Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting would tend to agree, noting that Smile 2 goes bigger and scarier, and also rating it 4 out of 5 skulls. It’s not just the scares that are better either, as the critic praises Naomi Scott’s performance and Parker Finn’s direction in helping lift this franchise to new heights. Navarro continues:

Arriving on the heels of Joker Folie à Deux and Terrifier 3, Smile 2 is the third multiplex offering in as many weeks to boast creepily grinning fiends. And while this latest clown-ish sequel is superior to those recent duds,

The world is on fire. Innocent people are dying. Hurricanes are ripping away homes. Fascism looms large. Parker Finn's "Smile" movies don't tackle our global anxieties directly but they do understand that seeing someone happy in the early 21st century is deeply disturbing.