As a certified expert in all things early 2000s romcoms, I was skeptical of the holy grail getting a sequel. “The Devil Wears Prada” came out 20 years ago, before any current LT student was born, but its influence has permeated pop culture. The color cerulean was basically invented by the movie, and Miranda Prestley, as an evil boss, gave society more one-liners than we could ever need. So needless to say, I was nervous that the sequel would fall short.

When the theatre lights dimmed and the opening credits began, any anxiety about the movie being a disappointment was gone. The music and font was that of the quintessential early 2000s movie, immediately setting the scene. We were reintroduced to Andy Sachs, now a journalist struggling to cope with the downfall of print media. Current culture, like this, was infused throughout the movie; issues like fast fashion and social media played an ever-present role. It was weird to see icons like Meryl Streep trying to use politically correct terminology, but it did a great job of showing how culture has shifted in the past 20 years. 

The movie follows Andy coming back to work at Runway Magazine, now an established journalist, but still trying to appease Miranda Presley. Throughout the movie, Andy finds her groove at Runway, but due to declining interest in physical magazines, the entire publication is at risk. Every character brought back from the first movie was done in a way that truly honored their original character, but thrown into the world of 2026. All the cameos, ranging from Lady Gaga to Donatella Versace, made the whole theater gasp and point, and the new characters introduced were secondary to the plot, but well done.

Most importantly, the fashion. There was homage to the original 2006 fashion, but in a way that also displayed how that fashion has cycled back to 2026. The montage of Andy’s different outfits did inspire me to buy a whole new closet. The climax of the movie was set during Milan fashion week, and truly, the $100 million budget (according to Variety) must have gone exclusively towards acquiring the most beautiful clothes on the face of the Earth. 

What really tied the whole movie together was the music. We didn’t get one or even two new Gaga songs; we got three. The collab with Docheii, “RUNWAY,” has geniuely been on loop since I left the theater. Iconic songs such as Vogue truly defined the first movie, so I’m glad the sequel wasn’t short of masterpieces.

Overall, I truly enjoyed the experience of seeing this sequel. Fans of the first movie will be thrilled with the homages and callbacks to its predecessor, and a whole new generation of Devil Wears Prada fans will surely be accumulated. 

5/5 paws