Smile 2
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: October 18, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 37 Critic Reviews
Positive:
26
Mixed:
11
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The New York TimesBeatrice LoayzaOct 17, 2024
Smile 2, directed by Parker Finn, is more thematically ambitious than the original, which also allows Finn to stage more satisfyingly ridiculous kills and ramp up its air of delirium Read full review
88
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiOct 16, 2024
Smile 2 is more of the same. A lot more. But it’s just as scary, and this time it’s feistier and funnier, proving that the premise has legs and also some malleability. Read full review
83
PolygonAusten GoslinDec 9, 2024
Smile 2 is bigger, scarier, funnier, smarter, darker, and undeniably better than its predecessor. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubMatt SchimkowitzOct 17, 2024
Yes, the varying quality of performances from the supporting cast and the film’s slightly bloated 127-minute runtime might leave cheeks straining. But the film finds dark humor in taking these desperate feelings of unease and feeding them to a kaleidoscopic creature of pain and viscera. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeOct 21, 2024
The special effects are bracingly revolting, the malevolent smiles as creepy as ever. And the film has the added bonus of some killer choreography, in every sense of the word. Read full review
80
ColliderJeff EwingOct 16, 2024
The entity's visage is shocking, its effects personal and malevolent, and the film had some terrifying set pieces, creating a mysterious new supernatural creature to lose sleep over. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerOct 17, 2024
This is the antithesis of a sequel for sequel’s sake. Instead, it’s second verse, even catchier than the first. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliOct 18, 2024
The relentless pace, which flags only occasionally, and entrancing storytelling make this follow-up an even more satisfying experience than the one provided by the 2022 production. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoOct 18, 2024
To be fair, “Smile 2” does lose some of its many thematic threads about how fans feel like they own pop stars and how so many of them are asked to bury their trauma and just smile, but enough remain in the foundation of the piece to get it across the finish line. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesKatie WalshOct 18, 2024
Finn brings bigger, and even more effective, jump scares than the last time, which will keep the popcorn flying. The sound design booms and rattles, the delusions are even more elaborate, and the body horror is even bloodier and more disturbing. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreOct 18, 2024
Smile 2 is a genuinely horrific plunge into terror. Read full review
75
The Associated PressMark KennedyOct 17, 2024
Over two hours ends up being too long. But [Finn] has found a great satirical target, given life to a third film easily and showcased another rising star to watch. That’s a reason to, well, smile about. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleCarla MeyerOct 16, 2024
Smile 2, filmmaker Parker Finn’s audacious follow-up to his 2022 breakout hit, “Smile,” delivers all the jump scares, gore and supernaturally plastered-on grins a horror fan can take while also commenting, thoughtfully yet also disgustingly, on the perils of fame. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineRocco T. ThompsonOct 16, 2024
Parker Finn, like his entity, is interested in getting his bony fingers into those sticky tender parts we’d rather hide away, slurping our pain like ambrosia and confronting us with the fact that more often than not, the enemy staring back is you. Read full review
75
IndieWireChristian ZilkoOct 16, 2024
As more people try to make peace with how their darkest hours have irreparably damaged them, actors with creepy smiles should breathe a little easier knowing that they’ll be employable for the foreseeable future. Read full review
70
We Got This CoveredMarco Vito OddoOct 17, 2024
While it may not break new ground, Smile 2 delivers a thrilling sequel that surpasses its predecessor, thanks to Naomi Scott's tour de force performance and Parker Finn's improved direction. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzOct 16, 2024
Smile 2 is a bigger movie in every way. Bigger isn’t necessarily better, but in this case, it’s not bad. Read full review
70
VarietyOwen GleibermanOct 16, 2024
The film climaxes with a body-horror maximalism coupled with a minimum of logic. Until then, though, it wrings honest jolts out of the unnerving hothouse of unreality that is pop stardom. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyOct 16, 2024
