Harry Potter meets Disney’s Descendants…but only kind of.
THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY.
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.
Guys, I almost didn’t watch this. The trailer made it look much younger than anything I would usually be interested in, but my Facebook feed was on 🔥🔥🔥 with authors and book bloggers raving about it. I was on a bit of a fantasy kick so I decided to give it a try. It wasn’t mind blowing but certainly worth the watch and worth continuing the series if Netflix and Paul Feig keep it going.
KEEP READING TO SEE MY REVIEW.
It’s only got mild spoilers but I’m fairly certain it’s all info you could surmise from the trailer.
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani is the inspiration behind the new Netflix movie of the same name. The basic premise is that there is a magical school where they train the heroes and villains who go on to star in their very own fairytales. Desperate for a way out of her very small, very uneventful town, Sophia (an eternal optimist) makes a wish for a bigger life for her and her best friend. She gets what she asked for but not in the way she asked for it and everything she thought she was destined for gets flipped on its head.
The movie has a great cast. The head of the evil side of the school is played by Charlize Theron, and her counterpart on the good side is played by Kerry Washington. Michelle Yeoh plays one of the professors, though for the sake of not ruining anything for you, I won’t say what subject(s) she teaches.
Kit Young plays Rafal and I think he may be one of those actors who is naturally charming in real life. His character in Shadow & Bone was one of my favorites in the series and it’s because he’s just a bit too much but in a wonderful way. In The School for Good and Evil, he’s over the top, boss level evil with a snarky mouth and the man sells the shit out of it. He’s deeply entertaining to watch in any of his scenes.
The main characters are played by Sophia Anne Caruso (Sophie) and Sophia Wylie (Agatha). They’re both equally talented and each very funny in their own right. Caruso’s resume is loaded with theater work, and Wylie was a Disney kid (in addition to a few other notable projects). Their performances are the only thing in this movie that gives it a Descendants feel. If any of you have elementary school aged children, you’ve more than likely been subjected to that movie. It’s Disney cheese on child size steroids. If you love Disney, I’m sure that’s wonderful news but it’s just not my preference. However, in The School for Good and Evil, you really only feel that dusting of Disney cheese during a few scenes. The rest of the movie does not feel like a Disney product in any way.
There are more familiar faces (and a voice!) as well. Everyone involved is really talented and seemed to have a lot of fun with their roles. The world is gorgeous, looking a bit like the Harry Potter universe got a makeover by Tim Burton. A little bit goth, a little bit storybook, a little bit neon fabulousness. Definitely worth giving it a watch at least once if you have the spare two and a half hours. Whether they were involved with the production or just purchased the property rights, Netflix delivered another win.
