The Devil Wears Prada 2 Review: Does Nostalgia Make for a Good Sequel?
Summary
Rating: ★★★
UK Release Date: 1st May 2026
Directed by: David Frankel
Duration: 1 hours 59 minutes
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Emily Blunt
Content Warnings: Photosensitivity warning (flashing lights), Workplace intensity
Keywords: Nostalgic, Ambition, Rivalry, Glitz and Glam
Review
The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) isn’t a perfect sequel to the Devil Wears Prada (2006) but it is a good attempt. It is thoroughly enjoyable to return to the world of Runway 20 years later in a completely different media landscape both for fashion and journalism. Seeing Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Emily Blunt and Tracie Thoms in their returning roles is immediately nostalgic. With new additions of Simone Ashely, Kenneth Branagh, Lucy Liu and B. J. Novak who all fit in, both believably in their characters, and refreshingly to the cast. That being said, I do think the third act of the film is a lot stronger than the beginning and middle. The pacing of the first and second act is uneven and the pay-off we see in the final act feel like a reconciliation from the first film, not the 80 minutes of new plot we have just watched.
Theatrical Release Poster
The film does a good job at bringing Andi (Anne Hathaway) back to Runway magazine naturally and showing how Runway, as a company, has had to change in the modern media landscape. Two key moments that come to mind are the scandal of Runway unintentionally promoting a fast fashion brand who lied about the origins of their manufacturing, an extremely relevant issue in the fashion industry; and Miranda (Meryl Streep) commenting about the physical appearance of the models Runway has to use because of body positivity (the main part of The Devil Wears Prada (2006) that has aged poorly is the fatphobia). However it would have been more impactful to include more than just one ‘plus sized’ model, Ashley Graham, in one montage shot, and actually have models of all different presentations in the photoshoot and runway scenes.
The plot of the film centering around Miranda, an immovable saint of her industry, struggling against both an ever-changing media landscape, and a new face in charge of Runway’s parent company, which forces her evolution in a logical and interesting focal point building on from the previous film. However, because the focus was not on Andi trying to prove herself to Miranda as a new hire, nor the job itself convincing Andi, and by extension the audience, that fashion is important, the fashion industry was used as almost a backdrop for a film about corporate companies trying to stay relevant and successful, not a fashion journalism film. I think that The Devil Wears Prada (2006) is one of the few early 2000’s ‘chick-flicks’ that has a special ability to inspire everyone. Especially impressive when the inspiration comes from the fashion industry, a predominantly feminised and female-centered industry. Frustratingly The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) does not share the same ungendered inspirational ability.
Photo by Macall Polay/Macall Polay - © 2026 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Overall, The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) is nostalgic for those who have watched The Devil Wears Prada (2006), and a good introduction for those who haven't. The film successfully criticizes the franchise’s previous wrongful ideals about beauty standards while giving the returning characters satisfying endings. It is just a shame that the first two acts aren’t as eventful or fulfilling as the final third act.
Written by Hazel Earthy
Watch If: You’re interested in the fashion industry or enjoyed The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Similar Movies: The Intern (2015), Materialists (2025), Sex and the City (1998-2004)