Amid a torrent of remakes, spinoffs and follow-ups, “The Devil Wears Prada 2″ stands out as a rare worthy sequel.
Arriving two decades later with glitz, couture designs and viciously funny digs, “The Devil Wears Prada 2″ struts back with ease. Fueled by a familiar desperation for Miranda Priestly’s approval, the sequel leans heavily into nostalgia, something fans of the original are likely to devour.
Though it lacks some of the weighty tension and breathless, fast-paced suspense of its predecessor, the sequel still delivers a high-stakes conflict centered on a faltering media landscape. Runway Magazine has gone digital, existing in the ether, and the fashion magazine now finds itself on shaky ground.
After a successful career in hard-hitting journalism, Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) finds herself back at Runway, frantically trying to impress its devilishly dour editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), after Miranda botches a recent piece.
The returning members of the original leading cast — Hathaway, Streep, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci — all slip back into their roles with no trace of having ever left. Runway has evolved over the past 20 years, but the high-pressure workplace dynamics between characters remains intact. For audiences, its effortless to step back into the “Prada” world.
Andy, returning as the editor of features, attempts — mostly in vain — to bring rigorous reporting to the magazine. Once again, she is immersed in the world of high-fashion, but remains on a mission to restore Runway’s credibility and save it from fizzling out.
Keeping Runway afloat requires appeasing the advertisers who sustain it. In an amusing twist, Miranda’s former assistant, Emily (Blunt), is now an executive at Dior, the renowned fashion house that provides a significant share of the magazine’s advertising revenue.
While groveling to her now-rival Emily, Miranda reminds Andy who is in charge. But through budget cuts — Miranda now flies coach — celebrity cameo-packed parties and runway shows, Andy proves useful to her once again.
Although “The Devil Wears Prada 2″ scales the toxic, psychological roller coaster intensity that defines the original, it’s loaded with style, nostalgia, a new conflict and impressive performances that make for a worthwhile sequel. Fans are sure to leave satisfied.
What critics are saying
Early critic reviews for “The Devil Wears Prada 2″ are mostly mixed. Critics praise its style and nostalgia touches but fault it for a lack of weight and substance — the qualities that earned the original its enduring, cult-like appeal.
Here is what some critics are saying about “The Devil Wears Prada 2.”
- “It’s a sequel made with intelligence and respect for both its predecessor and the legions who still love it, so much so that it functions less as a follow-up than as a kind of tribute act,” Variety writes.
- USA Today called the sequel “runway ready and savagely on-brand,” and praised the film’s “thoughtful examination of modern journalism.”
- “Fine enough, really, but if the first film was the kind of thing that never goes out of style, ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2′ will last a season. That’s all,” writes IndieWire.
- “More is less in Miranda Priestly’s underwhelming return,” criticized Deadline, adding that the sequel “doesn’t really have a story.”
- “‘The Devil Wears Prada 2′ is selling a truckload of preposterous goods, but it sells them awfully well, with unfeigned assurance, conviction, and the appropriate ratio of cynicism to hope,” writes The New Yorker.
- Collider called the film a “near-perfect blend of nostalgia and newness.”
- “‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ could have been a nostalgia cash grab. It’s much smarter than that,” writes the San Francisco Chronicle. “Fans will no doubt spend the next 20 years parsing every line of dialogue and every outfit, as they did the first movie.”
- “You can’t help but wish that this edition of the story was a bit more … groundbreaking,” writes Roger Ebert.
- “(The) sequel hits familiar beats that fans will eat up,” writes The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s pretty and polished and as featherweight as a fawning magazine puff piece.”
What people are saying on social media
Fans and critics who saw “The Devil Wears Prada 2″ are praising the sequel on social media for its humor, glitz and touching message on the floundering media landscape.
Here is what some viewers are saying about “The Devil Wears Prada 2.”