Wondering if The School for Good and Evil on Netflix is ok for kids? This film is based off of the popular book series by Soman Chainani. Plenty of tweens and teens will want to watch due to the star-studded cast, but is it kid friendly? Here’s what parents need to know in this Parents Guide to The School for Good and Evil.
The School for Good and Evil Parents Guide
In the village of Gavaldon, two town outcasts and best friends, Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso) and Agatha (Sofia Wylie), share the unlikeliest of bonds. Sophie is a lover of fairy tales and dreams of escaping her ordinary village life. Agatha, on the other hand, has the makings of a real witch, after all she dresses like one.
Then one night under a blood red moon, a powerful force sweeps them away to the School for Good and Evil – where the true story of every great fairy tale begins. Yet something is off from the start: Sophie is dropped into the School for Evil, run by the glamorous and acid-tongued Lady Lesso (Charlize Theron), and Agatha in the School for Good, overseen by the sunny and kind Professor Dovey (Kerry Washington).
As if navigating classes with the offspring of Cinderella, Captain Hook, and the dashing son of King Arthur (Jamie Flatters) wasn’t hard enough, according to the Schoolmaster (Laurence Fishburne), only true love’s kiss can change the rules and send the girls to their rightful school. But when a dark and dangerous figure (Kit Young) with mysterious ties to Sophie reemerges and threatens to destroy the school and the rulebook entirely — the only way to a happy ending is to survive the fairytale first.
Why is The School for Good and Evil Rated PG-13?
The School for Good and Evil is rated PG-13 for language, violence and action, and some frightening images which means some content may not be suitable for children under 13.
Language
There are uses of a**, damn, hell, sh*t, and an unfinished son of a… There are also uses of Deity.
Scary Content
Is The School for Good and Evil too scary for kids? There is a lot of dark magic and blood magic used, so there are scary images for young ones including dark, shadowy monsters, giant creepy birds that kidnap children, and fighting with swords and magic.
There are also death and murders.
Some images and scenes can be gory as blood takes over the school. There is a scene that looks like blood filling a room and splattering everywhere.
A beast is cut in half. Many characters are in peril. Fairies hiss and bite people. There is a final fight scene with many characters being injured or dying.
Mature Content
Village people call characters a witch and call others names and taunt them.
Characters drink alcohol.
Characters kiss and there is talk of love and true love’s kiss.
Is The School for Good and Evil Appropriate for Kids Under 13?
Is The School for Good and Evil kid friendly? The books were recommended for ages 8-12 with some mature themes, violence, and discussion of love. However, the film does have dark with themes of good versus evil and dark magic and it’s very long at over 2 hours. This is a more mature Descendants-like film with less darkness than say, Harry Potter.
I’d recommend The School for Good and Evil for kids ages 12 and up. Younger kids could watch as well if they’re ok with frightening scenes.
In The School for Good and Evil, you can expect to see some intense action scenes, dark magic on screen, fighting with weapons, a bit of gore and mature content, violence, and profanity used by some of the characters.
Fans of the books will surely want to watch to see how their favorite characters come to life off the pages and onto the screen. The School for Good and Evil flips the common trope of a princess being saved by a prince. Yes, the film could have been shorter by 30 minutes and some parts are predictable, but the two leads of the film make this worth a watch. They sell the critical message that people are complicated and perhaps good and evil is not as black and white as we think.
With fantastical visuals and world building including beasts, castles, friendships, enemies, spells, magic, revenge, love, deceit, even fashion, The School for Good and Evil transports audiences to another realm. It’s a slippery slope when power is dangled in front of us.
The School for Good and Evil delivers dynamic performances from main and supporting characters and is a fun fantasy ride for tweens and teens alike. And frankly, it was nice to see a female dominated cast. This type of film is important for this genre – a film that gives some edge to familiar stories but is overall safe for the teen and tween crowd. No excessive language, no sex, no over-the-top gratuitous violence.
Like the kids say, The School for Good and Evil slays.
