Hello and welcome!
If you're reading this that means you have made it to the first-ever movie review blog written by me, Ian Hawks. And as now proud readers of Ian's Cinema Spectacular (which is also the name of my Roku TV) we will embark on this journey with one of the hottest and newest movies of the year, Challengers. 
Starring Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor, Challengers is a movie about control, love, and tennis. If you're like most people viewing this movie, and you're worried because you don't know the first thing about tennis, don't worry. Challengers is beautifully explicit and easy to follow as far as the rules of tennis go. But if you're watching this movie in hopes of learning about healthy relationships, the values of a good friend, or the support from a loving wife, RUN AWAY. This movie will chew you up and spit you out to the curb all while blessing your ears with a beautiful piano and upbeat score. A score that is very reflective of the movie and the state of the characters.
To understand Challengers one must accept the extensive work ethic and insane mindset athletes put themselves in to become great. Think you work at one thing your entire life, grinding day in and day out, dedicating every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears. Only to have it all taken away in a situation beyond your control. In this instance, Tashi Duncan played by Zendaya has an unfortunate knee injury. Goodbye tennis, goodbye to her purpose, and most of all, goodbye to any ounce of decency in her body. When a situation like this occurs and a person is left with no foreseeable future, they cling to anything they can to remind themselves of the person they once were, or the life they could've once had. So as Tashi searches for a life of competitiveness and domination, she confides in Art Donaldson played by Mike Faist. A person who tells her everything she wants to hear, a person who will do anything she asks, a person who will uproot his own life for the betterment of hers, a lap dog. She finds Art to be handsome, and sweet, but mainly he is easily manipulated by her charisma. Ultimately, Art is a person who will disappoint her. Art wanted HER, but Tashi wanted the life, the ability, and more than what Art could give her. A line repeated throughout the movie, "You love me?" "Who wouldn't?" Because Tashi is so magnetic, and because she's so athletically talented, Art feels he owes himself to her, he feels his life is pointless if he isn't improving hers. This is important. When someone abandons all dignity then they are subject to any harsh treatment coming their way.
The major selling point of Challengers is the love triangle between the three characters. It is the main highlight of the trailer and it is ultimately the driving force of the film. And while this is true, there is actually a lack of any sex in the film. It's implied, and there's one scene where we see characters after the act. But the entire film, there's this build up and then it resolves, it starts, and then ends abruptly. But what is missing is the literal and metaphorical climax. This is where the role of tennis is most important in the film. Early in the film after Art and Patrick have met Tashi and brought her to the beach to talk, Tashi reveals what it truly means to play tennis. She says tennis is a relationship, a one-on-one connection with your opponent, a moment when everything else is zoned out and there is nothing else but the game. That's tennis, that is her force. This is the key to understanding the film and the answer to the final sequence. The final volley IS that connection, the ending IS the climax we never see. Because the perfect back-and-forth volley produces a better feeling than any sexual satisfaction ever could.
All in all, Challengers is a beautiful film. It's masterfully edited and its dynamic storytelling unfolds throughout the entirety of the movie. If I had the power to make an absurdly early Oscar prediction. I'd say Challengers will be taking home the award for editing, possibly Best Score, and even a Best Picture nomination.
For my first-ever rating on this Blog. Challengers gets an 8.7/10.
Thank you for reading! Please comment with any suggestions or movies I should review :)
Until next time.
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