TRN Blockbusters: The Devil Wears Prada 2

A TRN Blockbusters review by Elke Koessling.

Last night I finally got the chance to watch The Devil Wears Prada 2.

I didn’t quite know what to expect – sequels after 20 years could be weird, right?

Without giving away too much of the plot in case you haven’t watched it yet: the actors shine, the story works, the fashion is stunning, and a lot is still the same. Apart from – it isn’t.

The world has caught up with the world of glossy magazines and the media in general.
Journalists are made redundant.
Depth of content has given way to clickbait.
Investors are planning to replace humans with AI.

Unfortunately this is the real world we’re looking at now.

When I started working with the media, it was all so much different. Journalists were not forced to cover several magazines at the same time. They were able to go out and meet people to discuss stories over coffee (or the odd pint). 
Newspapers and magazines had their own photographers who’d cover local events.

We have lost so much.

And this is where we look back at Miranda & Co: they fight back against the way so many magazines have gone these days. And, as it’s Hollywood, it comes with a happy ending.
But the important message is STAY HUMAN.

This is also a message for all of us: In a world where it’s harder and harder to distinguish between what’s real and what’s fake, the human factor is becoming more and more important. Be you. Be real. Use that B-roll. Let humans see you for who you really are.

And even AI-powered search engines are looking for ‘human proof’: Google reviews, media and third-party platforms quoting or featuring you – these are all far more important than the perfect reel. Because even Instagram doesn’t really care about your colour scheme, aesthetics or whether you have the perfect body. 

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is also a story about resilience: Sometimes we don’t have to accept that “this is how the world is these days”. We can fight back against what seems set in stone. 
We all have a choice. We can go with the flow and follow the trends, be washed away by torrents of AI slop and what people with far more money than sense tell us to be the new norm. Or we don’t.

We might not be able to pull off the same stunts as Miranda, Andy, Nigel and Emily, but there are ways for all of us to be resilient and resist what seems inevitable.

Staying human, and humane, is the very first step.