A new horror franchise is born with the release of Smile 2which continues the terrifying premise of the first Smilereleased in 2022. Like the original, Certified Fresh, the sequel is receiving critical acclaim. Many critics even call the film an improvement, as it goes bigger and bolder with its story, scares and set pieces. However, every review favors Naomi Scott’s starring performance as a pop star terrorized by the film’s monster, and at least recommends the sequel for her work.

This is what critics say about it Smile 2:

How does it compare to the first Smile?

Smile 2 is a triumph. Not just a good horror sequel, but a superior sequel.
— James Preston Poole, Discuss Film

Smile 2 is one of the best horror sequels ever made.
—Jonathan Sim, ComingSoon.net

Smile 2 is definitely a better film than the first in many ways.
— Jack Martin, Filmfeeder

I was worried that the sequel wouldn’t live up to my expectations. However, it surpassed them.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

The craft of filmmaking is a significant step forward here Smile.
— David Rooney, Hollywood reporter

It’s an encore performance that’s fun enough, but frustratingly unwilling to break away from the first film’s formula, leaving audiences with more of the same, but with even bigger smiles.
– Will Mavity, Next Best Picture

Unfortunately, Smile 2 doesn’t feel as fresh as its predecessor.
– James Mottram, NME

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

How is it different?

Smile 2 is the ideal horror sequel, expanding and refining everything that worked in the first film, introducing a new perspective and never taking its foot off the accelerator.
— James Preston Poole, Discuss Film

This time, filmmaker Parker Finn uses the larger budget to give the horror more scale. He also indulges in more complex direction, which is occasionally overkill but usually adds to the experience.
– Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

Smile 2 builds on the madness of the first film by being an intense, bloody sequel done right.
—Jonathan Sim, ComingSoon.net

Where Smile 2 What improves over its predecessor is its macabre sense of humor.
– Will Mavity, Next Best Picture

The first and third acts of Smile 2in particular, are extremely different from the first film.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

Restraint is jettisoned in favor of greater, bolder surplus.
— David Rooney, Hollywood reporter

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

Is it still scary?

There’s more blood, more lore, and more scares. This movie is absolutely terrifying… One of the scariest movies of the year.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

What makes Smile 2 so scary? Parker Finn and his crew have an iron grip on the atmosphere… Finn also pulls out all the stops for the actual scare.
— James Preston Poole, Discuss Film

Just like with the first Smile, the jump scares are plentiful… Yet the jump scares are not as fresh as the first time.
– Will Mavity, Next Best Picture

There are two excellent shocks in it Smile 2and the fact that there aren’t more is perhaps the most disappointing aspect of this supernatural nightmare.
– Nick Schager, The Daily Beast

The elements that created it Smile getting under your skin is sacrificed in bloody spectacle and the relative simplicity of the conceit is muddied as the film progresses beyond its two hours.
— David Rooney, Hollywood reporter

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

How does Naomi Scott play the lead role?

Naomi Scott delivers a revelatory lead role that ranks extremely high among the best genre performances of the year.
— Jack Martin, Filmfeeder

Naomi Scott delivers a daring performance that you almost have to see in the cinema.
— Brittany Patrice Witherspoon, Screen Rant

Scott delivers a career-defining performance, tackling so many layers of her character and with seemingly effortless ease.
– Meagan Navarro, Bloody Disgusting

Naomi Scott is the perfect choice to play Skye Riley. She is incredible in the role and… knocks every aspect out of the park.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

Scott does a great job of showing how Skye’s anxiety plays a role in her guilt over the people she hurt as her substance abuse spiraled out of control.
— David Rooney, Hollywood reporter

Her work in this film is amazing… downright fascinating.
—Jonathan Sim, ComingSoon.net

While the film isn’t an acting showcase for the most part, Naomi Scott is quite effective… delivering what is easily her best work yet.
– Will Mavity, Next Best Picture

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

What other reasons to see the film?

The best of Smile 2 is that it keeps the audience off balance, starting with the way Cristobal Tapia de Veer’s disturbing electronic score affects us.
– Owen Gleiberman, Variation

Dan Kenyon’s dense sound design is another highly effective component, often blurring the line between ambient noise and composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer’s chilling score, which incorporates clanking, groaning, vibrating industrial sounds and leans heavily toward distortion.
— David Rooney, Hollywood reporter

Shot by cinematographer Charlie Sarroff, the film looks eerily sharp and even sterile, as if we’re trapped in a sickeningly clean psychiatric ward. The images of Smile 2 put the audience into a dream-like state, where reality can easily be breached by a flashy vision, turning that dreamy fog into a vivid nightmare.
— James Preston Poole, Discuss Film

How is the script?

Writer-director Parker Finn does a fantastic job developing the story and bringing more to the table this time.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

Strangely enough, Finn’s script leans towards humor this time around… Don’t expect the horror film to have the best commentary on mental health issues.
— Brittany Patrice Witherspoon, Screen Rant

How I wish the story, which pretty much delves into the same old been-there-done-that territory, was as good as the visceral horror elements.
-Casey Chong, Casey’s Movie Mania

Finn may just need to move away from the misconception that more is more and put a bigger focus on his storytelling skills.
— David Rooney, Hollywood reporter

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

Are there major problems?

Perhaps this is just an unfortunate side effect of it being a horror sequel, but everything is clearer in the film Smile 2.
— Brittany Patrice Witherspoon, Screen Rant

The uncertain shuffling between what is real and what is a very visceral hallucination ultimately becomes a weakness as the story progresses, even if some of the final sequences are virtuosic set pieces.
— David Rooney, Hollywood reporter

The film is frustrating to watch because you are constantly impressed by so many elements of this film, but you also get bogged down in some things that don’t really belong in something with this level of cinematic quality.
— Jack Martin, Filmfeeder

The film is almost twenty minutes too long and has a mediocre third act.
– Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

Will horror fans leave happy?

Smile 2 delivers one of the biggest horror surprises of the year… a perfect Halloween treat for those in need of a good scare – or twenty.
– Meagan Navarro, Bloody Disgusting

The sequel will have many horror fans grinning from ear to ear.
— David Rooney, Hollywood reporter

This film will leave you gagged and gasping for air, and it’s one of the best horror films of 2024.
—Jonathan Sim, ComingSoon.net

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

Do we want to see more?

After that ending? I need more. Come on Smile 3.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

Finn can probably keep making it Smile sequels, as long as he feels like it. Provided he at least mixes up the setup like he did here, I’m more than fine with that concept.
– Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

It gets the job done enough times to be a smash – and, more importantly, suggests that its compelling conceit could still be fully exploited by a future series installment.
– Nick Schager, The Daily Beast

If there is a third one Smile movie (again, it all depends on how much this sequel would do at the box office), I hope that Finn will stop relying too much on repeating the formula of the first film and start expanding the mythology surrounding the demonic entity.
-Casey Chong, Casey’s Movie Mania

Is there a need for one at all Smile 3? Parker Finn’s sequel ends so wildly that it might be best to let the rest take place in our imaginations.
— James Preston Poole, Discuss Film

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