Film Review: The Devil Wears Prada 2 穿著Prada的惡魔2 (2026) - USA
Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia)
I rated it 8/10
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Support my reviews by buying me a Coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/neofilmblog
Support our reviews by buying from official DVDs / Blu Rays at NeoFilmShop.com
Twenty years is a long time in the merciless world of fashion magazines, where trends flicker out faster than a runway model’s smile. Yet here we are, back in the sleek, merciless offices of Runway, where Miranda Priestly still rules with a withering glance and a voice that could freeze champagne. “The Devil Wears Prada 2” reunites the original cast for a sequel that could have been mere nostalgia bait—a glossy cash-in on our collective memory of that 2006 phenomenon. Instead, it emerges as something smarter and more resonant: a comedy with claws, a drama about legacy in an age that devours its own.
Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) has grown up. No longer the wide-eyed assistant fresh off the bus from the Midwest, she’s a respected journalist who finds her entire newsroom gutted by a cold corporate text during an awards gala. Fate, or perhaps the lingering gravitational pull of Miranda, draws her back to Runway as features editor. The magazine is adrift in a sea of digital disruption, sweatshop scandals, and shifting cultural tides. Miranda (Meryl Streep) remains the imperious icon we remember, but time and HR complaints have tempered her reign. She is less dragon, more weary guardian of an empire under siege. Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt) has evolved into a formidable player at Dior, while Nigel (Stanley Tucci) provides the quiet ballast of loyalty and dry wit.
What elevates this sequel above the typical reunion tour is its willingness to engage with the present. The original film was a fizzy satire of ambition and the fashion world’s absurdities. This one layers in melancholy about the decline of print media, the commodification of integrity, and the uneasy dance between art, commerce, and cancel culture. Screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna and director David Frankel (both returning) don’t preach; they let the characters live the contradictions. Andy’s idealism collides with Miranda’s pragmatism, and the film finds humor and heart in how both women have changed—and how much they haven’t.
Streep, of course, is magnificent. Her Miranda has softened around the edges without losing her sting; watch the way she delivers a line or adjusts a garment, and you see an actress who understands power’s cost as well as its thrill. Hathaway brings a grounded maturity to Andy, making her evolution feel earned rather than obligatory. Blunt steals several scenes with razor-sharp timing, and Tucci remains a delight—his Nigel feels like the soul of the operation. The new supporting cast, including Justin Theroux and others, fits neatly into this world without overwhelming it.
Visually, the film is a feast. The costumes pop, the New York streets gleam with that familiar cinematic sheen, and the editing keeps the pace brisk without sacrificing moments of quiet reflection. There are sequences that echo the original’s iconic montages, updated for a new era, complete with a soundtrack that nods to the past while embracing the now.
Is it perfect? No. At times it plays the nostalgia hits a touch too safely, and some subplots involving corporate intrigue feel a shade predictable. Yet these are minor sins in a movie that understands its audience so well. It delivers the glamour, the laughs, and the emotional payoff while quietly asking what we value when everything around us accelerates toward obsolescence.
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” is not revolutionary, but in its polished, confident way, it is deeply satisfying. It reminds us that some devils—and some devils’ apprentices—age into something richer than we expected. I walked out smiling, already wondering what these characters might wear next. Highly recommended for anyone who ever dreamed of strutting through the Runway halls—or simply appreciates smart escapism with a sharp mind behind the stilettos. (Neo, 2026)