AlthoughSmile 2couldn’t quite outdo its predecessorSmileat the box office, the critically acclaimed hit was still one of 2024’s best horror movies. 2024 has been a great year for horror. From indie efforts likeI Saw The TV Glowto franchise installments likeAlien: Romulus, the genre has managed to impress critics while also excelling at the box office. After 2022’s sleeper hitSmilebowled over both critics and audiences alike with its massive $217 million box office payday, the pressure was well and truly on for director Parker Finn’s sequel.
8 Clues To Smile 2’s Twist
Smile 2 follows pop star Skye Riley as she takes on the Entity, the story coming with a wild twist ending that is hinted at throughout the movie.
Fortunately, bySmile 2’s ending, any fears of the franchise falling off had been thoroughly eradicated. Picking up almost immediately after whereSmileleft off,Smile 2’s fast-paced story landed Naomi Scott’s privileged pop star Skye Riley with a curse that drives its victims to take their own lives after seven days.Smile 2’s Skye Rileyis a uniquely complex, compelling horror protagonist, and her twisty story is filled with as many thrills, chills, and shocks as the original movie. Now, viewers can streamSmile 2on Paramount+.
Smile 2 Is Now Streaming On Paramount+ - Why It’s Worth Watching
Smile 2 Outdid Its Already Impressive Predecessor
Smile 2managed to pull off a rare feat when the horror sequel not only impressed critics but outdid its predecessor among reviewers.Smile 2’s 86% critical rating onRotten Tomatoesis a 7% improvement onSmile’s already impressive 79% rating, and this highlights just how much Finn’s ambitious sequel successfully built on the original movie’s premise. WhereSmilewas a self-contained psychological horror that followed the slow unraveling of Sosie Bacon’s isolated therapist Rose,Smile 2’s opening sequencealone marks the sequel out as a bigger, better story.
Smile 2begins with a mesmerizing one-take scene that clues viewers into the fate ofSmile’s sole survivor. The sequel then switches its focus to Skye, a troubled pop star recovering from a traumatic car accident and trying to get her career back on track. After witnessing a horrifying event, Skye is plagued by a bizarre problem. People will not stop smiling at her with glassy, empty eyes, and Skye can’t tell whether they are hallucinations or real. This marks the start of her descent into unhinged terror, eventually culminating in one of the year’s most unpredictable endings.
2022’s Smile Is Also Available On Paramount+
Smile Sets Up Smile 2’s Creepy Psychological Horror Story
AlthoughSmile 2’s twist endingworks even if viewers never saw the original movie, it is a good thing thatSmileis also available to stream on Paramount+. The 2022 original isn’t necessarily required viewing sinceSmile 2helpfully explains the curse and how it seems to work during the movie’s second act. However,Smiledoes provide more context for viewers and its more somber, less surreal storyline is a perfect tonal compliment toSmile 2. WhereSmile 2’s more-is-more approach lurches from one wild set piece to the next,Smileis more slow and deliberate.
The tone of the two movies diverges enough for bothSmileandSmile 2to warrant a viewing.
Smile’s slower pace offers a creepier introduction to the world of the franchise, whereasSmile 2starts fast and never lets up until its outright wild ending. Another reason to watchSmileis thatSmile 2is missing the original movie’smost unexpected shock, and the sequel’s fear factor is diminished a little by cutting this all-important scare. Ultimately, the tone of the two movies diverges enough for bothSmileandSmile 2to warrant a viewing, although viewers really should watch the original movie before the sequel and not the other way around thanks to their twisty nature.
Why Smile 2 Is One Of The Best Horror Movies Released In 2024
Smile 2 Stood Out Even In A Year Of Great Horror Movies
Smile 2’s fast pace and blackly comedic twists make it one of 2022’s best horror movies, as the sequel provided levity that was missing from its predecessor and a non-stop barrage of scares missing from the year’s other strongest horror outings.Alien: Romulushad a draggy opening act, while director Oz Perkins’ sleeper hitLonglegswas terrifying but atypically slow-paced.The SubstancesharedSmile 2’s canny show business satire but wasn’t traditionally scary, whileI Saw The TV Glowwas more existentially unsettling than outright terrifying.
Smile 2was a brutal, non-stop rollercoaster ride that still had something to say and characters worth caring about amid all its plentiful scares.
Late Night with the Devilcame closest to replicatingSmile 2’s marriage of satirical commentary on the entertainment industry and straightforward scares, butSmile 2’s killer twist endingbeat that indie’s comparatively predictable conclusion. As a result,Smile 2succeeded because the sequel offered something that none of 2024’s other major horrors had. After 2022’s comparatively slowSmile,Smile 2was a brutal, non-stop rollercoaster ride that still had something to say and characters worth caring about amid all its plentiful scares.
Smile 2earned over $127 million on a budget of only $28 million.
