Twenty years after the first film, Miranda Priestly reunites with Andy Sachs to revamp and reignite the future of Runway magazine. The first Devil Wears Prada is a modern comedy classic, though far from perfect, its got a distinct originality, conflict, and remarkable performance from the great Meryl Streep. Save for the great performances from an all-star cast, this sequel doesn’t have any of that fuel, or much of a reason to exist. Andy’s decision to return to Runway feels rather under-explained after her decision to leave Miranda’s toxic orbit in the last film, and the pace lacks some urgency or objective. Not many characters are given the chance to grow or feel multi-layered besides Stanley Tucci’s endearing Nigel; Andy is ambitious and devoted, Miranda is narcissistic and intolerant, and Emily is stuck-up and vindictive. Anne Hathaway is a delight and Streep is always great, but Miranda doesn’t possess the same strength as a character and icon as she did in the script the first time around.
The Devil Wears Prada seemed to have a lot to say about the temptation of glamour and the seduction of power and the ability to make decisions that have an impact, but the second film doesn’t approach it with the same critical lens, rather showing us excess for the sake of the image, in a way that doesn’t feel quite modern or relevant anymore. Viewers may simply enjoy those images on the big screen if they’re focused more on fashion and less on story beats, and it may be enough to see how great Streep, Hathaway, and Tucci are in these roles, but there wasn’t much of a real narrative reason to revisit this so many years down the line in today’s world, save for the sheer scale and the main cast’s availability.
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