Rating: 3.5/5
“The School for Good and Evil,” released on Netflix Oct. 19, follows Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso) and Agatha (Sofia Wylie) as they are introduced to a world where the fairy tales from their childhood turn out to be real. Based on the popular book series by the same name, the film introduces a world where heroes and villains must go to the School for Good and Evil before their stories are told.
“The School for Good and Evil” is silly and it knows it; it’s a movie meant for a good time. While the story is nothing groundbreaking as another young adult story where outcasts find themselves shoved into a magical world and have to find a way to fit in, it still manages to charm its audience. The film relishes in all its campy glory, with fight scenes straight out of a Disney Channel original movie. The story pulls out all the stops by engaging in every trope in the genre, from an unwilling protagonist to true love’s kiss.
The cast of the film is surprisingly star-studded, touting names like Michelle Yeoh, Laurence Fishburne, Charlize Theron, and Kerry Washington in relatively minor roles. However, Wylie, as Agatha, undoubtedly steals the show by carrying a majority of the story’s emotional beats and playing a loveable protagonist who has to accept her place in a world she never wanted to be a part of.
The film really shines in its visuals. While the directing style is nothing noteworthy, being indistinguishable from any other Netflix movie, the costuming and scenery are beyond impressive. Each character has multiple costumes, and all of them are well-designed and stunning to look at. They embrace the genre wholeheartedly and make sure to show off its fairy tale trappings, from extravagant ballgowns to grimy, villainous looks. The film is primarily set in a castle, but its indoor setting doesn’t stop it from being a visual spectacle, as each scene boasts absolutely stunning backgrounds, like the schools grandiose grand hall and its grim classrooms.
The film’s biggest weakness, however, is in its story and the message it is trying to tell. The film tries to convey that people can’t be categorized as good or evil because they are more complicated than that, but it spends shockingly little time actually critiquing the systems that keep this harmful mindset in place, like the school. The film tends to have so much going on at any given moment that it often muddles its own message, never giving viewers a moment to think about the intended message. On top of its 147-minute run time, the film often feels like it wanted to be too many different things — a social commentary, a fairy tale, a coming-of-age story, and a satire— at once and ultimately ended up putting too much on its plate.
But, if you’re looking for a film to kill some time and to give a good laugh with friends, “The School for Good and Evil” is the perfect watch.