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movie review - The School for Good and Evil

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-eight years and a million words

This is a film with a star-studded cast and an overly ambitious plot that more than fills out its 2+ plus run-time. I watched it with my daughter for "movie night" and I have to say it reminded me of "The Descendants" and that's not a great thing.

It's about two girls who travel to a place to be inducted into one of two magic programs. One of them is angered and shocked when she's pushed into the school for evil. The plot that unfolds involves an ancient fight between the two twins who each founded one of the schools. I didn't find this terribly compelling because I found the concept of a "school for evil magic" to be absurd. Just like the "thieves' guilds" of Dungeons and Dragons. Who exactly sanctions these schools? How do they attain certification? Wouldn't it be self-defeating to teach evil? Or at least, publicly? I mean, if they're evil I imagine that everyone from the king's soldiers to the health inspectors to the unions would be at their door all day. As they are with, say, Uber.

There's a lot of grand action, and plenty of teen drama. My daughter seemed to enjoy it, but I felt I should rather have spent my time doing something else. Not recommended.