The Devil Wears Prada 2 review: This is how you do a legacy sequel
I loved The Devil Wears Prada way back in 2006 (20 years ago?!) but I approached the sequel with apprehension. I really wanted it to be good and feared that it wouldn’t be (long-awaited sequels don’t have the best reputation), so I’m thrilled to say that this is a worthy sequel.
Twenty years after the events of the first film, Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) is now an award-winning newspaper journalist. When she is brutally laid off from her job, Andy is offered the position of Features Editor at Runway out of the blue, much to the surprise of her former boss, editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). When the future of Runway becomes a cause for concern, Andy tries to find a way to keep it from going under.
I expected this sequel to be fine, serviceable and potentially nostalgia-bait fan service. But it’s so much more than that. It truly justifies its existence as well as the decision to wait 20 years and make it now. Sure, there are Easter eggs and references here and there to delight fans of the original, but this is not a retread of what came before. It may be in the same office with the same core four, but this is a whole new story, and the characters and their dynamics have evolved a lot.
Writer Aline Brosh McKenna, who wrote the original, grounds the movie in the present day very well. She pulls no punches on the state of journalism – layoffs, consolidation, budget cuts and the threat of AI replacing humans. As a journalist, it was actually pretty bleak and depressing seeing the state of my industry reflected back at me in a film! McKenna is also aware that some of Miranda’s behaviour and putdowns wouldn’t fly in the workplace today. Times have changed and she can’t treat people like she used to, as she is often reminded by her new first assistant Amari (Simone Ashley).
It was a delight seeing Hathaway back as Andy after 20 years; it’s like being reunited with an old friend. She’s more confident and fashionable, so this instantly changes her dynamic with Miranda, who is much softer and more human now. I understand that she had to change with the times, but I did miss her bite and aloofness a little bit. Stanley Tucci has a more meaningful and moving role as Runway’s art director Nigel, and Emily Blunt is as sassy, no-nonsense and funny as ever as former assistant-turned-Dior executive Emily. In addition, Justin Theroux is in weird comedy mode as billionaire businessman Benji Barnes, and Ashley has Emily energy as the new assistant.
This sequel, helmed by the original’s director David Frankel, has a significantly bigger budget than the original and far more cooperation from the fashion industry. The costumes are outstanding, particularly Andy’s, it features a real show at Milan Fashion Week, and there are so many cameos from the worlds of fashion, music, sport and TV. In addition, the pop soundtrack is great; Lady Gaga contributes three original songs, including the recently released single Runway, which is such a bop in the context of the movie.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 is so much better than I expected it to be. The story isn’t quite as snappy and sharp as the original, but it feels more grown-up and evolved, and it has plenty to say. It honours the original but also does something new, and fans of the franchise should be pleased.
In cinemas from Friday 1st May