The Devil Wears Prada 2 - Still Enjoyable Sequel but the Original Left Better Impression

I found out about this movie few weeks ago which surprised me as it was a sequel to the film released many years ago (twenty to be exact). Anyway it was something that I was interested and after two days playing in Indonesian cinemas, my wife and I decided to see it noon today. OK then, here's more on the film.

Brief Story Line

Twenty years after the events of the first movie, Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway - The Witches 2020 version, The Hustle etc) was already a successful journalist while the now online Runway magazine was still managed by Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep - Hoppers, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again etc) with her right hand man Nigel Kipling (Stanley Tucci - Beauty & The Beast live action movie, Citadel TV series etc). 

After an unexpected turn of events, Andy was hired to work as editor of Runway and reunited with Miranda while having to deal with her demands. She later met with Emily (Emily Blunt - The Fall Guy, The Girl on the Train etc) who no longer work for Miranda. Things were very challenging for Andy as she found that handling online fashion magazine was different from conventional news media. Things became more complicated with the sudden change in leadership that would jeopardize Runway's livelihood.

So how would the story conclude? You could find out in this movie.

End of Brief Story Line

To be honest, I could not remember the detail of the original film, but luckily it was available on Disney+ so I could watch it few days ago. After seeing it, I realized that I probably have never seen the movie before (not completely). I think I might have seen some glimpses of the scenes and knew a bit of the story. But I was glad that I did watch it as I enjoyed the whole sarcastic dialogues that almost always made me chuckled and the excellent performance by Merly Streep as the scary boss (no wonder she got nominated and won few awards), plus the simple but interesting story. 

Anyway with the first movie still fresh in mind, I was hoping for similar traits in this sequel. However, though it was still pretty enjoyable, I did feel that the best part, i.e. those witty dialogues were not as many as before. The story too was a little bit predictable especially after we passed half way of the movie. The early part was interesting as we learned the fate of the four lead characters and their reunion. But as the movie progressed, we could roughly see where it was heading. There was a small twist before the third act that I did not see coming but my wife already foresaw so it did not come as a big surprise for her. The ending was satisfying for us with one big nice surprise before the end that I really liked. Oh in case you are wondering, there was no mid or post end credit scene for this 119 minutes movie, but you are welcome to watch the closing credits and read the names of people who appeared in here, including real life names in fashion and entertainment industry.

The main cast were generally wonderful here. Meryl Streep was still very convincing in her part, while Stanley Tucci still showed why I liked his character a lot. Emily Blunt was so snarkish just like before, and Anne Hathaway's character Andy was written just the way I pictured she would be. There were plenty of new important characters here such as Miranda's new husband Stuart (Kenneth Brannagh - A Haunting in Venice, Valkyrie etc), wealthy tech businessman Benji Barnes (Justin Theroux - Bumblebee, The Lego Ninjago Movie etc) and his ex wife Sasha (Lucy Liu - Red One, Elementary TV series etc). There were also other cast in support roles such as Simone Ashley (Sex Education TV series etc) as Miranda's new first assistant Amari, Tracie Thoms (Cold Case TV series etc) reprising her role as Andy's friend Lily, B. J Novak (The Office TV series etc) as Runway's chairman Jay Ravitz, Patrick Brammal (Glitch TV series etc) as Peter and several others. There was even a surprise appearance of very famous singer in here.

This film was written by the original writer Aline Brosh McKenna (27 Dresses, We Bought A Zoo etc). In case you are not aware, the first movie was based on the 2003 novel of the same title by Lauren Weisberger, but this sequel was purely written by McKenna. Got to admire how she managed to think of ways to put a new story on the characters even if the sharpness and wit was a bit lacking. The movie was still directed by David Frankel (Marvel & Me, Hope Springs etc) which I believe should not come as a surprise considering they managed to get a lot of the whole team back together. From what I read, critics were positive about the movie and though the box office performance was pretty impressive, it seemed some audience were not universally satisfied with it. A bit out of topic, my wife and I loved seeing the beautiful Milan scenery with its grand Cathedral.

Overall my wife and I were quite OK with the movie. However, we felt the first one was more entertaining and left a better impression. After watching this one, we did not truly feel the same joy as we did on the original. Now I am not saying this is a bad movie, it's just we liked the first one more. So if you love to see Meryl Streep becoming the infamous Miranda Priestly once again, then I think you would still be entertained by this (there were few funny moments where she kept on being reminded on how to behave and talk which truly suit the current working condition). Obviously if you are into fashion, then it would be an added value. And definitely watch the first one if you have not seen it (or rewatch). before watching this to better appreciate and understand the references.

Mike's movie moments rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars