THE School for Good and Evil, a film adaptation based on Soman Chainani’s best-selling YA hexalogy of books. More than 2.5 million copies of the book have been sold, and it has been translated into 30 languages and six different continents.
The plot focuses on two young girls named Agatha (Sofia Wylie) and Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso), who are sent to a school where students are taught how to be heroes and villains. Although they are friends, these ladies could not be more different; one seems to have a dark and unsettling demeanour, whereas the other aspires to be a princess.
Let me begin by saying that this is one of the finest adaptations I have seen so far. The script was flawlessly written. It was easy for me to relate to the characters.
Their friendship is essentially the focus of this film. What caused it to exist and how does it end. Both girls were flawless in their roles. Paul Feig skillfully mixes the messages that ‘friendship overcomes all obstacles’ and ‘what is inside matters much more than how you look’ into the compelling characters Agatha and Sophie.
Agatha’s ability to finally recognise herself was beyond wonderful and precious, and Sophie’s attempts to persuade everyone that she is on the ‘good’ side was very interesting to watch. Despite the fact that she was mostly innocent throughout the movie, she did an excellent job of capturing her wicked side. It was incredibly impressive.
My favourite part in this movie is unquestionably the one where Sophie adopts a bolder appearance. Sophie proudly walks into the room as the lyrics to Billie Eilish’s song, You Should See Me in a Crown, start to play. She dresses up a glamorous outfits, makes dresses for her Evil friends, flirts with a prince in the cafeteria, and has a breakthrough moment where she proves to everyone at the School for Good and Evil who is really in power.
Every aspect of this movie was great. I was genuinely impressed by the schools, professors, classes, and – most importantly – the intricate universe built on fairy tales. As the plot developed, there were many of surprises and mysteries. The supporting characters were quite engaging, but not up to the level of our primary protagonists.
I just felt that prince Tedros (Jamie Flatters) did not shine as much. It’s not that he is horrible; it’s simply that he is not that charismatic enough to leave any lasting impressions. A focus on love is there, but it mostly serves to highlight how love is demanded of Good students, whereas Evil students are constantly on their own as villains.
Unlike every other fairytale, this film had a different ending. I loved how it came out, even though it was totally unexpected. This is one of the greatest movies I’ve seen this year in 2022, in my opinion. Complete perfection!
The School for Good and Evil is now available on Netflix.
DIRECTOR: Paul Feig
CAST: Sophia Anne Caruso, Sofia Wylie, Cate Blanchett (voice), Kerry Washington, Jamie Flatters, Charlize Theron and Kit Young
E-VALUE - 9
ACTING - 9
PLOT - 8
