Time: 131 Minutes
Age Rating: M – Offensive language, sexual references & nudity
Cast:
Zendaya as Tashi Duncan
Josh O’Connor as Patrick Zweig
Mike Faist as Art Donaldson
Director: Luca Guadagnino
I was interested in Challengers, it was directed by Luca Guadagnino, who has made plenty of great films, and the acting trio of Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist did interest me. The marketing with the trailers really wasn’t the best besides informing me that it was about a love triangle between three tennis players, but I watched the movie and was pleasantly surprised by how great it was.
This movie benefits from a sharp screenplay, making for a very entertaining, compelling and captivating film. Challengers initially presents itself as a simple story, but I wasn’t expecting it to have a non linear narrative going into the movie. It bounces from present day (or close to present day) to many years earlier and back again. This could’ve been messy as it shifts back and forth in time, but you never get confused, and the plot is quite simple and easy to follow (given that it has your full attention, mind you). It is really intricately plotted and becomes something complex and compelling as it progresses. Learning more about these characters and their histories together help to make the present day scenes (especially the tennis matches) far more dramatic. It is sure to make repeat viewings very rewarding. For a love triangle story, the three characters are given a fair amount of screentime and are fleshed out very well, and the power struggle and relationships between them are fascinating to watch. There is this constant energy throughout, and I found the movie to be incredibly entertaining from beginning to end. It is paced well and never dragged for me across its 130 minute runtime, concluding with a very thrilling final act.Â
The acting really comes down to the three leads in Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, who are fantastic and share incredible chemistry between themselves. Their characters are refreshingly toxic, selfish and are bad for each other, but are still captivating and compelling to watch (especially together), and the actors play off each other very well.
Luca Guadagnino’s direction is amazing as usual, it is excellently crafted and made with such incredible style. The cinematography is top notch and stunning, with lush colour grading, and the camerawork and editing are incredibly creative and dynamic. While this movie isn’t just about tennis, there was more tennis than expected and those scenes are great and thrilling to watch. It is very creative in the way those scenes are sometimes filmed, at one point it even films the perspective of a tennis ball as it is being bounced between the players. Another notable aspect is the score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, which adds so much to the movie. Electric and energetic, this aggressive synth and techno score heightens and builds the tension, and is one of the duo’s best scores. Perhaps a slight nitpick is that its a bit too loud in some of the scenes of dialogue, occasionally drowning out some of what is being said.
Challengers is energetic, intricately crafted, thrilling and entertaining, directed stylistically and with great performances from Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist. I highly recommend watching it when you can, it is one of Luca Guadagnino’s best and one of the year’s best.
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