Copenhagen, DENMARK – The Devil Wears Prada 2, the sequel to the 2006 The Devil Wears Prada lived up to the expectations, taking the characters and story from the first film in the context of the ever-changing modern magazine industry.
Listen to the author read this review:
Even though the movie just hit theaters on May 1st, the hype online has been incredible, leaving many including myself wondering if we would be disappointed.
Impressed would be an understatement.
The movie follows Andy Sachs [Anne Hathaway] as she returns to Runway magazine as features director. She faces many crises and the question is, can she overcome these? Or will the modern magazine industry bring her, and Runway down?
The movie touches on the changes to the magazine and journalism industry, mainly in the face of budget cuts and the migration to online technologies, including social media. And most importantly, the death of print media.
As a student journalist, the movie felt very at home for me, giving me plenty of thoughts about the future of the industry. Specifically, I wonder if there will even be an industry, as we know it today, for me to work in.
I have to agree with director David Frankel. According to comments provided by Disney UK, Frankel’s hopes for what fans take away from the new movie are “that we haven’t diluted their memory of the first one, but enhanced it.”
The movie certainly enhances the first, with the cinematography appearing similar to the television series “Emily in Paris,” where you feel connected to every character, through close-up shots and sweeping shots in outside scenes.
But the storyline is far from as shallow as “Emily in Paris.”
This is what differentiated the cinematography, 20 years apart.
And, no Devil Wears Prada 2 review is complete without a section about the costumes, which continued to surprise me.
Audiences saw the appearances of brands including Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, Saint Laurent, Valentino, Coach, Chanel and Loewe.
This makes this movie not only a movie of a change in industry, but also a great movie to see beautiful pieces from some of the most famous fashion houses.
But, not everything is sunshine and roses. There are a lot of product placements which don’t bother me but are certainly noticeable.
And at certain points – especially the end – there are parts which feel accelerated and a bit strange.
I can only describe this movie as a better Devil Wears Prada, with touches of “Emily In Paris,” a definite must watch.
Noah Haynes is a Correspondent with Youth Journalism International.
Great Review, Noah.
I definitely want to see this movie now.