TL;DR – Wild, sensual, and captivating. While not all of it works, when it is on fire, it is electric.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Challengers Review –

Some films can captivate you just by hearing the name of a director and an idea. Luca Guadagnino’s previous works, like Call Me by Your Name and Bones and All, were not perfect, but they were immensely captivating, sucking you into their worlds. Well, I was interested in seeing where he would go from there when exploring the world of tennis.

So to set the scene, we open in the middle of the 2019 New Rochelle Champions Tournament as Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) and Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) are facing it out in the finals. A dual for the ages. However, both sets of eyes are not focusing on each other but on someone in the audience, Tashi Duncan (Zendaya). There is a palpable tension the court that can only exist between people with a deep history, which is when we cut back thirteen years.     

One thing that needs to be said from the start is how good this film is in bringing out the range of performances across the thirteen years. Sure, there are physical cues that fit in the different times that we see, such as the length of Zendaya’s hair. But it is the performance that sells it. The giddy teenagers, the jaded adults, the moody twenties, and everything in between. It is those performances that makes the difference and help elevates it from the usual stock standard sports films. Josh O’Connor is at his charismatic best, with a charm that would make anyone falter. Mike Faist has to do a lot of emotional heavy lifting, being the other man walking the line and not being a villain. Then there is Zendaya, who I think is giving the best performance in her career so far, and that is coming from a high level already. Everyone gets a moment to shine in this film, which is full of captivating moments.    

From a structural perspective, I liked how they managed the interlacing timelines. Careful crafting means you never lose track of where you are and how it all fits together. Indeed, you will be watching people’s knees at every turn, waiting for a twist. Using the linking framework of that final match, with a built-in scorecard, helped tie it all together. Which a film like this desperately needs. Then you have the visual style that does a lot of the heavy lifting, carving out a unique place for this film. It loves its impossible digital zooms that sweep across the court. Then there are the split screens, the shifting perspective, and blurred lines. I am glad they waited till halfway through the film to throw a tennis ball right at the screen. That was some restraint, more than I would have had. Also, I would be careful if you suffer from motion sickness.

If there is one theme the film explores more than any other, it is emotion. We run the whole gamut from pride, anger, despair, grief, lust, mélange, resignation, and even love, or maybe that last one is power. This might be one of the most sensual films that I have seen in an age that doesn’t actually contain a sex scene. Well, in a literal scene, there are a lot of substitutes, especially in that last scene. But it does know how to film its actors in every moment to heighten the moment. It is that raw emotion that pulls you through the narrative as it is laid bare for all to see.

They also love oscillating you audibly throughout the film, going from long, drawn-out silences to assaulting you with some simply bizarre needle drops that fit so perfectly well. Of course, it is all helped by the general soundscape that exists in a tennis setting. The screech of shoes on the hard court, the sound of the balls hitting the racket, the gasps of the audience, and the audible obscenities that get a point warning. While watching Challengers, I was trying to work out what it reminded me of so much. It was not until I was discussing it with my fellow reviews afterwards that they hit the nail on the head. Much like Michael B. Jordan’s Creed III, it uses the visual language of anime, especially sports anime. It is one of those revelations that hits you as you see all the parts fall into place.

While I did enjoy my time with Challengers, it is not to say it is a perfect film. I did start to feel it lose cohesion towards the end during the storm sections, though it does come back together for the finale. I was also put off by the product placement in this film. While nothing is so individually egregious as Godzilla x Kong. You soon start to notice how every logo, every single one, is perfectly positioned to the camera. To be fair, this is very in keeping with how sports are broadcasted traditionally. It just started to feel more than a little tacky when they started doing that with the branded cigarette packages in such a blatant way that I think they will need to be blurred in many jurisdictions. Also, Challengers, you didn’t think we would notice your Lleyton Hewitt erasure because we did.

In the end, do we recommend Challengers? Yes, we would. Now, I would caution that with that, there is a lot of mature content and language that might be off-putting for people, But I think there are some great performances here that were fascinating to watch unfold. If you liked Challengers, we would recommend to you Creed III.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched Challengers?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 


Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Challengers
Directed by – Luca Guadagnino
Written by – Justin Kuritzkes
Music by – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
Cinematography by – Sayombhu Mukdeeprom
Edited by – Marco Costa
Production/Distribution Companies – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Pascal Pictures, Amazon MGM Studios, Universal Pictures & Warner Bros. Pictures.
Starring – Zendaya, Josh O’Connor & Mike Faist with Darnell Appling, Joan Mcshane, A.J. Lister, Connor Aulson, Hudson Rivera, Noah Eisenberg, Emma Davis, Alex Bancila & Jake Jensen
Rating – Australia: M; Canada: na; Germany: na; New Zealand: M; United Kingdom: 15; United States: R