Smile 2 started hard and fast. With its long "one take" opening which was gorey and frantic, providing continuity to the original. The films camera work and lighting were great, the use of swivel shots and use of reflections certainly added to the horror sequences.
Naomi Scott! What a performance. The descent into madness was horrifying (in a great way). It would please me to see an actress in a horror movie receive an Oscar nomination but unfortunately the genre is tough to crack when it comes to the award season. She was jarring and authentic. I would love to see her more in similar roles.
The film unfortunately (in my opinion) relied too much on its jump scares and loud sounds. I understand that they are an important tool to the genre but should be utilised in a way that they add to the story rather than scare audiences for the sake of it.
The film really shined in the scenes that were more creepy and unsettling rather than straight up jump-scary. Shout out to the dance troupe apartment scene. The scenes where the audience realise that Skye is in fact hallucinating are the most memorable and offer much more weight than the jump scares.
I would've appreciated if we found out a little bit more about the lore of the entity and maybe delving into its origins and history. Hence, warranting a sequel that offers more to the overall story.
There is one scene (which I know others will feel the same) that the director decided to go with CGI over practical effects. This was highly disappointing and it took away from the penultimate moment.
The film provided audiences with some great horror moments and one stella performance. However, the film being a bit too reliant on jump scares and flashy-ness steered away from the original's gritty and dark tone.