Nine years after the book’s release, “The School for Good and Evil” was transformed into a movie on Netflix. The series contains six books, and was always a popular purchase during Scholastic Book Fairs. The books drew from and expanded on fairy tales, giving children a glimpse of action and romance, while still teaching important lessons about morality. Several White Station students who read the series in elementary and middle school are now excited to view the movie. 

“I really enjoyed [the books],” Hallie Boland (11) said. “ I always thought that they were well written, and I just really enjoyed the story. It was a new world and it was really interesting.” 

The movie follows Agatha and Sophie, teenage best friends from a small village, as they join their respective schools and adapt to the new classes and fairytale characters. Agatha is placed in the School for Good and learns to become a princess, while Sophie is placed in the School for Evil and learns to become a witch. Although this shocks both characters, they go on to develop friendships and attend classes focused on looks, despite the noticeable distinction between the two schools. 

Although the general plot was followed, many important scenes and details were changed or left out of the movie. Since many grew up reading the books, there were a few points that viewers were disappointed with. 

“I feel like it misrepresented the main girls,” Riley Reeves (11) said. “Agatha didn’t necessarily in the books have the same love for Sophie and it was annoying to me that it was the big premise of the movie.” 

Despite many scenes being altered, the movie still lasted two and a half hours, making many wonder if it would have been improved as a television series rather than movie. On Rotten Tomatoes, “The School for Good and Evil” has a score of 38%, with most of the reviews stating that the movie is overstuffed and too long. 

“I feel like if it was longer they would have been able to add in specific things from the book that really made the book what it was, and really gave insight into the characters,” Reeves said. “The movie is so fast-paced that you don’t really get to connect with the characters.” 

However, this feeling was not unanimous among fans. With the movie’s open ending, some believe a sequel would be more interesting than a second season.

“I think a movie [is best] because shows have to have a way to continue on and once that story was told I feel like it was over with, and a sequel would be good, but a show wouldn’t work as well,” Matthew Kelley (11) said.

As a beloved childhood book, “The School for Good and Evil” was bound to face criticism. However, despite any disagreements on the format of the adaptation, the film was still thoroughly enjoyed. 

“I think some elements were really predictable, like the writing,” Kelley said. “But otherwise, I think it was really good, it was a well-rounded story.”