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By Izzy Pezzaioli.
Put on your cerulean sweaters, the long-awaited sequel to The Devil Wears Prada is finally in cinemas. Releasing a sequel to such a beloved film is often hit-or-miss, as many never live up to the original, and the charm is easily lost through age. David Frankel’s The Devil Wears Prada 2, however, pays homage to its earlier counterpart and acknowledges how iconic it is to its fans. The film succeeds because it understands why audiences loved it 20 years ago, the witty lines, the fashion and the wonderful characters that it presents to us. Anne Hathaway slips effortlessly back into her character of Andy Sachs and seeing beloved characters such as Nigel (Stanley Tucci) and Emily (Emily Blunt) back on screen brings back the nostalgia from the 2006 classic.
Andy Sachs’ return to the ruthless Runway Magazine is an unexpected one. At the end of The Devil Wears Prada, we see her head off to follow her dream of working in journalism, leaving Runway and her infamous boss, Miranda Priestly played by the wonderful Meryl Streep. However, in the new digital age of The Devil Wears Prada 2, Andy is no longer needed in her job in traditional journalism. Luckily for her, she is recruited to help clean up a scandal at Runway and return to the company as a digital features writer.
The constant callbacks to the original film are executed brilliantly; yet the film does not rely solely on sentimentality to capture the audience. These moments include Andy walking past market stalls and spotting two (non)identical blue belts, Emily finally eating carbs – even if she has to share for them “not to count”, and Miranda’s unbelievable development of hanging her own coat up. All of these are snuck into the dialogue in a natural, unforced way, which helps fans to laugh along with the characters, feeling as though we are in on their private jokes. The narrative, however, does not depend on this; the story includes new assistants, fashion trends, love interests, and villains, creating different and interesting scenarios alongside familiar faces.
Beyond nostalgia and humour, The Devil Wears Prada 2 dives into the modern world of fashion and journalism, exploring the difficulties faced within the ever-changing digital age and the impact this has had on the fashion industry. The contemporary storyline creates an engaging watch for a present-day audience. Miranda Priestly remains one of the most iconic Female characters in cinema, and Meryl Streep’s performance is as captivating as it was 20 years ago. The intimidating, fierce attitude she once portrayed still remains, with glimpses of vulnerability shown as she navigates the unknown territory of digital media.
Ultimately, The Devil Wears Prada 2 earns its place alongside the original film. The humour and nostalgia blend perfectly with the modernised narrative, and the film maintains its iconic feel that helped audiences fall in love with the original. Heartfelt, hilarious, and stylish, The Devil Wears Prada 2 shows that some sequels are worth making.
That’s all.
