Smile 2

Parker Finn the genius you are. Still to date one of the most original films I’ve seen come out in recent years. One of the most impressive things about this franchise is the originality and fresh ideas it brings, with this movie doing a full 180 in the difference of characters studies they did between 1 & 2, with this one leveling up to the higher stakes of a pop star in the public eye and much more on her plate than Rose in the first one. Franchises like these are the types that really get you amped up for sequels because you know you’re going in for something totally different and unexpected than the last one. Smile 2 speaks volumes to how great of a visionary Parker is and how he’s what we need in the industry of blockbuster film studios that rarely takes risks on original movies anymore. This movies is also really easy to appreciate also because of how grounded in reality it is. From the screenplay to the characters’ emotional responses to certain moments, it all feels relatable to what we all would do in real life. Even though Skye Riley is in the magnitude of a world renowned pop star, we can still see the human in her with all of her past flaws, struggles and traumas which makes her so easy to root for in the midst of the curse she’s going through. Which speaking of is one thing I wanted to talk about. The curse not only play obviously a big part in the plot and serves as an interesting horror concept, but beneath the surface of scaring for horror elements, it’s just so genius in how it messes with these characters like Skye Riley physiologically. It takes all of their traumas and inner demons and puts them in the form of these surreal hallucinations to make facing the traumas even worse mentally. The way the curse plays with your perception of reality is just so mind blowing, especially in parts like the teleprompter speech and with Gemma’s character specifically. The curse striked with Gemma because it knew Skye lacked someone to trust with her inner struggles, so making those interactions with Gemma an illusion of a reality hurt even more since Skye realized the one person she felt heard by in the midst of the chaos wasn’t real. The way the curse is used in this film again, just speaks volumes to the creative genius of Parker Finn. The last aspect I wanted to get to in this movie was the score which was the most terrifying and eerie thing I’ve ever heard. It intensifies and makes every scene it’s in more scary with how fitting it is to the unsettling nature of this film. So yeah I could yap about this film all day long as you can tell lol Favorite Films