Challengers

Original Rating: 3/5 When I first decided to give this a rewatch last June, after having seen *Call Me By Your Name* (2017), I was confident that I'd give this film maybe a three and a half star rating at best, but, oh boy, was I wrong about that. I first watched this film last April, before I had Letterboxd, and I didn't like it. My main complaint with the film was probably how unlikeable the characters were, and though that hasn't changed, it's not a complaint anymore after this rewatch—in fact, it's more of a compliment. It's obvious that if the characters of Tashi, Patrick and Art were real people, they'd be horrible people. The things they do and the way they act don't really redeem them no matter how you view this story, however, that's not the point. The point is to show the reality and awful nature of people, and the things they'll do to help grow their egos. In some ways, this reminds me a lot of *Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022), because, in that film as well, the characters aren't supposed to be likable, but it's not a flaw in the writing, but rather an extra detail that, just like 2024’s Challengers*, gives a great commentary on just how self-centred and downright pathetic people can be. Another thing that I enjoyed when rewatching this film was the performances. Without a shadow of a doubt, Zendaya crushed it in this film. Her micro-expressions and dialogue delivery did all the work and made me understand the character of Tashi Duncan more than I thought I would. Moreover, I also liked Mike Faist's acting as Art Donaldson, but Josh O'Connor's depiction of Patrick Zweig impressed me more. His performance always felt so natural and free, making the few scenes where his character was serious, feel more effective. I definitely look forward to seeing him in films like *Lee* (2024) and am now rooting for him to take Daniel Craig's place as James Bond in the 007 film franchise. Just a couple of days ago, Challengers won the award for Best Original Score at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards. At first, I was pretty disappointed that *Dune: Part Two (2024) didn't win, but after having rewatched this film, I have to say that even though I think that Hans Zimmer's Dune: Part Two score was amazing in the way it transported me to Arrakis, the score for Challengers was pretty damn good as well. The upbeat music was constantly playing and it was the best choice for this sort of film; it kept things going fast and pushed me to the edge of my seat whenever it began to play. In short, since the Dune: Part Two score is no longer eligible for the Oscars, I'd be very glad if Challengers* won Best Original Score this year. The cinematography for this film was beyond amazing. I was in awe of how fantastic it was, and shocked at how I hadn't realized it when I'd watched it for the first time back in April. I loved the different POVs we got to see during the tennis matches, like the one where the camera was literally the ball, or the one where we could watch the game from below the court as if it was happening on a glass floor. Moreover, the colour scheme was gorgeous and kept the film vibrant at all times. This is once again, another aspect of the film that gives a tough fight to Dune: Part Two. Lastly, I loved the way the story was told. As I mentioned in my review of *A Complete Unknown (2024), biopics need to follow an unconventional and unique, non-linear approach to storytelling. This especially applies to biopics but can be interesting as well in non-biographical films. This film did this especially well, not only by making the final Challengers* match interesting and surprising, but also by capturing the difference in the characters' motives, personalities, and ages. This was done well with finer details such as hairstyles and such, but the way the characters interacted with one another was the highlight of these scenes. It was honestly really cool to watch play out on screen and gave some truly vivid scenes in each time period. I guess what I learned most from this rewatch is that just one watch doesn't always create a real opinion. In many instances, it can, but with Luca Guadagnino's 2024 film Challengers, I needed to experience it again to realize why it's no less than a four and a half star film. COME ON! Films of 2024 Luca Guadagnino Ranked 4/5 **11 Jan 2024 chymp**