I have mediocre interest in the film. I like Luca Guadagnino, but a premise that is a romantic film about tennis doesn't sound too appealing. Even if it has Zendaya. I'll probably see it at some point, though.
That being said, I've had the soundtrack album for a while - the Boys Noize remix album of Reznor & Ross' score - and it's wonderful. I've written a mini review of it that I will publish soon.
I've seen the film twice in two days. I loved it. It's the first film written by a New York playwright, who's also the husband of writer/director Celine Song. (There was a very fictionalized version of him in her quasi-autobiographical film Past Lives.)
I thought Challengers was amazing, a complex character-based drama the likes of which we rarely see anymore.
I also loved the score, but it's going to be divisive. Even more divisive than most Reznor/Ross scores, because it's SUPER aggressive, especially during some key dialogue scenes. I thought that was a bold choice, and worked well, but it also demands you see the movie in a theater with a properly balanced sound system. I saw it Thursday night at The Grove in their "IMAX" (Lie-max) house, and the center channel speaker carrying the dialogue was wonky, and the dialogue was drowned out by the score. (I politely told them about this, which they thanked me for, saying they would get someone in to adjust/re-calibrate it, and they gave me a voucher) I saw it again last night in their "Dolby" house, and the audio balance was a lot better.
The score feels a bit like The Social Network, but it's far more upbeat and intense.
There's also a Reznor/Mariqueen song over the end titles, which I liked a lot.
These two cues give a fairly good sense of the score:
I love this score. It has a real energy to it and as much as I have quite loved their prior works this one feels really "Switched On." The [MIXED] album release from two weeks ago, where their tracks receive some production mixing from 2000s German dance electronica staple Boys Noize, is just as good.
If there are any fans of early 90s video game music, I may recommend this one to them. I'm a big fan of the Streets of Rage video games and their music, especially the tracks from Yuzo Koshiro. This soundtrack sounds akin to that.
This is my favourite Reznor/Ross score so far. Up there in their filmography with The Social Network and Soul. "Up there" being a relative term obviously.
Yup, great score. A few comments here (I need to edit it, as the original version of the score is apparently also released, I thought the Boys Noize version was the only release): https://celluloidtunes.no/reviews-on-the-go-6/
I haven't seen the film so my criticism of the score is only based on the rather annoying album. Personally, I found it to be a paint-by-numbers techno score with a cue called "Yeahx10" that's super annoying. This is the sort of music I hear when I'm searching for music for the latest lame corporate video I have to work on. I had to wash the bad taste out of my mouth with Cliff Martinez's NEON DEMON, which is a high bar electronica score, and Vangelis' classic BLADE RUNNER.
That cue works perfectly in the film. It's used when the two boys first see Zendaya walk onto the tennis court, and it's meant to convey her confidence and swagger, as well as their instant, overwhelming attraction to her. It's intended to be over the top and campy, and it works REALLY well in context.
That cue works perfectly in the film. It's used when the two boys first see Zendaya walk onto the tennis court, and it's meant to convey her confidence and swagger, as well as their instant, overwhelming attraction to her. It's intended to be over the top and campy, and it works REALLY well in context.
Can't comment on the score, but you just summed up the issue with most film music fans. They are not film music fans. They are symphonic music fans. They don't care about the function of the music within the film.
That cue works perfectly in the film. It's used when the two boys first see Zendaya walk onto the tennis court, and it's meant to convey her confidence and swagger, as well as their instant, overwhelming attraction to her. It's intended to be over the top and campy, and it works REALLY well in context.
Can't comment on the score, but you just summed up the issue with most film music fans. They are not film music fans. They are symphonic music fans. They don't care about the function of the music within the film.
I think you can be both. I am definitely a symphonic music fan, and those are the scores I seek out. But I can appreciate other kinds of music when it works well in a film. I might not want to listen to it on it's own, however.
Can't comment on the score, but you just summed up the issue with most film music fans. They are not film music fans. They are symphonic music fans. They don't care about the function of the music within the film.
Yet another holier than thou comment from you. This isn't the first time you made that kind of dismissive, ignorant, and insulting comment. Don't pretend to know what type of film music fans people are.
Can't comment on the score, but you just summed up the issue with most film music fans. They are not film music fans. They are symphonic music fans. They don't care about the function of the music within the film.
Yet another holier than thou comment from you. This isn't the first time you made that kind of dismissive, ignorant, and insulting comment. Don't pretend to know what type of film music fans people are.
-Erik-
Not sure how my comment makes me "holier than thou," but I don't need to pretend. It is pretty obvious once you venture into the forums enough. I mean, forget the forums. IFMCA awarded The Piper as the score of the year. The film has 6 reviews on RT and fewer than 50 audience reviews (not to mention the film seems to be atrocious based on the ratings). How many people do you think even saw the film to know what the music was like in context?
Also, look at Ado's comments above. And you think I am "holier than thou?" The industry does not expect much...or maybe the industry changed over time? Maybe directors now have a wider taste palette for different types of scores? Maybe not every movie needs a symphonic score? But no, only the internet users on FSM knows what a high bar is for films scores.
That cue works perfectly in the film. It's used when the two boys first see Zendaya walk onto the tennis court, and it's meant to convey her confidence and swagger, as well as their instant, overwhelming attraction to her. It's intended to be over the top and campy, and it works REALLY well in context.
Can't comment on the score, but you just summed up the issue with most film music fans. They are not film music fans. They are symphonic music fans. They don't care about the function of the music within the film.
I think you can be both. I am definitely a symphonic music fan, and those are the scores I seek out. But I can appreciate other kinds of music when it works well in a film. I might not want to listen to it on it's own, however.
The problem is, 90% of the time, a score gets dismissed immediately before any thought is put into what the director wants, or what the music trying to do.
Can't comment on the score, but you just summed up the issue with most film music fans. They are not film music fans. They are symphonic music fans. They don't care about the function of the music within the film.
Yet another holier than thou comment from you. This isn't the first time you made that kind of dismissive, ignorant, and insulting comment. Don't pretend to know what type of film music fans people are.
-Erik-
Look in a mirror, pal. You are the poster boy of "holier than thou" comments and an expert in making "dismissive, ignorant, and insulting" comments
"Yeah x10" isn't the best track on the album (that would be "I Know", "Challengers" and "The Signal"), but it's a great little, funky riff. Since the whole album is basically a DJ set with tracks that bleed into each other, it's rhytmically a natural continuation from "I Know" (the first track), and has a more downkey gear shift at the end, leading into "L'Oeuf". Until it kicks into a more uptempo gear again with the title track, a gorgeous little darkwave-style ditty that isn't that far removed from, say, Julian Winding's "The Demon Dance" from THE NEON DEMON (since that was brought up earlier).
It's a beautifully concise "club album", with all these ebbs and flows (plus an overarching arc). I first discovered Boys Noize on Jarre's ELECTRONICA albums, but I've been meaning to check out more of his non-film work. This certainly spurred me.
Meanwhile, I glean from previous posts that Reznor & Ross' original, non-mixed score has also been released. I can't seem to find it online, any streaming platforms where it's available? Would be interesting to compare, as I haven't yet seen the film.
By the way, I don't care if people hate the score. That's their prerogative. I don't go to FSM expecting this deep, prevalent love of EDM stylings.
