Given it's revived the rom-com and attempted to launch a few blockbuster franchises, it shouldn't be a surprise that Netflix is now getting in on the YA fantasy game with The School for Good and Evil.
Based on the first book in the series by Soman Chainani, the new movie sees best friends Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso) and Agatha (Sofia Wylie) swept away to the titular enchanted school. It's here where the aspiring heroes and villains of our favourite fairytales are trained to protect the balance between Good and Evil.
It's always been Sophie's dream to be a fairytale princess, but her dream turns into a nightmare when she's dropped off at the School for Evil. What's worse is that Agatha, who has no desires of a fairytale life, is dropped off at the School for Good, leading to their friendship – and the fate of the fairytale world – being at risk.
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A movie adaptation of The School for Good and Evil has been in the works since Chainani's first book was published in 2013. The adaptation languished in development hell until Netflix picked up the rights in 2017, before work properly got underway on the movie in 2020.
The lengthy development of the movie makes sense once you watch it as it really feels like it came from a different era. In the early 2010s, studios were snapping up bestselling books to find the next Twilight or The Hunger Games. If you stumbled onto the movie on Netflix knowing nothing, you'd be forgiven for thinking it had been released then.
All of the familiar elements are there from the fantastical world-building to the plucky 'ordinary' lead characters, but there's also a notable flaw. The School for Good and Evil is an exposition-heavy two hours-plus of set-up, intended to lay the foundations for the inevitable sequels, that forgets to be a compelling movie in its own right.
Even if you haven't read the book, you'll know exactly where this movie is going as soon as the mishap happens that lands Sophie and Agatha in the 'wrong' schools. While there are some fun spins on fairytale lore, the movie isn't helped by the realisation that its big true love reveal has been done elsewhere a decade ago (hint, let it goooo).
What The School for Good and Evil does have in its favour though is its cast, led by the endearing duo of Sophia Anne Caruso and Sofia Wylie. They might be cursed with hitting overfamiliar beats, but they ensure that the emotion lands when it needs to.
It's the all-star supporting cast that leaves the biggest impression, with Charlize Theron deliciously tucking into her role as School for Evil head Lady Lesso. Her opposition is Kerry Washington's School for Good head, Professor Clarissa Dovey, who has fun with showing the darker hints behind Dovey's good nature.
There are standouts in the smaller supporting roles, too. Mark Heap brings some Jim creepiness to his role as the School of Evil teacher for Uglification, while Cate Blanchett is perfect casting as the narrator (who's actually a magic artefact called The Storian).
It's clear that care has been taken in building the spectacular world, and with reverence to the books too. Paul Feig – who also co-wrote the movie with David Magee – has taken some elements out of the first book, but retained the same journey and destination. You'll just wish more were taken out to streamline the movie.
The hope for Netflix, of course, will be that The School for Good and Evil doesn't alienate its core audience of book fans. There just might not be enough that feels fresh about the movie to bring in newcomers to this world, and the hefty runtime could see many switch off before the inevitable sequel set-up.
Soman Chainani's book series has five sequels that could draw Netflix back to this world for future movies. The problem is that The School for Good and Evil might not prove enough of a hit to open those doors again.
The School for Good and Evil is available to watch now on Netflix.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
