A lot of fun, is 'Challengers'.
First of all, I gotta say, the proper poster is so good! Thankfully, the movie matches. I enjoyed my time watching this one, I do have some (very) minor issues with the pacing and music (that blaring club track is a bit much) but in truth they evaporate given how high quality the rest of the film is.
The cast are great. Zendaya is the obvious star of the 131 minutes, she is top notch throughout. Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist are just as impressive though, they more than hold their own alongside Zendaya. I've seen O’Connor before in TV's 'The Crown' so I'm not all that surprised or anything, though this is the first time I've see Faist act.
Aside from the earlier noted track, the music is overall excellent though. I also like how the tennis is portrayed, I'm only a casual viewer of the sport but it all felt believable in that regard. I think the run time could've been trimmed a tad, while the amount of different timelines is perhaps a little excessive. Again, mind, these are not major concerns of mine, just worthy of noting.
A terrific flick, no doubt!
A story about a sociopathic, egocentric, racist narcissist who - not knowing what love is - treats two young men who both fall in love with her as pawns in a twisted game of life.
The havoc she wreaks, and the lives she break, are of no concern to her, as she continues on and on trying to satisfy her quench for power, control, and admiration.
It's not that I necessarily have a problem with films spun around an antagonist, or with demonic female characters, there's just something about the way it is on display in this film that makes me nauseous and tired. Perhaps it's the poor writing, or the lack of any real protagonist, as the two who are supposedly our protagonists are really willing victims, so it's hard to feel for them. Maybe it's the disorganized structure of the script. And pairing it with an atrocius score certainly doesn't help.
Oh, and the supposed "tennis" they're playing is so far detached from actual tennis that you can't help but laugh out loud at times when the film is trying to be very dramatic. Quite unfortunate.
I do think the three main actors do a good job, and I'll gladly watch them in something else in the future. Especially our antagonist (assuming she has other facial expressions than sulking) and the dark-haired protagonist.