Zendaya proved to be one of the most sought-after stars with her sky-high fame following the role in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man franchise and HBO’s Euphoria. Now, Zendaya-led Challengers is all set to hit the theaters and the movie has been certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with an astounding score.
Zendaya’s Challengers Impressed Critics
Zendaya in Challengers. Image Credit: Amazon MGM Studios
Zendaya has brought a promise to Challengers, a lot is stored in her character in the movie, and the first look and the trailer have definitely created the much-needed hype. Zendaya plays Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach who is married to a champion on a losing streak. The critics’ consensus of the movie has now been revealed and received a stunning 96% score on the Tomatometer. Here are some of the top critics’ reviews for the film.
“Challengers remains an entertaining movie thanks to its complicated characters who are played by actors on their way to becoming sparkling screen stars,” AV Club’s Murtada Elfadl wrote about the film.
“Anchored by three arresting performances and playfully experimental direction, Challengers is fresh, exhilarating, and energetic,” Maureen Lee Lenker from Entertainment Weekly said.
“Justin Kuritzkes’ script… subverts the typical stakes of each match in order to focus on the animating thrill of wanting something with every flooded sweat gland on your body,” IndieWire critic David Ehrlich said.
“The plot of ‘Challengers’ might sound stale, and yet, there’s an electric spark to Guadagnino’s approach that elevates the material, rendering it fresh,” Variety’s Peter Debruge said.
“Guadagnino continues to be a fascinating filmmaker with so much to say. With his latest film, Challengers, the versatile director is in the mood to have some fun. This movie somehow manages to make tennis thirsty, quirky and above all else, delightful,” Geek Girl Authority critic, Kimberly Pierce wrote.
Zendaya Revealed Details Of Her Character In The Movie And Chemistry
Zendaya alongside Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor in Challengers. Image Credit: Amazon MGM Studios
Challengers is certainly one of the most prominent roles for Zendaya, it was quite challenging, and as the actor revealed she had to undergo intense training for the role, quite specifically, training for tennis as her character required. The movie also stars West Side Story actor Mike Faist and God’s Own Country actor Josh O’Connor.
“I think honestly I got lucky that they’re both just like lovely guys and kind and generous with their work and their time so that made it easy,” Zendaya said of her co-stars (via, CELEBRITY INTERVIEWS Parviz Khosrawi). The actor further reflected on her training.
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“But also, we had you know, a tremendous amount of tennis training we worked out beside each other. We did tennis training beside each other and we had rehearsal time which is a privilege you know? To be able to have that time to talk about the characters to like really dig into it and, um, and that just created more of a of a safety.”
Luca Guadagnino-directed movie is not just a sports drama of a woman pushing her husband to be a ‘Challenger’ but the movie also reflects on romance and dramatic events that come with it with the natural progression of the narrative.
Zendaya’s Caution For Fans
Zendaya in Challengers. Image Credit: Amazon MGM Studios
The Dune and Euphoria star would definitely want her fans to watch the movie but she would not suggest her young girl fans follow her Challengers character directly. “I think she’s she goes about her confidence a little bit differently than maybe I would suggest,” Zendaya said. “I think what’s what I say about this movie is it definitely deals with themes of codependency.”
“And I think the idea of trying your best to find, um, all those things inside yourself before you vicariously live or need other people to find those things for you and I think that’s something that she’s struggling with right her life is so dependent on um on using other people that when she’s just alone I don’t think she knows really quite what to do not quite happy. So, I think it’s important to just kind of take care of yourself take care of your own heart.”
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Zendaya’s Challengers is already creating a buzz and with the positive reviews, the movie is expected to hit the box office well.
Challengers is scheduled for 26 April 2024 release.
