The Devil Wears Prada 2 Is Not As Good As The OG Meryl Streep-Anne Hathaway Starrer, Here Are 7 Reasons Why

The Devil Wears Prada 2 premiered on the big screens globally on May 1. The OG 4 from the 2006 movie reunited for the much-awaited sequel. Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt reprised their roles in the 
David Frankel directorial. While the film shattered box office records domestically and minted significant business overseas, including India, the sequel lacked the pizzazz of the original The Devil Wears Prada movie, which remains largely quotable and iconic to this date.

Fashion officiandos and rom-com enthusiasts have the 2006 movie on their all-time favourite lists. The Devil Wears Prada stood the test of time and is still considered highly relatable, despite being set in a world that does not exist anymore in most places. The original movie touched base on relevant and timely issues like work-life balance, corporate politics and hustle culture, a version of which millennials continue to struggle with. In its more self-proclaimed Gen-Zed and futuristic sequel, the message seems to be lost. While the sequel also has its shining moments, it remains a second fiddle to the original The Devil Wears Prada. Here are 7 reasons why.

Miranda Priestly is not as iconic 

The first The Devil Wears Prada gave cinegoers a female icon in Miranda Priestly. A girl boss who was the ‘it’ girl in fashion before it became a thing. Paths were cleared on her arrival, and men waited in line for her approval. The icon is frail in the sequel.

Though she comes through at the right time, Meryl Streep's Miranda Priestly is not as legendary as she used to be. This time, she is vulnerable, her insecurities are not as well hidden, she is less feared and most importantly, she hangs her own coat. In summation, the devil is a softie.

Andy Sachs is still desperate for validation

 Stanley Tucci's Nigel famously asks Andy (Anne Hathaway) if her parents ‘hung all her paintings on their fridge’. In a new version of the ‘million girls would kill for this job’ speech, Nigel is seen telling Andy that she is desperate for Miranda's validation while not focusing enough on her job. This was okay for the first film when she was a novice, but Andy has been in the business of ‘serious’ journalism for over a decade and is self-admittedly ‘not that new’. However, she is still running around frantically on the streets of New York to seek an interview simply to impress Miranda (a new version of the Harry Potter book chase).

A newsroom reality that is only introduced with no intention of being solved

The biggest flaw of the sequel is that it tries to achieve too much. The plot essentially delves into exploring the challenges in the changing space of journalism, with clicks and scrolls taking over print and broadcast. The movie starts strong with the notion with a montage of Andy and her peers losing their jobs, a reality that is not too far from Runway either. However, somewhere in the middle, The Devil Wears Prada 2 shifts focus on power trips, ego clashes and cashing in on nostalgia. The big problem is ultimately solved by a billionaire investing in Runway to keep it running, but it is never addressed that the problem that made the publication go on sale in the first place still persists.

The sass is MIA
 

 This time around lesser time seems to be spent on the actual writing of the movie and more on weaving easter eggs and references from the old one. The Devil Wears Prada raised an entire generation on one-liners that were simply too cool to skim in everyday conversations. Words and phrases like ‘lapis, ‘that’s all', ‘glacial pace’, ‘stomach flu’, and ‘groundbreaking’ actually became a part of shared cultural language. The sequel lacked the gravitas. The only dialogue that actually stays with you after the movie has ended is Emily saying, “Shared carbs have zero calories."

Namedropping, brand placements

Yes, that's where the money comes from, but in the first movie, Prada was limited to the title of the movie with a few brand mentions in passing. In The Devil Wears Prada 2, brand names and designers are woven in almost every scene. This, in addition to never-ending star cameos, reaffirms the project as being style over substance.

Also Read: X Review: Netizens Call The Devil Wears Prada 2 'A True Legacy Sequel' 

All fun, no depth 
 

The original Meryl Streep starrer struck a chord. Be it for someone who has seen their personal life go to pieces for professional success or for others who have grappled with office politics one too many times, the movie sent a message while being fun. The sequel manages to do only the latter.

Emily, that's all!

Unarguably, the most interesting character from The Devil Wears Prada 2 is Emily. Her growth from being a Miranda-fearing Runway employee to a girl boss at Dior has been the most remarkable. Infact, the most moving scenes of the movie are when she talks, and Miranda has no choice but to budge in to everything she says. However, after the first half, she is simply reduced to a little girl who throws a silly tantrum to get a toy she never had but always wanted.

 Also Read: These The Devil Wears Prada 2 Scenes Will Remind You Of The OG Movie