MARIAH's THOUGHTS on The School for Good and Evil (2022)

Genre:

Fantasy

Rating:

PG-13

Release Date:

October 19, 2022

Run Time:

2 hrs 29 mins

Directed by:

Paul Feig

Based on the bestselling books by:

Soman Chainani

Production Co.:

Netflix, Feigco Entertainment, Jane Startz Productions, Roth Films, Roth/Kirschenbaum Films

Distribution Co.:

Netflix

Social Media:

  

Cast:

Sophia Anne Caruso, Sofia Wylie, Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Laurence Fishburne, Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Flatters, Kit Young, Peter Serafinowicz, Rob Delaney, Mark Heap, Patti LuPone, Rachel Bloom

See Full Cast & Crew on IMDB

Plot Summary:

Best friends Sophie and Agatha find their bond put to the test when they're whisked away to a magical school for future fairy-tale heroes and villains.

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*My Thoughts*

Cliché as can possibly be, The School for Good and Evil (2022) film is cheesy and over the top with puffy dresses, glitter, flowers, and pink, lots of pink, but I still loved how fun it all is. Two outcast best friends live in a dreary little village and are whisked away to a school of magic and fairytales where they fully embrace who they are. Afterall, the film is set in Gavaldon, a small-time village where everyone frowns upon those who are different. Don’t dream too big. Don’t stand out. No witches or princesses allowed. But Sophie and Agatha, played by Sophia Caruso and Sofia Wylie respectively, are comfortable enough being themselves and traverse life, despite being bullied, harassed, and nearly assaulted by dusty crusty villagers. The School for Good and Evil (2022) is predictable but glittery, fun, and dramatic. My only grievance is that the acting feels stiff sometimes.

Sophie is a talented seamstress with a room filled with her personal designs. She’s optimistic, ambitious, and loves to read. It seems like Sophie tries to lean far into the ideal princess aesthetic. Agatha is more grounded, intelligent, yet kind and selfless, and she also helps her grandmother collect herbs and ingredients. When Sophie can’t stand living a tepid life in Gavaldon, she writes a note asking for admission to the School for Good and Evil, a magical place described in one of the various books she read, and places it in a wishing tree located at Sophie and Agatha’s hang out spot. While Sophie is admitted into the school and swept away by an unknown creature, Agatha hangs on to her best friend for dear life and winds up being dragged along and the two are, with unexpected results, dropped off at the school. After looking at their characters throughout the movie, Agatha being placed in the school for good and Sophie being placed in the school for evil is sensible.

As far as stereotypes are concerned, Agatha despises being a princess, never wanting to have been dragged to the magical school in the first place. She doesn’t want to be a damsel in distress or smile and be kind all the time. She despises big, puffy, and impractical dresses. Men’s attention even appalls her, yet she is admitted into the good side of the school. On the other hand, Sophie wants to be the princess of a fairytale land and do much more with her life than live in a simple village. She is ambitious and headstrong, even conniving. Sophie, much to her disappointment, is admitted to the evil side of the school. But due to each of their most prominent personality traits, they prove to be more fit for the half of the school than they originally believed.

The big bad, the antagonist, the real villain of the entire movie, Rafal, trickles into the plot bit by bit. At first, he is seen in the first few minutes of The School for Good and Evil (2022), supposedly being defeated by his twin brother Rhian in a duel, but he reveals himself to be the real survivor after Agatha and Sophie slowly integrate themselves into their respective halves of the school. He is your conventional villain, spiteful, jealous, overconfident, and vindictive. Rafal appears as an apparition made of blood flowing throughout the school and as Sophie falls further into the depths of her ambition to become a princess, he manipulates her to become his ultimate accomplice. But staying true to modern times, Sophie doesn’t need a handsome prince to save her and the entire school from being swallowed by Rafal’s influence. Agatha proves that she has more than enough love and care for her best friend and others to help save everyone.

The School for Good and Evil (2022) is a modern take on the whole fairytale motif. Although cliché and predictable, I find it entertaining for younger audiences, whether that be your child or adolescent teenager. For an older audience, it’s simple and fun background noise to your busy schedule.

My rating: