When I first heard about “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” I expected it to live up to the original movie that so many people still love today. The first movie was undeniably iconic, earning recognition for its humor and memorable characters. However, after watching the sequel, I was disappointed. While the movie featured notable fashion and brought back familiar faces, it definitely lacked the originality of the first film.

The main issue is that this sequel felt extremely predictable. In the first movie, Andy Sachs was a relatable character even for people not interested in fashion. Viewers could feel connected to her as she grew and tried to fit into this demanding career. However, in the sequel, it felt less personal and kept referencing elements from the original movie. As The Film Experience states, “A lot of effort has been put into recreating the basic patterns, rhythms, and scene construction of moments from the first movie. Only, nothing looks as good, nor sounds or moves or cuts as smoothly as it should.” This quote explains exactly why I didn’t enjoy the sequel. Instead of creating a new, original plot, the movie copied the same storyline from the first film, but failed to capture the same energy and emotion.

Tying back to the film’s reliance on nostalgia, it seemed as if the directors were trying to remind audiences why they loved the first movie so much. While seeing the characters again was exciting at first, once there was no real development, I quickly grew bored. The original had a good balance of comedy, emotional growth, and drama, while the sequel felt like a knockoff.

Many people online are on the fence about the movie. Some fans enjoyed returning to the fashion world, but others felt it was unnecessary. According to Madeline Agha ‘29, “it felt like it was trying to recreate the first movie instead of making something new,” which I totally agree with. Even though the film looked promising, it greatly lacked the impact that made the first film so memorable.

Sequels face great pressure to be better than the original, which is hard to do considering that the originality of the first movie can never truly be replicated. When a movie is loved, audiences expect the sequel to give them the same feelings they had the first time. As a viewer, I expected that same excitement, but I had to accept that sometimes the original is better on its own. As Medium explains why sequels don’t have a high success rate it shares, “High expectations, limited production time, profit-driven decisions, and nostalgia all contribute to this issue.”

Overall, I prefer the first “The Devil Wears Prada” because it felt genuine and left a lasting impression on me. Andy’s transformation added emotional depth to the story, and although the sequel was entertaining, it didn’t have the same impact. For me, it was a reminder of why the first movie was so successful, rather than whether the sequel stands on its own.