The following contains spoilers for Smile 2, now streaming on Paramount+Smile 2’sending sets upSmile 3, but that film could lose the strongest aspects of the franchise.Smile 2was a critical and commercial hit, building on the success of the previous film by shifitng the story from Sosie Bacon’s Dr. Rose Cotter to the globally-known pop-star Skye Riley. Infected with the same seemingly demonic entity that preys on trauma and spreads through horrific acts of self-harm, Riley’s arc was unique to Rose’s but consistent with the rules and themes of the first film. The result was a compelling companion piece to the original that amplified the horror.
This includesSmile 2’s ending, which takes the dangers posed by the nameless and horrifying Entity and amplifies it on a colossal scale. On one level, this is an exciting development that continues to broaden the scope of the series and introduce new potential heights for filmmakers like Parker Finn to take the series. However, that larger scale also risks costinga prospectiveSmile 3one of the most effective elements of the previous films, which helped keep a character focus at the core of the steadily expanding story.
Smile 2’s Ending Indicates That Smile 3 Will Be Much Bigger
Smile 2Teases A Global Larger Scope For The Future Of The Entity
Smile 2’s ending sets the stage for a potentially global scope forSmile 3, an exciting development that risks the most losing the personal focus that are the most effective scares in the franchise.Smile 2ends with Skye Riley’s efforts to stop the curse thwarted by the malicious entity at the center of the series. This results in her possession while on stage at a concert and subsequently her death, potentially spreading the curse to the thousands of fans who witness the event in person. This sets up a prospectiveSmile 2to go even bigger.
That’s an exciting prospect on a certain level, asit ensuresSmile 3wouldn’t be beholden to the limits of the first two films. That would also continue the natural progression of the series, which debuted with the 2020 short filmLaura Hasn’t Slept. Set entirely in a therapist’s office,Smileescalated that focus to a doctor’s small city-wide investigation. By contrast,Smile 2embraced the pop star elements of Riley’s life to great effect by escalating the scares and setting to New York City.Smile 3could go even bigger, but could lose a real strength in the process.
Smile Is Most Effective When It’s Small-Scale
Smile’s Tight Character Focus Is A Real Strength Of The Series
One ofSmiles' most effective tools as a horror story is the way it forces a single person (and the audience seeing the film from their perspective) to grapple with delusions and visions caused by the Entity. When reality itself is untrustworthy, a natural sense of anxiety and paranoia is imbued into every plot development or character choice.That tight character focus inSmilewas refined inSmile 2, with Riley’s attempts to overcome her addictions and grief underscoring each of the Entity’s attempts to psychologically break her.Smile 3going to big could ris losing that.
This Smile 2 Moment Clarifies How Much Of The Ending Is In Skye’s Head
The monster in Smile 2 manages to trick Skye and the film’s audience with its powers of illusion, but one scene shows how much of the ending was real.
By potentially infecting countless people at the conclusion ofSmile 2,Smile 3could face a more large-scale outbreak of demon-induced self-harm. This could force the film to take a larger scale focus on humanity as it grapples with that, which in turn could cost the film the tighter character focus of the previous entries in the series. The Entity’s attempts to maintain control over that many people may strain any single character’s focus, meaning the Entity could stop being such a personal threat and becomes a more existential concern.
Smile 3 Needs To Keep A Tight Character Focus To Remain Effective
Smile 3Can’t Lose The Qualities That MadeSmileAndSmile 2So Compelling
Smile 2indicated that Director/Writer Parker Finn knows how to maintain a larger-scale story while retaining a tighter character focus. Despite being bigger in almost every way compared toSmile,Smile 2retained an impressive amount of character developmentand exploration with Riley. Her personal dramas were intrinsic to the plot, and her personal arc felt complete even as it built to a seemingly inevitable conclusion. It was a bigger story, butSmile 2felt deeply connected to the core themes of the series and the way it scares audiences.
However, a potential follow-up [toSmile 2] could find ways to keep characters isolated…
Smile 3presents a more unique challenge, as the potentially larger scale might make that a difficult prospect. However, a potential follow-up could find ways to keep characters isolated, potentially shifting focus to a setting largely removed from modern culture or shifting the spotlight characters who purposefully remain off the grid (and therefore far away from the Entity’s grasp). A potential follow-up toSmile 2has a lot of room to build the franchise out given the conclusion of the 2024 film, but it needs to make sure it doesn’t lose the qualities that elevated it in the first place.
Smile 2
Cast
Smile 2 is the sequel to the 2022 psychological horror film by director Parker Finn that centers on a therapist who witnesses a patient’s suicide, leading to a series of terrifying supernatural events. The sequel will see the return of Finn as director, with Paramount continuing distribution.
