Smile 2 - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Smile 2



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:

​

Movie
2022’s Smile was a film that took me by surprise. I missed out on reviewing it when the film came out on 4K a couple of years back, but last year I was able to get ahold of it and review it for you guys back when Paramount put out their first Paramount Scares box set. Needless to say, I was rather impressed by the creepy demon villain based film. I’m usually immune to supernatural horror (I lean more toward slashers and psychological horror films), but Smile genuinely creeped me out by the end. It was gory enough to appease this slasher fan and had enough twists and turns related to sleep deprivation induced psychosis that the psychological horror nut in me also had fun. But it didn’t NEED a sequel, so I was a bit skeptical when I saw that Paramount was pumping out a second film only 2 years after the original came out. But hey, the horror genre is rife with unlimited sequels, so why not give it a shot?

Helmed by the same writer/director Parker Finn, Smile 2 picks up at an unspecified date past the events of the previous film. An unnamed victim of the demon from the first film tries to pass on the curse to his next victim, only to end up dying in the process and accidentally giving it to an “innocent” bystander (who is a drug dealer, so not sure how innocent he is). Segueing directly to our protagonist, we’re introduced to Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), a global pop sensation who is embarking on a world tour after making a comeback after ruining her life with drugs and alcohol. The only thing is, Skye still has one minor problem. She suffered a back injury in a drunken car wreck that sobered her up, but that back injury still causes her problems, and she surreptitiously buys Vicodin from her local dealer. The only thing is, her connect is out of his mind, and ends up killing himself in front of her after seemingly seeing things that Skye can’t even comprehend.

As you guessed it, Skye now has the curse of the smiling demon on her, and now she’s watching her sanity slip away from her as the monster comes closer and closer to taking her soul. Simultaneously the young girl has to confront her demons (pun intended) in her dark past, as those memories draw her closer and closer to the demonic end that waits for her unless she can somehow use them to her advantage.

I’m not going to say that Finn Parker is a master, but I have REALLY been surprised by both Smile films. He’s got a great eye for physical horror, blending in just the right of blood and gore to be interesting, but not so much that it takes away from the psychological torture of the demon’s victims. In fact, the psychological aspect is the main attraction here, with the gore acting as window dressing to make it all the nastier. I’m usually not creeped out by supernatural films, but Parker made my skin crawl in the first film AND this one as well. In fact, I have to say that he did a better job with the pacing and execution this go around. It’s not nearly so dreamlike and “out there”, but still has the same tension and intensity.

The script is very tight and clean, especially for a film that is OVER 2 hours long. Horror movies tend to benefit from shorter run times, but Parker manages to keep the audience engaged for the entire 2+ hours. Acting I’d give it a solid B+ to A- (horror movies rarely give Oscar-winning performances) as Naomi Scott really steals the entire show. The rest of the characters are simply there as the same window dressing as the gore is to the visuals. They’re all solid, but Scott is front and center with the absolute terror and grief she undergoes due to her previous mistakes in life.




Rated R for strong bloody violent content, grisly images, language throughout, and drug use.




4K Video: Video:

Well, I’m happy to see that Paramount is back to delivering combo packs for new releases once more, and while the Blu-ray looks great here, the 4K UHD handily beats the 1080p disc with relative ease. Looking modern and sharp as a razor blade, Smile 2’s digital production looks gorgeous. It has this magical ability to shift grading and visual tone at the drop of a hat, with the opening shot being rather blue and white tinged (snowy day), with Skye’s dance routines having that bubblegum burst of color, only to come back into her apartment/studio where things get green and dark in a hurry. Black levels are superb throughout, although the green tinge in darker shots DID make things look a bit hazy every once in a while (though some of those shots might have been intentional, such as the crazed naked fan hiding in the dark hallway to obscure “delicate” bits). Overall, this disc looks superb, with amazing Dolby Vision that turns those blacks into silky darkness, that easily fixes some of the crush issues on the Blu-ray.







Audio:

Oh mama. I’m a firm believe that half of a good horror film’s enjoyability is due to the audio mixing for home video, and Smile 2 is no exception. This is a powerhouse track that utilizes great vocals, amazing sound activity, and some incredible bass to draw you in. The vocals are crisp and clean as expected, with no sight of any imbalance in the mix. The surrounds are amazing here, with all sorts of discrete activity coming from every angle. The opening scene is literally ablaze with angular sounds, with our desperate cursed victim scrabbling around the double-wide trailer trying to shoot his way out of a demonic mess. Or the pop songs with Skye dancing and singing her heart out. I’m usually not wildly impressed with non action movie Atmos tracks in the height department, but in this case, it delivers in spades. There’s a TON of activity in the heights, ranging from the pop based score, little scritches and scratches dancing around the room, and generalized chaos all the way around. Bass is going to please just about everyone here, as the LFE channel is brutal and punishing. Said pop songs are hot and heavy, with a deep pulsing bass track, but it’s those jump-scare moments that really shake the walls. And you guys will be happy to know that this easily gets some serious sub-20 hz activity, as I could feel the walls flexing and vibrating with a couple of really low pulses halfway through the film.





Extras:

• Commentary by Director Parker Finn—Take a peek behind the smile with commentary from writer/director Parker Finn as he goes through the gory details of this terrifying sequel.
• Ear To Ear—Cast and filmmakers dive deep into the SMILE universe and discuss how they brought the director's vision to life.
• The Rise and Fall of Skye Riley—Naomi Scott brings you into the cursed life of popstar Skye Riley.
• Behind The Music—Take an inside look at the music and choreography from the film
• A New Smile—SMILE veteran Kyle Gallner gives insight into his character's gory return and filmmakers break down the film's intense first moments.
• Smiler: A New Monster—Bigger, bolder, and more insane! Take a behind-the-scenes look at the grotesque monster behind the smile.
• Turn That Frown Upside Down—Meet Lewis, a friend of Skye, and get an in-depth look at the gruesome make-up and prosthetics behind his terrifying smile.
• Show Me Your Teeth—Explore how the filmmakers captured the uniquely horrifying car crash.
• Deleted and Extended Scenes

Final Score: ​

I find it really weird when I find a sequel better than the first film in a franchise (and yes, this will be a franchise as Parker Finn is working on a 3rd film as we speak), as that rarely happens. But here we are, as Smile 2 blew me away, albeit not by a large margin. I’m a fairly easygoing guy with horror films, but I have no problem looking past my own biases and grading a film how it’s worth, even though I love the schlock and cheese, but with Smile 2 I genuinely think that this is a good movie as well as a good horror flick. It’s tense, creepy, has some great dramatic problems to solve, and has more than enough gore to get the bloodhounds smiling. The 4K UHD Steelbook that Paramount sent out looks fantastic (in both the case as well as the video quality), and it sounds DIVINE. The extras are above average, allowing this happy horror reviewer to give it two solid thumbs up. I might add that while the sequel doesn’t directly relate to the people of the first film, your viewing does benefit from having seen the first Smile. So, at the end of the day, I’m giving this a solid “Watch it!”.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley
Directed by: Parker Finn
Written by: Parker Finn
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), Dutch, Spanish (Castilian), Spanish (Latin America), French, French (Canada), Italian, Japanese, Polish, Thai DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Cantonese, Czech, Dutch, Danish, Spanish (Castilian), Spanish (Latin America), French, French (Canada), Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, German, Polish, Norwegian, Slovak, Finnish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Rated: R
Runtime: 127 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: January 21st, 2025

Recommendation: Fun Watch