Being more of a rom-com gal, I have to admit, I’m not one to watch movies about fairytales and princesses, but this movie changed my mind.

“The School for Good and Evil,” is a fantasy thriller released on Wednesday, Oct. 19 based on the adaptation of the well-known YA series by Soman Chainani. The movie follows Sophie, ‘the good’ (Sophia Anne Caruso) and Agatha, ‘the bad’ (Sofia Wylie), who are two best friends and outcasts that live in the small town of Gavaldon. Their lives and relationship with each other changed when they were transported to a school for storybook heroes and villains, where they were placed in opposite houses.

Going into this, my expectations weren’t high. I hadn’t heard good things about the film, as many had complained about how this six-book series was compressed into a two-and-a-half-hour movie. Although the author worked on the movie’s script with the director, the time constraint meant that many important details were left out (a large weakness of book-to-movie adaptations).

As I was watching this movie, I was very impressed with the actors/actresses. I think they got the casting just right and all of them embraced their characters perfectly. There were some overly dramatic scenes that were very off-putting; however, I think that these awkward and overly-dramatic scenes are a quintessential aspect of fantasy movies, making them so enjoyable for people of all ages.

One part I was very pleased with was how the characters dressed. The hair and costume department absolutely nailed their part. You can clearly see how the character’s personalities are reflected in their clothing. For instance, at the beginning of the film, Sophie was mostly in vibrant clothing with neatly kept blonde hair while Agatha had depressing clothing with very messy hair. As the movie continued and their stereotypes “shifted,” Sophie was dressed in darker colors with Agatha, on the other hand, in princess-like gowns.

While the costumes were passable, the music selection was severely out of place. To me, Olivia Rodrigo’s “brutal” and Billie Eilish’s “you should see me in a crown” didn’t really click with the aesthetics of the movie. The movie was clearly aimed at the younger Gen-Z audience, so choosing these songs made sense.

“The School for Good and Evil” brought me back to my childhood, bringing back many nostalgic memories. It was also really cool seeing a story being developed within a story, since they are the ‘chosen ones’ that get a fairytale written about them. With many plot twists, this film will keep you on the edge of your chair and is the perfect movie to watch on Friday family movie nights.