The School for Good and Evil (2022)

The School for Good and Evil is the kind of candy-colored fantasy that remembers movies should be fun to look at, fun to listen to, and just a little bit mischievous in what they’re saying about fairy tales. Paul Feig stages the enchanted-school spectacle with pageantry to spare—gothic castles, storybook costumes, and magical set pieces—while Sofia Wylie and Sophia Anne Caruso anchor it with a best-friend chemistry that feels real even when everything around them is gloriously unreal. The vibe is playful and dramatic at once, a twisty ride through familiar “good vs. evil” archetypes that’s more interested in friendship and identity than in being grimdark. It won’t be for everyone if you want subtle world-building or a quieter, more intimate fantasy, but if you’re on the fence and craving a big, glossy, crowd-pleasing adventure with committed performances, this is an easy yes.

The School for Good and Evil is clearly aiming for a glossy, fairy-tale remix with a big heart: a friendship story wrapped in a “heroes vs villains” boarding-school fantasy. The problem is it tries to cram in too much world-building, too many twists, and too much franchise setup, so the pacing lurches and the emotional beats don’t always land when they should. A lot of the runtime leans on shiny CGI spectacle and familiar genre tropes, which can make it feel more like a busy theme-park ride than a truly magical story. If you love colorful production design, campy performances, and YA fantasy vibes, you’ll probably have fun; if you want tight writing, real wonder, and characters that breathe, this may test your patience.