has not reinvented the wheel but instead just put a new driver in charge."

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For the most part, though, Smile 2 has wowed critics and looks set to be one of the biggest horror movies of the Halloween box office battle. Finn has explained very clearly that he has plans for future stories in this world, so this could be a horror franchise that runs and runs. Now that would be something worth smiling about.

Smile 2 is in UK cinemas now.