The School for Good and Evil
Parents say
Based on 12 reviews
Kids say
Based on 29 reviews
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The School for Good and Evil
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The School for Good and Evil, is a fantasy film based on the popular YA book series. The plot and characters make use of fairy tale devices and play on their clichés. Two young women, bullied in their town for being different, are dragged away to a secret school by a dark spirit and a giant flying creature. There, people are trained to become either good characters or evil ones. Fighting regularly breaks out in scenes that involve swords, punches, fire, scary creatures, and other weapons. There are fatalities, and woman is sent to a "doom room" full of torture implements. Students' fingers are pierced with a needle to infuse them with magic. Some characters who appear to be killed are brought back to life. People's eyes glow, and one ages horrifically. Language includes lots of insults, plus "s--t," "ass," "hell," "dammit," and "dang." A character drinks from a flask and appears drunk. Ultimately the diverse cast of characters learns that actions speak louder than words and that true goodness is seen in empathy for others.
What's the Story?
Best friends Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso) and Agatha (Sofia Wylie) are outcasts in the village of Gavaldon in THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL. Neither fits in: Sophie dreams of becoming a princess, while Agatha is accused of being a witch. But they have each other. So when Sophie dreams up an escape from Gavaldon, Agatha refuses to let her go alone. Thus, both girls are whisked away to the magic place where the good and bad characters of fairy tales and legends learn their craft. To their confusion, Sophie is sent to the School for Evil, overseen by Lady Lesso (Charlize Theron), while Agatha lands in the princess-making School for Good, headed by Professor Dovey (Kerry Washington). Will they be able to right the mistake, or has a mistake indeed been made? Only the schoolmaster (Laurence Fishburne) seems to hold the key to figuring out how this fairy tale will end.
Is It Any Good?
Capitalizing not just on proven source material (the book series) but also on tried-and-tested school-set, teen-starring fantasy formulas, nothing about this film feels particularly original. But Netflix knows the audience it's aiming for with The School for Good and Evil. And judging by the open-ended finale of this movie and the number of books in the original series, the platform is also presumably hoping those audiences will come back for more. (This begs the question: why not a miniseries?) These are the viewers who won't be deterred by the two-and-a-half-hour run time or the film's overly-packed intro. A mishmash of characters, accents, and ideas, including an on-again/off-again narrator (voiced by Cate Blanchett), are other potential deterrents for newcomers to this Harry Potter meets Disney Princess world.
Having said that, if you stick with it, the movie has some positive messages and a satisfying resolution. Technical aspects like wardrobe, setting, and fight choreography are all well done under Paul Feig's direction, bringing the books' atmosphere to vivid life. Some modern, female-heavy music adds to the soundtrack. What this film also has that many others don't is an A-list adult cast. They bring gravitas, and Washington is especially convincing as the head of the School for Good, but they're largely underused. This means the teen stars take the spotlight. Wylie's Agatha is the real center of the film and a character that allows for a truer and less theatrical performance than Sophie's, embodied with gusto by the petite Caruso. Here's hoping the adults, and other teen characters like Hort and Beatrix, get more screen time in the next movie.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what fairy tale characters and conventions come up in The School for Good and Evil. What traditional fairy tale cliches are poked fun at or questioned?
Did you find this film scary? Do you think the violence was necessary to tell the story? Why, or why not?
Where do you think the village of Gavaldon is located and what time period is this film set in? What clues inform your answers?
How does this film compare with the books, if you've read them? What can books do better than movies? How about vice versa?
How do characters show the importance of empathy?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: October 19, 2022
- Cast: Sophia Anne Caruso, Sofia Wylie, Kerry Washington
- Director: Paul Feig
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More, Book Characters, Fairy Tales, Friendship
- Character Strengths: Empathy
- Run time: 148 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: violence and action, and some frightening images
- Last updated: December 18, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
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The School for Good and Evil, Book 1
Fractured fairy tale has plenty of twists for fantasy fans.
-
Into the Woods
Sondheim's fairy tale musical is dark, complex, sublime.
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Ever After High
Product placement, iffy body images in creative series.
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Enchanted
Adorable fairy tale is a fabulous family flick.
-
Monster High: The Movie
Live-action monster teens face peril, appreciate diversity.
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