By all means, move at a glacial pace.

The gang is back for another fashion filled adventure, one that takes them abroad, and through the streets of New York. Meryl Streep is back in her iconic, Oscar nominated role as Miranda Priestly, who still sits atop the fashion magazine Runway, and has the ear of everyone important. As we know, twenty years ago, she had two assistants, Andy (Anne Hathaway) and Emily (Emily Blunt), who both have gone onto different lives twenty years later. But, still reliably at Miranda’s side is Nigel (Stanley Tucci), despite that Miranda totally screwed him over in the first film, and seemingly has not made up for it in two decades.

The catalyst for return is that a scandal rocks Runway, and in an attempt to bring sanity back, the owner hires Andy to come back as a features editor, working adjacent to Miranda, who pretends to not remember her. Andy went on to be a serious journalist, as seen in a rousing speech about the current state of journalism. Miranda is feeling it on a different side, with the increase to appease advertisers at the core of her dilemma, which is also how Emily is roped back in, as she now is an executive for a fashion house, and able to face off against Miranda for her company.

The big shoe drop comes about a third of the way through, when an expected announcement does not go as expected, and throws everyone into chaos. That leaves everyone looking to Miranda to save Runway, but she seems lost in placating rather than figuring out a way out of her situation. Can this gang work a miracle?

As a legacy sequel, it succeeds by actually having something to say about the current state of print magazines, advertising, and journalism, all of which look wildly different twenty years later. Miranda, who was fighting to hold onto her job in the first film, is still reaching for the highest job she can get, instead of pondering retirement at her age, a strong message that she isn’t done just yet. Andy falls back into her typical rhythm, seeking Miranda’s approval, but Emily does not. Emily knows she has the respect, and it is evident in their interactions. She also has a family, showing a work/life balance that is askew, and unlike that of the single Andy, or the remarried Miranda. Meanwhile, for some reason, despite the growth and opportunities for the other three, they decided Nigel should not change at all, stubbornly stuck in the same job, and still single, not even apparently looking to mingle. How hard would it be for you to cameo some hot young actor, or even someone Tucci’s age? That would have been one of my first changes to the film, throwing Tucci a literal bone, since clearly a new job is out of the question. Bare minimum, a quick glance at a personal life would have at least shown the writer cares about Nigel’s growth as much as the other three.

The focus is very much on the returning cast, and the new additions never take over, or steal scenes. Kenneth Branaugh is adorable as Miranda’s new husband, a kinder and gentler soul, while Lucy Liu, BJ Novak, Simone Ashley, and The Lady Gaga, all pop up. Best cast addition goes to Caleb Hearon as Charlie, the flamboyant young man now sitting at Andy’s old desk, who learns quickly not to order a Venti on the way to work. Charlie would also have made an excellent match for Nigel, and yet…

There are some surprises along the way, some biting snark from Miranda, tearful moments between old friends, and a fun, well paced film that justifies its existence beyond that of money maker. There’s a real thought here about the current state of journalism across all aspects, and whether or not it is possible to thrive. Meryl Streep is still just as Oscar worthy, if not more so. Delightful, sassy, and complex, while some would say the villain, she is really what makes the film work.

Anne Hathaway seems to be able to fully slide back into the neurosis of Andy, who has struck out successfully on her own, only to be chasing Miranda’s approval. She is saddled with a mostly unnecessary new Australian boyfriend, who does help the final solution move forward. Emily Blunt also hasn’t missed a step in 20 years either, growing the former assistant into a force of will, and showing that Miranda cut her into a diamond.

That’s what makes the Stanley Tucci effect so odd. Don’t get me wrong, I love the man, and his life story is heartbreaking and oddly wonderful, as he lost his wife that pushed him to do his Oscar nominated turn in Lovely Bones, but is now married to Emily Blunt’s sister, since the two became fast friends on Prada. He deserved a nomination for either Devil Wears Prada or Julie and Julia, as he supports Meryl like no one. But, the film does nothing meaningful for him, or with Nigel, and on top of that, Stanley doesn’t sound OK. He has slurred speech, and rather than knocking him, I’d rather just wish him well. I feel like I’ve heard him in other projects recently, and this felt like it was a new thing.

There are two new original songs by Lady Gaga, either of which could be an Oscar contender, and depending on how the year goes, I’d expect to see Streep pop up in the conversation. While the Wicked actresses couldn’t manage repeat nominations, they aren’t Meryl Streep, and this is her first big screen feature in five years. Depending on how the Actress race shapes up, I could see Streep getting some of those Lead Actress in a Comedy nominations, maybe even the Oscar again, along with possibly original Song and Costume Design. While the first didn’t nab Costume Design, a large chunk of this film takes place at fashion week, which could push this over the edge.

My actual viewing experience sucked though. No fault to the film, and I tried to pretend like I had a great experience in my grading, but while I did get audio description on my headset eventually, it was after having to move twice, and not until at least 20 minutes into the movie. For those who have seen it, I didn’t have AD until after “the announcement”. And the sound in my auditorium sounded like hot ass. The trailers sounded great, and when it flipped to the film, it sounded like it was all coming from one speaker behind the screen, which was set to max volume, degrading the quality of the sound itself. Not really a surround experience. It was in a large theater too, not a small screen. I had to sit at the very back, directly under the projector, because that is the reach of the AD signal at my theater.

The original was fresh, trendy, and hip with exciting and transformative performances, and the sequel somehow mostly retains that, pushing these lived in characters into print journalism in 2026. A legacy sequel worth your time, even if it doesn’t surpass the original.

Fresh: 8.0/10