I loved first The Devil Wears Prada movie back in 2006, which was pre-blog so I never reviewed it here. Recently, since my husband had never seen it and this sequel was coming out 20 years later, I watched it again, this time with him. I’d still give that first one 5 stars.

Yesterday, we saw the sequel, and it was fun to revisit these characters. Andy (the writer played by the likable Anne Hathaway), who at the end of the first movie left the fashion magazine to write real news, returns to the magazine, this time to write features. She and Miranda Priestly (played by the incomparable Meryl Streep) face down several crises together. I also enjoy Stanley Tucci’s character, Nigel, while I don’t particularly like Emily Blunt, who plays a bit of a viper. Maybe she on the mend, and softening?

The subtle references toward the first film were very numerous and having just re-seen the first film made this one more entertaining, when you spotted all the references. I also thought all the drone footage was great. Some of the fashion is quirky and enjoyable, while others were so far out there as to be ridiculous; however, it is all fascinating, creatively.

Mostly I appreciated the tenacity Andy and Miranda exhibited in not giving up. They kept trying and working when others would have been overwhelmed. I think this is good to see portrayed, and can encourage others to push past their challenges. Depicting women who love their jobs and are good at them, is a terrific thing.

I wanted to like the sequel as much as the first one, but didn’t quite. It is still totally worth seeing though. It is mostly that the world is different, and not so blithely fun. Big money has shifted to huge money, and that, along with AI, threatens journalism, as well as so much else.

I give this sequel 4 stars. You can check out the trailer here.