The Devil Wears Prada 2 Review: A Disappointing Sequel Fails to Justify Its Existence

The Devil Wears Prada 2 had one job: prove it was worth making. Instead, it squanders its potential by delivering a hollow reunion of the original cast without a coherent story or meaningful character growth.

A sequel doesn’t need to be better than the original—it just needs to justify its own existence. That’s a low bar, and The Devil Wears Prada 2 doesn’t clear it. The film fails to deliver a cogent narrative, relying solely on nostalgia rather than substance. If the only reason to make this movie was to reunite Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt, the creators could have saved everyone the trouble. A Zoom call would have sufficed.

The State of Runway Magazine: A Publishing Industry in Crisis

Set 20 years after the original, The Devil Wears Prada 2 depicts a publishing world—and Runway Magazine in particular—as a dystopian wasteland. The entire industry is in shambles, with journalists losing jobs left and right, even those who just received awards. Andy Sachs (Hathaway), once a determined assistant, is now a fired journalist, her career in tatters despite her talent.

Runway Magazine is no longer the cultural force it once was. Miranda Priestley (Streep), the magazine’s once-feared editor-in-chief, has lost her edge. She’s reduced to designing florals for spring collections and can no longer unleash her signature vitriol on staff. Worse, she recently published a glowing feature on a fashion company exposed for operating sweatshops, destroying the magazine’s credibility.

Andy’s Failed Redemption: A Step Backward in Character Growth

The film attempts to undo Andy’s growth from the original, reverting her character to someone desperate for Miranda’s approval. Miranda, in turn, refuses to grant it—despite already doing so in the first film. The dynamic feels forced and unearned.

Nigel (Tucci), Miranda’s loyal assistant, remains the film’s sole source of wit and charm. Emily Blunt’s Emily Charlton is still an ice queen, though now in a different role. The film even recreates a pivotal scene from the original—Andy completing an impossible task to keep her job—but this time, it falls flat.

Andy’s Empty Promises and Lack of Impact

Andy is hired to run Runway’s features department against Miranda’s wishes. Yet, despite her grand declarations about hiring back her recently fired colleagues, she only hires one man. The film offers no glimpse of her journalism; instead, we see her making phone calls and pressing "publish" on generic articles. Her character regresses, undoing decades of growth in a single film.

"The Devil Wears Prada 2 undoes the growth Andy went through in the original film, and presumably over the following decades, to recreate the character dynamic between Andy and Miranda."

Verdict: A Sequel That Should Have Stayed an Email

If the only appeal of The Devil Wears Prada 2 is watching Hathaway, Streep, Tucci, and Blunt share the screen again, the film could have been a simple video call. Instead, it wastes an opportunity to deliver a meaningful story, relying on nostalgia without substance. The result? A forgettable sequel that fails to justify its own existence.