Smile 2 Movie Review (2024)

Parents need to know that Smile 2 is the extremely gory sequel to the hit horror movie Smile, about an entity that haunts people and causes untold havoc, insanity, and death. This one is a bit better than its predecessor and certainly delivers the jolts, but it's definitely not for young viewers. There's tons of brutal blood and gore, with deaths, guns and shooting, car crashes, stabbing, severed limbs, face-ripping, strangling, monsters, injuries, injections, threat, blood spurts and spatters, and plenty more. Main character Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) is in recovery from a drug dependency; there are scenes of cocaine abuse and people taking pills, and there's dialogue about drugs and drug abuse. Language is also extremely strong, with near constant use of "f--k," plus "s--t," "motherf----r," "a--hole," "c--t," "goddamn," "bitch," "ass," "d--k," "crap," exclamatory use of "Jesus" and "Christ," and more. A fully naked man is seen standing in the dark, with some detail vaguely visible, and there's some sex-related dialogue.

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Violence & Scariness

a lot

Extreme gore, with bloody wounds, blood spurts/spatters/smears, pools of blood. Characters are killed, covered in blood. Guns used to shoot and threaten. Many jump scares. Repeated stabbing. Car crashes: Character hit by car and dragged, leaving bloody carnage in street. Characters harm themselves horrifically: ripping their own face off with a crowbar; breaking a mirror and stabbing self in neck, face, and eye with a shard (then lying on the floor gurgling); ripping open their own stomach to let a giant, gory monster crawl out; injecting a lethal drug into their own neck. Character strangled by something invisible; choking, gagging. Severed foot. Face pulled apart. Character stabbed in eye with microphone. Broken bone protrudes from leg. Someone accidentally shoves another person off of a stage and sends them crashing onto a table below. Thumbs bitten off. Character steps on a broken bottle with bare feet, then pulls out shards of glass from bloody flesh. Man charges at woman. Group of smiling dancers surrounds a character, grabs her, smashes her against furniture, bashes her head against a piano, etc. Character is thrown around a room by a demon, crashing into things. Hand shoved down character's throat. Woman yanks own hair out when stressed. Character trashes a bathroom, throwing something through a glass shower door and shattering it. Ferocious arguing. Scars from crash. Bruises. Creepy stalker. Character yanks IV from arm. Gross stuff includes discarded men's underwear with a dark stain in the crotch.

Language

a lot

Near constant uses of "f--k," plus "s--t," "motherf----r," "a--hole," "c--t," "goddamn," "bitch," "ass," "d--k," "crap," "dumb," "oh my God," "psycho," "crazy," "I hate you!" Exclamatory use of "Jesus" and "Christ." Middle-finger gesture.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

some

Fully naked man is seen standing in the dark, with some detail vaguely visible. Sex-related dialogue.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

some

Main character is recovering from a drug dependency. She experiences pain and tries to take some yellow pills but drops them. She later swallows three white pills. She visits a drug dealer to score Vicodin. The drug dealer snorts cocaine and mentions other drugs: molly, ketamine, etc. Characters snort cocaine in flashbacks. Dialogue about drug use/abuse.

Products & Purchases

very little

Main character drinks several bottles of Voss water. A Squirt soda is displayed.

Diverse Representations

a little

This is a women-led story, with men taking a back seat to powerful women. Most characters are White. The exceptions are supporting characters played by Mexican American actor Raúl Castillo and gay Black actor Miles Gutierrez-Riley.

Did we miss something on diversity? .

Positive Role Models

very little

Skye makes an attempt to sacrifice herself to stop the monster, but it's not because she's noble; rather, it's because she thinks that everything and everyone she touches gets destroyed, and she has nothing left to lose.

Positive Messages

none

This is a pretty pessimistic movie about the inability to stop the Smile Entity and about feelings of loneliness and inadequacy. The last movie discussed how the monster "feeds on trauma," and while that isn't mentioned this time, it seems apparent, given the main character's low self opinion. Could be trying to make a point about how fame and success can't cure inner pain/problems.