Down the Rabbit Hole
One of my all-time favorite movies is Disney’s classic Alice in Wonderland (1951). As I have grown older, I have consumed many different versions of the story, including the original novels by Lewis Carroll and the two video games presenting a nightmare version of the story (Alice and Alice: The Madness Returns). I also own more than a couple pieces of merchandise depicting the various characters and story. Don’t worry, none of my passwords are related to Alice in Wonderland – let’s not be silly. Imagine my delight at the realization that Smile 2 is essentially a version of Alice in Wonderland.
In the case of Smile 2, Alice goes by the name Skye Riley (Naomi Scott). Skye is a wildly popular singer and recovering drug addict getting ready to go on a comeback tour after recovering from severe spinal injuries suffered in a horrific car crash. That’s a teensy bit more baggage than the original Alice, but it does make it a lot easier for the audience to root for Skye. It also ups the stakes considerably from Smile. This time around, if Skye can’t defeat the entity, there’s a chance the entity could curse tens of thousands of screaming concert-goers.
The proverbial rabbit hole presents itself to Skye in the form of a drug dealer’s bedroom. Wait, that came out wrong. Let me rephrase that. Skye is still experiencing massive back pain, but since she is a recovering drug addict, she can’t get any painkillers stronger than Tylenol prescribed to her. So, she goes to her former drug dealer’s apartment to buy some Vicodin. He goes to his bedroom to get the pills, but doesn’t return. Worried, Skye walks to the bedroom door. Hanging on the wall next to the doorway is a drawing of a white rabbit’s head. Fighting her instinct to run away, she crosses the threshold and her life is turned upside down. That’s not just a figure of speech – multiple scenes are scattered through the rest of the movie where the camera is literally shooting upside down.
Once I saw the rabbit drawing, much of what followed in the film took on additional meaning. The drug angle is an obvious one, Carroll’s original novels often interpreted as being opium or laudanum induced hallucinations (this is highly disputed by historians). The painted mural on the wall behind Skye’s bed resembles the singing flowers. In another scene, there is a painting of a white horse in the background as Skye is talking to a person trying to help her, i.e. the white knight. Scattered throughout multiple scenes are what your great-grandparents might refer to as looking glasses, including Skye wearing a dress covered in those same literal mirrors at one point. Skye’s manager/mother (Rosemary Dewitt) is the Queen of Hearts, constantly trying to control Skye and admonishing to her act more proper. In addition to the upside-down cinematography, much of what we see may or not be hallucinations occurring in Skye’s mind induced by the entity, i.e. the Jabberwocky. And, of course, that Cheshire Cat smile on everyone’s face that’s only gotten creepier since 1951.
As much as I enjoyed all the parallels to Alice, I also enjoyed the construction of the horror component of the film. As expected, Smile 2 unfolds in the same way as Smile. An unsuspecting person witnesses a gruesome death and inherits the curse/entity. Over the course of a few days, that person slowly experiences a descent into madness through a series of hallucinations of creepily smiling people tormenting them. Despite that being predictable, the film still manages to surprise and frighten the audience on multiple occasions, while doing an excellent job of building up the suspense. As one example, the film pulled off the most perfectly executed jump scare. It worked so well that one hundred percent of the audience fell for it, one man so hard that all he could do was loudly guffaw to calm down his racing heart. Epic is the best word to describe it.
The final piece that makes Smile 2 an excellent watch is Naomi Scott’s portrayal of Skye. Actors often talk about dedicating themselves to a character, and Skye exemplifies that idea. In other words, she sells the hell out of Skye, convincing the audience that Skye absolutely deserves our sympathy. Every scene is palpable with her emotions, Scott completely drawing us into the scenes with her. It’s exactly what horror movies aim to do, but so few pull it off to this extent.
It’s not a spoiler to tell you that there will definitely be a Smile 3. For one thing, how many horror movies don’t get multiple sequels? For another thing, even if I told you whether Skye defeats the entity, it doesn’t mean Skye lives or dies or the entity moves on to another host or not. It’s both the genius and flaw with the nature of the entity. If anything can be an illusion, we’ll eventually stop believing the main character can survive, thus killing all suspense. My hope for Smile 3 is they veer away from the illusions a bit, but go deeper down the rabbit hole.
Rating: Don’t ask for any money back, and do it with a smile.
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