The Devil Wears Prada 2: Fashionably Divided — Fans Are Losing It Over the Sequel's Sharp Split

Two decades after Andy Sachs first braved the Runway offices, The Devil Wears Prada 2 has finally arrived. The long-awaited sequel promised a return to high fashion and cutthroat ambition — and the internet wasted no time weighing in. Instead of a unified chorus of praise, the film has sparked a sharply divided debate, pitting those who see a sharp, nostalgic triumph against a vocal contingent decrying a shallow cash grab that betrays its iconic characters.

The Devotees: Sharp Script, Earned Nostalgia

A segment of the audience, alongside several professional critics, has embraced the sequel wholeheartedly. They argue the film delivers exactly what a legacy sequel should: smart callbacks, character depth, and the same witty spark that made the original a classic.

Film critic Jazz Tangcay led the positive charge, writing, "the perfect sequel that exceeded all expectations. Aline Brosh McKenna’s script is sharp and witty. We’ll be quoting this for years to come. Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt are still great. Stunning costumes, and that soundtrack slaps hard."

Another critic, Alex Werpin, echoed the sentiment, calling the film surprisingly good: "‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ has no right to be as good as it is. Just the right kind and number of callbacks and earned nostalgia, Anne Hathaway continues to be our most vibrant star. It’s funny and deeper, and we get the return of ‘Vogue.’"

This praise was reflected in the fan response as well. One viewer who admitted to hating the first film found themselves converted, posting, "Wow. I actually loved The Devil Wears Prada 2. I say that as someone who watched the first movie and hated it." Another fan was even more effusive, declaring, "I just watched The Devil Wears Prada 2 and it’s fucking incredible. One of the best sequels we’ve had in years."

The Skeptics: Andy's Regression and Unresolved Threads

For a significant portion of the audience, however, the sequel missed the mark entirely. The most consistent and pointed criticism centers on the portrayal of Andy Sachs, whom many feel has undergone a bizarre character regression.

"Why are they making Andy act and talk like a high-schooler?" one frustrated viewer asked. "It’s so jarring and such a weird evolution (or devolution) of her character." This sentiment was widely shared, with another fan adding, "I think Andy’s almost reversal back into her timid self in front of Miranda could’ve been a really good plot point that could’ve been explored. But it just feels like padding." The criticism extended to a fundamental frustration with the lack of growth, summarized by a user who wrote, "Ugh. I can’t stand when they don’t allow their characters to grow. It’s been 20 years and yet Andy acts like a 20 year old still? Lame."

Beyond Andy, viewers took issue with a plot they found shallow and riddled with loose ends. One detailed critique laid out the core problem: "There's zero depth. Nobody has smart insights, nobody does anything clever, there are no intermingled character plotlines... The entire story is: ~owner dies ~new owner threatens change ~rich people they know buys the whole company ~everything goes back to how it was, but now Anne"

This feeling of a thin, unresolved narrative was a common thread. Another viewer pointed to specific dropped plots: "this was my biggest problem too - so many plot lines that go nowhere. there's never a mention again about the fast fashion scandal and how they actually solved it, why emily is the way she is is brutally unexplained, lady gaga and miranda beefing"

For these viewers, the film's flaws pointed to a lack of creative purpose. "This is what happens when movies are written by committee for a cash grab," one user concluded. "No real love for stories, not brave enough to do any character progression." Another simply stated, "A cash grab is a cash grab is a cash grab. No one could have seriously thought this movie was going to be anything other than a waste of time lmao"

The Fanfic Vibe: Alternative Realities and Meme-Worthy Moments

Sitting between the ardent praise and harsh criticism is a large swath of the audience engaging with the film on a more meta, often humorous level. A pervasive observation was that the sequel felt less like an official studio film and more like elevated fan creation.

"Someone said it was like someone wrote a Devil Wears Prada fanfic... and it is exactly that," one user noted, a comparison that resonated widely and seemed to capture the film's sometimes-awkward tone for many.

This led to a flood of alternative titles and plot ideas that fans argued would have been better. "Should've made it about Miranda's twin daughters taking over the magazine and called it The Devils Wear Prada Too," one popular post suggested. Others proposed "Revenge Wears Prada" (the name of the sequel novel) or the straightforward "The Devil STILL Wears Prada."

Smaller, specific oddities also became focal points for discussion. Some were baffled by a particular line delivery, with one viewer noting, "Anne Hathaway going 'yoooooo' was so weird to me." Others critiqued sartorial choices ("I was so relived when we all agreed as a collective that the dress for the Hamptons was so 'is this it or...?'") and even prop usage ("1:13 that is NOT how you use an electric toothbrush").

The Verdict: A Mirror to Hollywood's Sequel Obsession

The chasm in The Devil Wears Prada 2 audience reaction speaks to the peril of reviving a beloved classic. For some, the mere return of the cast and the familiar world is enough to trigger a wave of positive nostalgia, especially when bolstered by a professionally polished script and high production values. The positive critic reviews likely validated this view for many.

For others, the sequel had to justify its existence with meaningful character progression and a story that felt necessary. When it instead presented a version of Andy that felt less mature than her 2006 counterpart and a plot that resolved through convenient billionaire intervention, it clashed with the original film's themes of earned success and personal integrity. The resulting feeling of a "cash grab" is a direct indictment of a film perceived to lack a sincere creative vision, instead relying on brand recognition alone.

Where the conversation heads now is into the realm of legacy. The film is unlikely to settle the debate; it will simply become another data point in the endless online dissection of legacy sequels. For every fan who declares it a worthy follow-up, another will hold it up as an example of Hollywood's sequelitis. The only certainty is that Miranda Priestly's iconic line—"That’s all"—does not apply to the audience's reaction to her return.