Featured Image Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Topics: Zendaya, Entertainment
Michael Slavin
It’s official, projects with Zendaya can do no wrong.
Her latest flick, featuring a racy threesome with co-stars Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist’s characters, debuted with a near-perfect 96 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, solidifying her as one of the biggest stars in Hollywood right now.
Whether it be Dune: Part Two, Euphoria, the Spider-Man films, or The Greatest Showman, Zendaya has a nearly unmatched ability to star in films that fans and critics alike love.
This is clearly the case for her newest film Challengers, as critics rave about the tennis-focused thriller.
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The movie is directed by Luca Guadagnino, the director behind the infamous Call Me by Your Name.
Essentially, if you leave one of his films with nothing to say afterwards, you haven’t watched it right.
Zendaya stars as Tashi, a tennis pro with a hugely successful career making her a celebrity who goes on to cause major lover drama.
Reviewers are unanimously saying that Challengers is one of the most electrifying films in years.
Tasha Robinson’s review for Polygon said that the film is ‘the sensual, satisfying cure for sexless cinema’.
She went on to say: “It’s a sports drama where sex is openly one of the big game’s biggest stakes, and an emotional drama that’s frank and even confrontational about how sensuality can undermine relationships as much as it can cement them."
Clarisse Loughrey was in agreement in her five-star review for The Independent.
She said: “Challengers allows every slow-mo shot of Zendaya’s bouncing curls and her regal posture to further the argument that she could be the one to reverse the death of the movie star.
“It’s the most gripping sports movie in years.”
With the across-the-board praise for Zendaya, fans have already begun questioning whether this will lead to the Euphoria actor’s first Oscar nomination.
One X (formerly known as Twitter) user said “the zendaya oscar campaign starts immediately”.
Another fan commented on a Variety article about the awards buzz surrounding Zendaya’s performance to say: “OH MY GOD ZENDAYA MIGHT GET AN OSCAR????? HELLOOOO??? WHAT IS LIFE”.
Whether you think she should get an Oscar, or you simply want to go and see the flick for yourself – one thing is obvious.
Challengers, out April 26, is a must-watch.