Have any of you seen a movie that just makes you want to
This is how I feel whenever I think about the SGE movie.
I was so hyped for this movie because Soman (the author of SGE) and Paul Feig (one of the producers for THE OFFICE!) were working on it. The trailer looked so good and then the movie just... wasn't.
I lost a lot of respect for this adaptation and Soman because it was unfaithful and ruined the set-up for the sequels. Here are some big reasons why.
1. Casting
I'm going to state it now before I get hate for this, I do not care if there is a race change. It's important to make people feel represented and not to use a purely white cast, but it's a problem when you're trying to represent a minority over another lesser-known minority. In the books, Anadil is described as albino and incredibly skinny.
(official art)
(movie)
I understand representation, but albino people are never represented on screen. I feel this actress would've been a better Dot over Anadil.
I found the cast was really off anyway, but it was mostly Anadil's that irked me. Also, what the hell happened to her rats??? Why was she using fire in the final battle?????
2. Lady Lesso
What the hell is Lady Lesso doing in this movie that makes her so attractive to Wattpad? she's a literal teacher and there are soooooo many fanfics about her, with STUDENTS being the mc. NO. SHE HAS A LITERAL ADULT SON. SHE IS MIDDLE-AGED. NO. EW. DO NOT CONDONE THIS.
She also doesn't have some weird Rafal fetish in the books.
3. Blood Magic
What. The. Fuck. Was. Blood. Magic. I don't think it was ever explained other than "it bad" and it's what turned Sophie bad.
UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, Sophie turned evil because she had a true evil heart. That's the literal point of the books. Agatha has a "face of evil but a heart of good" while Sophie has a "face of good but a heart of evil". There's no cause for Sophie's change other than the fact that she's just meant to be evil.
4. Poof goes the development
I know a lot of book-to-movie adaptations have done this, but I felt the only characters that actually had a personality was Agatha, Sophie, and Tedros. The Witches of Room 66 were mean (except for Dot), Beatrix was a bitch, Kiko was boring, Hort was a simp. There was no development for any of them (yes, Hort's development mainly takes place in the sequels but that does not excuse sidelining characters!). If I had'nt read the books, I wouldn't have even known them. AND THEY CUT PROFESSER SADER WHO WAS LIKE THE MOST IMPORTANT TEACHER IN THE WHOLE SERIES IN FAVOUR OF THIS KNOCK-OFF SCHOOL MASTER WHICH SHOULDN'T EVEN BE THERE BECAUSE IN THE BOOKS, THE MYSTERY OF THE SCHOOL MASTER IS BECAUSE HE DOESN'T SHOW HIS FACE LIKE WH-
5. Cutting
I hated the execution of the final stretch of the movie. In the book, the students are ALL trained for the Trial by Tale and 30 students went in, as well as the Circus of Talents (which showcased Agatha's gift and the actual result of being failed). Instead, the movie cuts the circus of talents and turns the trial into something to prove sophie and tedros's love... like wtf.
6. The eggshells
One thing that irked me about the series is the blatant shaming. Nevers are declared ugly while Evers are beautiful. I don't know about any of you guys, but I'd take Hort any day over Captain Adam's Apple. I don't blame the movie for trying to be careful, but it was too careful to the point it lost the message of the original series. Sophie Wylie is beautiful and putting her in baggy clothes and having big hair doesn't make her 'ugly', it just makes everyone look really racist
Some positive notes. Charlize Theron was an absolute delight to watch. Hester was hot with that demon reveal and it was pretty.
Anyway, this movie can be used as a how not to guide for adaptations