Summary
- Smile 2 should explore the origin of the curse and how previous victims have coped with it or tried to break it.
- Joel, a significant character in Smile, could become the protagonist in Smile 2 and battle the curse, adding depth to his backstory and relationship with Rose.
- To distinguish itself from the original, Smile 2 should avoid repeating the same story and find new ways to make the entity scarier and explore its storyline in more depth.
For years, the quality of horror films has been debated as we move further and further from the classics, such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, The Shining, or Friday the 13th. However, there are still some gems that are released in the modern age, like Hereditary, Talk to Me, and Smile.
Speaking of Smile, the film has been highly successful commercially, grossing a staggering $217 million on a $17 million budget. The picture certainly deserved success because of its novel approach to the horror genre, and a sequel is currently in the works by Paramount Pictures.
While the film concluded on a high note, leaving much to be desired, no one expected a sequel. Now, this brings us to the question of whether Smile 2 can live up to its predecessor’s critical and commercial success. So, here’s how we think Smile 2 can actually work.
Smile 2 Should Delve Deeper Into the Curse
Smile, as with many psychological horror films, begins erratically but provides a very convincing yet frightening conclusion to the built-up storyline. Near the film’s conclusion, Rose eventually encounters the smile demon, which resembles a semi-humanoid with gigantic jaws and blood-filled skin.
It eventually takes over Rose’s body, and she burns herself to death while passing on her curse to Joel. In the end, there was no explanation of how the Smile demon originated and why the curse was passed down to others rather than simply haunting those who were subjected to severe trauma.
If Smile 2 has anything to offer that would pique viewers’ interest, it will be the origin of the curse and how previous victims have dealt with it or attempted to cope with it. In addition, it should also provide a clear explanation of whether the curse can be broken or simply something that will haunt the world for the rest of its existence.
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Joel Could Be an Interesting Protagonist in Smile 2
Sosie Bacon’s role in the horror movie was clearly one of Smile‘s major selling points. Her character adds a whole new layer of depth to the plot, with her unresolved feelings concerning her mother’s death constantly eating her alive, making the smile demon’s takeover easier. On the other hand, no one believed Rose’s claims about the curse except for Joel, making him the best character in the film alongside her.
Regrettably, the film ends with Joel becoming the latest victim of the entity. As a result, this opens up new possibilities for the upcoming sequel, in which he will most likely become the focus of attention, battling the smile curse and trying to find a means to end it. With his character already undergoing significant development in the first film, it is apparent that he would be a solid lead character in the sequel.
Having said that, it will be intriguing to see how the character is used in the next installment. Smile 2 should dive a little more into Joel’s past and build upon his backstory and relationship with Rose, gradually revealing a way to break the curse.
Smile 2 Should Find New Ways To Distinguish Itself From the Original
Smile
- Release Date
- September 30, 2022
- Director
- Parker Finn
- Rating
- R
Smile has maintained a sense of mystery since the beginning, with the characters’ strange behaviors and brutal deaths. However, it is later revealed that they are all under a curse that will pass on to the others unless someone finds a way to break it. If filmmakers chose to repeat the same thing all over again, it would become redundant.
So, instead of focusing on another character and writing a similar story, Smile 2 must avoid the smile gimmick and create a fresh story. Thankfully, Parker Finn, the writer and director of Smile, has revealed his intention to take Smile 2 in an entirely different direction.
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Although he made it a self-contained story with no intention of making a sequel, the filmmaker states that he purposely left a few unresolved matters, implying that the sequel would build on the prior film while separating itself by a wide margin. Nonetheless, we’ve seen many brilliant filmmakers make mistakes with poor sequels, so Smile 2 may need to deviate significantly from the first film to genuinely stand out.
Smile had an element of surprise in which viewers were unaware of the demon’s existence. So, it would take much more than the entity’s beginnings to make Smile 2 successful. For one thing, the writers could make the entity scarier by having it do things it didn’t do in the first film, such as influencing more than one victim at a time.
Unlike the prequel, where the story primarily revolved around Rose and her trauma, Smile 2 can make something more out of the entity’s storyline, similar to how Hereditary takes audiences on a disturbing ride with the climactic sequence.
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