We’ve all heard the stories of good vs evil, with a damsel in distress, a prince swooping in to rescue the day, and true love’s kiss breaking a terrible spell. The School for Good and Evil, a new Netflix film, takes those old cliches and gives them a fresh twist to tell the narrative of Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso) and Agatha (Sofia Wylie) and their place in the School for Good and Evil.
Fairy tales are true in this world, and children are abducted from their homes in the middle of the night and flown by a huge skeleton bird to the School for Good and Evil, where princesses and princes practice their Goodness and villains perfect their Evil.
Unlike the novel of the same name, written by Soman Chainani (who serves as an executive producer and makes a cameo appearance as a teacher), the girls are uninformed of the school’s existence until they discover a book with the school’s seal at a local bookstore. Sophie, tired of her mundane existence in Gavaldon, decides she wants to join the school and prepares herself to get accepted. Agatha, on the other hand, is desperate to prevent Sophie from fleeing their community, but as a result, she is kidnapped as well.
Sophie, a feminine girl who enjoys wearing pink gowns and spending hours combing her hair, anticipates being dropped off at the School for Good, where she will realize her destiny as a princess. Agatha, labeled a witch by practically everyone in their community, is sent to the School for Good, while Sophie is sent to the School for Evil.
Sophie and Agatha inform everyone in their path that a mistake has been made, but their respective professors, Professor Dovey (played beautifully by Kerry Washington) and the always mesmerizing Charlize Theron as Lady Lesso, argue that the School Master (Laurence Fishburne) does not make errors.
If Agatha is at the School for Good and Sophie is in the School for Evil, they belong there. Not surprisingly, it’s clear from the start that each of the girls is exactly where they should be, as Agatha, despite being labeled a witch, makes many decisions to help and even save her fellow Evers (the Good students), while Sophie insults her classmates, her jabs cutting deep and to the heart of the Nevers (the Evil students).
The world-building inside the novel is excellent, as the plot takes the viewer into the various aspects of the school, and you discover individuals you cheer for and those you want to see punished. It’s a magical world, though a little formulaic at times, but what fairy tale isn’t? Some effects, on the other hand, could be more convincing—after all, there are talking uninformed wolves guarding the school, and the battles entail a lot of flips through the air and swordplay that occasionally comes off as a little too exaggerated. Nonetheless, many of the results are spectacular (the skeletal bird and the school itself look as if they could exist).
The performances — particularly those of the two young leading ladies — are what make this drama work, not the fairy tale setting. It would be an annoying watch if the actors were too over-the-top, but Sophia Anne Caruso and, notably, Sofia Wylie give the drama its heart and soul. The teachers delivered the quality job we’ve come to expect from them. Kerry Washington is the blushing, upbeat kind. She’s such a good instructor that she’s pretty entertaining, and Charlize Theron is flawless as the Evil’s top teacher, whose eye rolls at the Evers are appropriate and made her feel like a true teacher in a School for Evil.
Michelle Yeoh is also a teacher at the Good school, where she teaches a class on smiling. Yes, indeed. Yeoh’s character has a no-nonsense demeanor, and it’s bad she’s not a greater part of the tale.
Kit Young, best known in Shadow and Bone as the adorable rogue sniper Jesper, is a nice surprise who is pretty terrific as the charming, all-powerful Evil villain. His silky voice has exactly the appropriate gravity for bringing to life a delectably malevolent monster. Earl Cave as Hort, the Billie Joe Armstrong lookalike; Freya Parks as Hester, whose tattoos come to life and become her weapons; and Ally Chubb as Gregor, a lovely, hapless Ever who warms to Agatha, all give their best to their parts.
Fans of the book series will also be pleased to note that certain speech is practically word for word translated into the film, notably in the major battle sequence. While this film might stand alone, because there are six books in the series, the film’s happily-ever-after conclusion allows room for a possible sequel. Perhaps the most attractive feature of the picture is its general message: no one is essentially all good or all wicked; we’re all simply folks doing our best.
Though the schools are separated, some Evers are pretty darn terrible — I’m looking at you, Beatrix (Holly Sturton) — and some Nevers who aren’t all that horrible — Dot (Kaitlyn Akinpelumi) transforms things into chocolate as a weapon, for God’s sake.
The film’s second key lesson is that real love’s kiss does not always rescue the day — at least not in the manner, you expect it to because friendship is probably the truest kind of love. Yes, there is a Prince Charming (Jamie Flatters), but expecting him to save the school underestimates the strength of two lifelong friends.
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Director Paul Feig has created another female-led comedy, but one with a younger target demographic than Bridesmaids or The Heat. The School for Good and Evil is a feel-good film, a captivating journey into a fairy tale world where Good and Evil are not as obvious as they appear. It’s also a thrilling, magnificent journey.
The School for Good and Evil is now available on Netflix.