Smile 2 confirms Finn as a gifted visual stylist who has an assured hand with his actors. He perhaps just needs to back off a little from the misconception that more is more and maintain a greater focus on his story skills. Read full review
70
LooperAlistair RyderOct 16, 2024
If Smile 2 feels just as good as the first in the moment, then it's entirely thanks to Scott, who helps anchor a story that could crack under the weight of its endless twist reveals. Read full review
70
Total FilmBecky DarkeOct 16, 2024
A little baggy in places with its two-hours-plus runtime, and a touch convoluted too, Smile 2 is a visually impressive sequel with solid performances, an expanding lore, and some genuinely scary moments, making it a very successful follow-up to a recent horror favorite. Read full review
70
The Daily BeastNick SchagerOct 16, 2024
[Finn's] second feature may not be as consistent a rollercoaster ride as his maiden effort, but it gets the job done frequently enough to be a chart-topper. Read full review
70
IGNA.A. Dowd Oct 16, 2024
Smile 2 doesn’t quite match its sadistically effective predecessor in the scare department, because once you’ve seen one phantom doppelganger grinning like the Cheshire Cat, you’ve seen them all. But the movie works as a nasty portrait of the downside of music-biz fame, and it builds to an ending deserving of every crooked smile it earns. Read full review
70
SlashfilmChris EvangelistaOct 16, 2024
Smile 2 is relentless. It's a non-stop spookshow that just keeps increasing in madness, building towards a grand finale that pretty much absolves the film of any negative issues you might. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsOct 17, 2024
Smile 2 goes in a newish direction, to frustrating mixed results — but it’s a mixed bag you can respect because it’s not hackwork and it’s trying new things. Read full review
63
Paste MagazineJesse HassengerOct 16, 2024
Smile 2 ultimately seems struck dumb by its own possibilities, and gets stuck franchising hopelessness. Read full review
60
Time OutWhelan BarzeyOct 17, 2024
It’s tamer than its deeply unsettling predecessor, but still unhinged enough to keep you nicely on edge. Read full review
60
Rolling StoneDavid FearOct 17, 2024
What this sequel really seems to be suggesting is that there is nothing scarier than an unstable pop star in 2024, poised on the edge of a public meltdown captured by a million cellphones and consumed by scandal-hungry social-media addicts. When it comes to possessing your soul, a supernatural demon can’t hold a candle to show business. Read full review
60
The GuardianBenjamin LeeOct 17, 2024
As stylishly made as these films might be, there’s still not enough of a distinctive identity away from its inspirations and not enough away from the (very loud) sound and fury to give us hope that this is a story worth retelling time and time again. Read full review
60
Little White LiesHannah StrongOct 17, 2024
It’s all exceptionally silly, and fans of the first film might find the first hour little more than a rehash of Smile, but there’s still something admirable about Parker Finn’s gusto. Read full review
60
EmpireJames DyerOct 16, 2024
Creepy and clever but rarely surprising, this horror hits its marks well enough, but fails to surpass its more rough-and-ready predecessor. Read full review
60
NMEJames MottramOct 16, 2024
Is it scary? Rarely, to be honest. But it knows how to twist the knife, at least. Read full review
58
Original-CinThom ErnstOct 17, 2024
Smile 2 is a freakshow that will likely delight those willing to go all in, seeking a chaotic experience while others will be left to wonder not only where this is all going to but where did it come from? Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriOct 18, 2024
As Skye becomes increasingly unable to tell what’s actually happening and what’s a waking nightmare, we should feel more for her, and we should feel more with her. Instead, we lose interest, as the whole thing becomes pointless and even a little cynical and cruel. The movie ultimately scuttles its own ambitions. Read full review
50
ObserverDylan RothOct 16, 2024
For fans of the first film, it’s more of the same, and for any casual horror viewers who are up for a funhouse thrill this October, it’ll do the trick. Read full review
50
Screen DailyTim GriersonOct 16, 2024
In the early going, the film delivers plenty of chills alongside some sly commentary about the music industry, but eventually Finn succumbs to the trite horror tropes the original picture so nimbly avoided. Read full review
50
Screen RantPatrice WitherspoonOct 16, 2024
Even though it doesn’t take its own storyline seriously enough, Smile 2 is entertaining. Don’t expect the horror film to have the best commentary on mental health issues, but be ready for some jump-scare fun. Read full review
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