Posted in: MGM, Movies, Review | Tagged: Challengers, Josh O’Connor, Luca Guadagnino, Mike Faist, zendaya

Challengers Is Electrifying, The First Must-Watch Of 2024 {Review}

Challengers is the first must-see film of 2024. Go see it, and then get in your car and blast the amazing score as loud as possible.

Challengers is not only one of 2024's best films so far but also one of director Luca Guadagnino's best films. That is saying something, as he is building quite the resume for himself. From the first trailer to the last, this has felt like an event film, and it delivers in spades. All three leads- Zendaya, in her best performance to date; Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor, will point back to this film as the one where their careers hit a different gear. Thrilling, sexy, and in some ways horrific, it all gets tied into a horny bow with one of the best scores ever turned in by the duo of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Exceptional and a must-watch.

Challengers Elevates The Sports Film

Never will you feel more turned on by watching tennis. Art (Faist) is a top player in the world, playing in a local tournament as a warm-up, where he ends up in a match with his former best friend and doubles partner Patrick (O'Connor). Art's wife, coach, and the whole world, Tashi (Zendaya), watch one as we are shown in flashbacks that the three have had their destines intertwined for some time.

Challengers moves at an electrifying pace, thanks to a debut script from Justin Kuritzkes. It is paired with a frenetic style from Luca, and you are buzzing the entire run time. One of the most underrated ways this is an amazing script? We are never told who the good guy is here. Nobody is set up as the one to root for; nobody is the hero. You make up your own mind, and the reveals in the different acts reward or punish you for your choice. The tennis scenes are also some of the best shots you will see in the film. With every strike, every grunt, and every drip of sweat, nothing is wasted here. The sound design is award-worthy. You couple that with the Reznor and Ross pulsating score that puts you into a trance, and it all combines to get you hot. Not just temperature-wise either; it just gets steamy in that theater.

All three leads could not do a better job telling the audience that they love each other on three levels. All three- as athletes, as lovers, and as friends. In all three instances, they also do horrible things to each other, break each other's hearts, and ruin themselves in devastating ways. Zendaya is the standout, hands down, as she commands the screen and all the attention from both the men and the audience. She should work with Luca as often as possible because it is clear that his lens has a special interest in her, much like Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos. O'Connor is the surprise here, as his brash and intense Patrick is the perfect opposite of Faist's Art, who is more measured and soulful.

This is going to be a really hard one to top throughout 2024. Challengers is such an electrifying watch; when the credits come on, you stay glued to the seat and wonder if anyone will notice if you stay for the next showing. It is that good; Zendaya is that great, and Luca has become a must-see for whatever he does. The only thing that should get you out of your seat is the opportunity to buy and blast the score on the way home.

Challengers

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Review by Jeremy Konrad

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10/10

Challengers is the first must watch film of 2024. The type of film that everyone involved can point to and say that this is where their career hit another gear.

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