A lot has changed since we were first graced with Miranda Priestly’s presence back in 2006 — a detail that was very much a part of The Devil Wears Prada 2’s core.

Still, the sequel — which also starred Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci — was not without its callbacks and similarities. While that’s to be expected, striking the right same-but-different balance is a delicate thing.

It all begs the question: Did The Devil Wears Prada 2 live up to the hype? 

Here’s a look at the two before we dole out the final verdict.

(Warning: Spoilers for The Devil Wears Prada 2 ahead.)

Characters in both The Devil Wears Prada 2 and the original

The Prada-pocalypse is alive and well thanks to its leading ladies and Tucci.

Hathaway’s Andy Sachs showed growth while also staying true to the energy and do-the-right-thing mentality that we saw in the first movie. Her battle with tempting, somewhat-unsavory opportunities may be where the character is most consistent from the original to the sequel.

Blunt’s Emily Charlton also experienced an evolution in this movie, turning into a far more dynamic character. Meanwhile, Tucci’s Nigel Kipling is the one who changed the least since the original. He’s still the perfect mix of quiet confidence and heart despite spending unappreciated decades under Priestly, which of course have taken a toll on some level — all appropriate for the character.

Priestly had the most visible differences. In the original, we saw mere glimpses of humanity. In The Devil Wears Prada 2, she’s far more human — though not exactly by choice, which is part of Streep’s brilliance.

Yet while Hathaway, Blunt, Tucci and Streep did their 2006 portrayals justice, the originals cannot be topped.

The progressions for all four characters were perfectly fitting. But the creation of these four and the performances that accompanied them still resonate to this day. While the first movie has plenty of strengths, the leading group of characters are why a sequel was possible in the first place.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 vs. original supporting cast

No contest here.

Nate (Adrian Grenier) and Christian (Simon Baker) didn’t return for a reason. There’s something to be said about the disdain fans have for those two, but the additions of Lucy Liu, Justin Theroux, B.J. Novak and Simone Ashley far outweigh any argument to be made on behalf of any of the original The Devil Wears Prada cast who didn’t make the sequel.

Theroux’s Benji Barnes is unbearable, but he’s never made out to be anything but part of the problem. Novak’s Jay Ravitz is suspicious from the jump and just the right amount of annoying. Ashley’s Amari is simultaneously a great nod and evolution for “The Emilys.”

Then there’s Liu’s Sasha Barnes — the true hero of The Devil Wears Prada 2.

Heck, even the few moments between Sach’s journalism friends, along with Tracie Thoms’ Lily, were better than the time spent with her other (non-Lily) friends in the original.

High Fashion Vibes vs. Real-World Struggle 

Although both movies have the same fashion world setting, these two differing atmospherically felt natural. If nothing else, this is a sign of the times.

Yes, the sequel still takes place in New York, features a trip to Europe, has the high-fashion glam and features a writer’s crisis about her writing career (writes the writer), The Devil Wears Prada 2 is far more grounded than the original.

Sachs faces a real-world issue that’s no longer limited to the journalism field. Priestly comes face-to-face with that very issue, while also battling the evolution of the workplace, which no longer allows her to be…herself.

In the original, viewers accompany Sachs into the wild fashion world that mere mortals only got glimpses of in magazines and on television back in 2006.

Making the original would be much harder to accomplish today — for various reasons. That said, its vibe is singular. As such, it gets the edge here.

Which movie told a better story?

Where the sequel loses points on atmosphere it makes up for in story quality.

With so many moving pieces, each mattering as much as the next, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is a dynamic story. From Sachs’ newspaper struggles carrying into the magazine despite Runway’s successes under her watch to Sasha Barnes quietly becoming a pivotal piece more than once in the movie, the sequel’s plotting is superior.

Which is better: The Devil Wears Prada 2 or the original?

Before we go any further, allow me to say plainly — if it wasn’t already evident: The sequel unequivocally did the original movie justice. 

In an era of sequels that feel like cash grabs, The Devil Wears Prada 2 displays that these types of movies can not only be well acted, but also extremely well written (shoutout Aline Brosh McKenna, as well as Lauren Weisberger — the latter of which wrote the books).

As for which is better, The Devil Wears Prada 2 or the original: The sequel gets a slight edge.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 left the flaws of the original in the past, fleshed out beloved characters in an impressive way and provided an authentically hopeful story in a time where it seems like those have more in common with fairytales.