Nearly 20 years after audiences enjoyed the story of the Runway magazine, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” comes out as a sequel blending nostalgia and modern commentary to create a refreshing and enjoyable sequel.
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” succeeds by revisiting beloved characters while exploring how fashion and journalism have evolved in the digital age.
The original film became iconic and a cult classic because of its famous performances, especially Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly and Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs.
The sequel leans into this wisely, ensuring every time Miranda walks into the room with her same confidence, assistants are still terrified.
However, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” is not simply a nostalgia-driven expansion adding minimal world building or progression from the original, instead it focuses on Andy surviving the demands of Runway, and the life surviving in the modern world of journalism.
The movie makes excellent commentary about the rise of influencer culture and social media branding.
Andy’s return to the fashion world is one of the strongest parts of the movie.
In the previous movie Andy’s conflict centered around balancing ambition with personal happiness and well being.
Now older and experienced, Andy faces a different struggle, attempting to keep journalism and artistic passion alive in an ever changing world heading towards profit and shortening attention span.
That evolution gives the sequel emotional weight beyond its outfits and dialogue.
Moving from its more heavy hitting parts, the visuals of the new movie are stunning, showing a clear increase within the budget.
According to TheNumbers.com, the first movie’s budget was around 35 million, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” had a budget of 100 million, nearly three times as much.
The visuals of the movies are impressive, and the outfits of the runway walks are glamorous and a show of the many different outfits of the fashion world showing a key attention to detail.
The polish of the movies is also amazing, accompanying a fast-paced soundtrack and quick edits, the film captures a similar energetic atmosphere to the first movie.
The performances of the cast remain excellent across the board.
Streep once again dominates every scene she is in, with her subtle expressions and her timely delivery of each memorable line.
Miranda is still intimidating, but the show opens us up further to her vulnerability behind her cold exterior.
Meanwhile, Emily Blunt’s expanded role as Emily Charlton provides some of the film’s funniest moments, especially considering how much her status has changed since she desperately fought to survive Miranda’s impossible standards in the original film.
Still, the sequel is not perfect. Some plotlines move too quickly, and a few emotional moments lack the impact they seem intended to have.
At times, the movie relies heavily on references to the original rather than fully standing on its own, but being a sequel its safe to assume anyone watching has seen it, but may not remember everything.
However, the chemistry between the returning cast members keeps the film engaging throughout.
Ultimately, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” proves that Miranda Priestly still has plenty to say. While the original film explored the personal cost of success, the sequel asks whether those sacrifices still matter in industries struggling to survive.
Stylish, funny and surprisingly reflective, the film successfully brings Runway back into fashion.