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
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