Many high school movies sugarcoat some of the genuine insanity you might go through yourself. Do Revenge fully grasps that awareness, and it transforms into a funny, edgy, and productive Mean Girls spin-off.

Netflix with a lowkey banger??? Alright, alright, alrightttt. You could probably run a trivia contest with the number of references they’ve pulled from previous films here. But at least they do so with inventive spins that carry their own tasteful weight. This is a lot of fun! The great chemistry between Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke is sustainable, the dialogue matches how normal teens (or people in general) talk, and there are some neat surprises along the Vengeance Road. It may take more turns than needed and other segments could have been polished out, yet it’s a pleasant friendship journey.

Do Revenge understands high school culture. Whether you went in the 90s, the 2000s, or 10s, the classism is always there. You’ve got the popular kids, the dorks, the goths, the hillbillies, the fashionistas, all the various cliques of groups. Whoever you were in the giant social structure, you cannot deny its prevailing existence. Here, that organization is brought out in its most unadulterated form. How these students think, act, and behave all in pursuit of glory is displayed with shameless, and super relatable, conduct.

It's a solid story, though it has lots of rough patches and its happy ending is cheesy as hell. I mean, hey, I’ve seen worse friendships getting reconciled after horrible doings by both people. But come on now, a 30 second pep talk fixed up all those broken ribs??? Be for real. Anyways, it moves with purpose, there’s palpable tensions, the curated soundtrack is FIRE, and it manages to create its own bona fide experience. The characters feel very real, despite them wearing the most college of clothes arrangements.

I could maybe see this becoming a cult classic in the future??? At least, for the next gen. It’s got a certain quirk to it, it’s confident despite all its borrowing, and it’s an easy watch. Netflix dropped a lot of schlock this year, but this was an unexpected surprise.

Shoutout Blonde Erica in Rehab, poor girl’s life went to absolute shit for the sole purpose of this movie’s plot happening. That revisit was hilarious. “I wish you nothing but the absolutely worst until you die.”