Most sequels disappoint fans. They bring back the original cast, place them in a slightly updated version of the first film’s plot, and trust that nostalgia and the fan force of the original film will do the rest. Luckily, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” mostly resists that impulse. Twenty years after Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) quit and walked out on Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), the sequel returns to a changed media landscape, where print magazines are struggling, the fashion industry is shifting, and even Miranda Priestly is forced to confront the possibility that the world may no longer revolve around her. The film is far from perfect, but for fans of the original, it offers a satisfying return to familiar characters, while introducing enough new conflict to make its return feel worthwhile.
The plot picks up with Andy as a respected reporter whose entire newsroom gets laid off by text during an awards gala. Miranda, meanwhile, is under fire for failing to properly cover a fashion brand accused of using sweatshop labor. In an attempt to restore the magazine’s image, Runway hires Andy as the new features editor without Miranda’s approval, much to her obvious annoyance. Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt) also returns, this time as an executive at a luxury wellness brand and a rival to Runway for advertising revenue.
From the start, it is clear that Andy is not walking back into the same office she entered years ago in her infamous cerulean sweater. Runway is no longer the untouchable magazine it was in the first film, and that change is what makes the sequel’s plot most interesting. Print subscriptions are declining, advertising dollars are moving to Instagram and Tiktok, and Miranda’s once final word on what is in or out is now competing with whatever some gen-z fashion influencer posts that morning. Because the story reflects what is actually happening in the media and fashion industries right now, the movie feels relevant in a way that most sequels never bother with. Most importantly, it also creates room for real character development.
Miranda’s arc is the clearest example of this. In the original film, she was terrifying because she seemed completely in control, with the power to destroy someone with a single look or pause. However, in the sequel, her power gets stripped away by the industry around her. She gets challenged by the speed of digital media, the unpredictability of influencer trends, and the cold logic of advertisers who care more about clicks than actual talent and fashion. Seeing Miranda struggle in this way, casts her in a new light and makes the audience more invested in her story. It also gives her relationship with Andy room to develop, as the two finally start meeting as something closer to equals than they ever did in the original.
Where the film struggles, however, is in its pacing. Within the span of just two hours, the film makes an effort to cover the collapse of print journalism, unethical fashion labor, corporate branding, influencer culture, Andy’s career crisis, Miranda’s limited authority, and Emily’s rivalry with Runway. Each plotline is interesting on its own, but the movie moves so quickly that the audience barely has time to take in the weight of any single one.
By far, the most unnecessary part of the film is Andy’s love interest, an Australian contractor who adds nothing the film actually needs. The romance has little tension and no payoff and it pulled away from the relationships in the film that actually mattered, which are the ones between Andy, Miranda, and Emily. Their dynamics, from the resentment and contempt of their early Runway days to the mutual respect they have come to share, are what made this franchise so memorable in the first place. Compared to that, the romance feels less like a meaningful subplot and more like something added in to give the movie a love story it really did not need.
Overall, though “The Devil Wears Prada 2” over-accessorizes with too many storylines and is not as iconic as the original, it is still far better than it easily could have been. Rather than trapping its characters in a recycled version of the first film, the sequel centers itself around real changes within the media and fashion industries, gives its characters new conflicts to face, and lets them grow in ways the first film never had room for. That alone sets it apart from most legacy sequels, and reminds audiences exactly why these characters are worth coming back to.
