This article contains Mild spoilers For “Smile 2″.
As I write this article, the third installment in the “Terrifier” series is destroying the competition at the box office, a success for independent film, serious horror, and non-studio intellectual property everywhere. Longtime horror fans are no strangers to films with similar levels of gore and gore, but these scenes are more common in independent or underground horror films. That's not to say that studio-backed horror films are capable of inflicting pain, but even watching the worst graphic depictions of the “Saw” series is stylized. Adventurous camera movements, interludes of intelligent reactions to the massacre and yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu There's enough good and scary stuff to kick the audience's imagination into overdrive. Take a page from Alfred Hitchcock's manual of magical cinematic illusions, but with lots and lots of corn syrup and latex.
Studio horror movies don't shy away from angst by any means, but they don't hold back like indie horror movies or live-streamed horror fests, which is why the total death scene in “Smile 2” is so shocking because it feels. Bolder, bloodier and more direct than the usual big-budget film, said director Parker, it refuses to allow audiences to look away from the ruthless, self-inflicted destruction. It's like Smile Entity watched “Evil Dead Rise” over spring break and thought, “Wow, those dead guys had some great ideas, time to try a cute drug dealer who specializes in party pills and cocaine.”
Lucas Cage faces the weight of a shock monster
Although “Smile 2” centers on pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), the relentlessly good sequel (read our review here) picks up six days after the first film ended, with now-victim Joel (Kyle Gallner) doing everything possible to overcome the curse by killing some criminals. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned and Joel inadvertently sends the company to Lewis (Lucas Cage) as driver. Joel's blood and guts paint the street of the accident, with the camera following the truck's trail of body parts, bits of skin and muscle, and finally Joel's dismembered body. It's an incredible movie to start with and sets the tone for the chaos to come.
Now distraught, Lewis commits suicide by repeatedly hitting his face with a weight plate in front of his client Skye Riley. The trailer for “Smile 2” showed off its impact and immediate facial dissection, so many viewers might have expected the film to do something similar. After all, in the first “Smile” movie, Laura Weaver (Caitlin Stacey) got to Dr. While sending it to Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon), she cuts her face and throat on a shard of broken glass before that the camera immediately shows Rose's reaction. When the camera focuses back on Laura, she is already lying on the floor in a pool of blood, laughing. It's a shocking sight, sure, but they're training wheels compared to what Lewis is doing to his face.
Three is the magic number
The sound of Lewis smashing his face with a weight plate will provoke a visceral reaction from the audience, but the camera refuses to move away as it reveals disintegrating flesh, broken bones and shattered teeth. I half expected her to fall over the side like Laura did in the first movie, but Louise just hit herself again…again…both times revealing an increasingly haggard face. And the camera didn't move away. It lingers on Lewis's face, giving the audience ample time to explore the way his face contorts between each impact.
What is broken? What is out of place? How do you keep smiling?! His crushed skull is displayed with such vivid brutality that it makes you forget for a minute that this is a studio-backed movie with a $28 million budget. It's completely understandable that writer-director Parker Finn wanted to go one step further for the sequel, as “Smile” was originally scheduled to premiere on the Paramount+ streaming service, but wisely went to theaters. One of the most important films of 2022. I was expecting big scenes, especially the pop star lead, but I was really impressed by how prepared the movie was. go there When the death scenes arrive.
But the interpretation of the scene lies in the performance of Lucas Cage, who is ready to break into blockbuster stardom if he so desires. He is known for his criminally obsessed roles in “The White Lotus”, “How to Blow Up a Pipeline”, “Down Low” and began starring in the box office hit “Companion” from the creators who gave us the face of “Barbarian” . Cage. The “smile” smile was practically manufactured by a mad scientist to fit perfectly into the universe. Cage's face is the sweetness of a golden retriever, a crazed paranoia that you can't help but feel sorry for, and a menacing smile at the drop of a hat. And watching his beautiful face get destroyed makes a strong case for one of the best death scenes of the year.
“Smile 2” is now released in all theaters.
