Movie Review: The Queen’s Gambit

Hello everyone, I hope we are having a beautiful week. I just finished watching all the episodes of this movie and I will say it's worth every bit of my time. If you love movies that mix intelligence, emotions, struggle and beauty then "The Queen’s Gambit" is one series you should not miss.
This review will walk you through the main events of all the episodes in the 2025 series, explore the emotions involved and give you lessons to take away, please stay with me.

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I must say that the producers really did a great job producing this movie. The story line is so epic as it takes us deep into the life of Beth Harmon the chess genius who captured hearts across the world with her incredible mind and complicated journey. The cinematography is stunning, every chess game is filmed like a battle scene it's so tense, poetic and thrilling. Anya Taylor-Joy who is the main actor of the movie acting as Beth Harmon delivers her best performance yet. She plays the character with maturity, showing growth, pain and strength in every expression. The soundtrack is also emotional, with piano and orchestral tones that fit each mood perfectly.

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PLOT

The movie started with the story of Beth Harmon, an orphan girl who discovered chess in the basement of her orphanage. She lost her parents in a motor accident so she had no choice than to be taken to the orphanage at a very young age. Growing up in the orphanage home, she fought through drug addiction, loneliness and self doubt to become the world chess champion. However, her drug addiction was later noticed and proper care was taken on her, she later became balanced and did so well academically.

When Beth became a teenager, a couple came to adopt her out of the orphanage to their new home, she joined a new school too and was doing well until she remembered chess again, she read magazines on chess competition and also resumed taking the drug that makes her imagine playing the chess game in her head. At the long, she found a way to start participating in the chess competition locally and gradually she climbed the milestone and became the best chess player in her locality. Before we could say Jack, she started traveling to other states to play chess winning lot of cash prices and fame as her adopted mum as her personal assistant.

In Paris, a few months after Beth's victory in Moscow she is now a global celebrity appearing on magazine covers, doing interviews and getting sponsorship deals but fame does not bring her peace. She begins to feel empty like she has no direction. At the same time, her old drug addiction tries to creep back she attends parties, meets rich people and tries to smile, but something is missing chess no longer feels like magic.

Beth returns to Kentucky trying to find herself. She visits the orphanage where she grew up and painful memories return. Mr. Shaibel the janitor who taught her chess is old and aged. Beth agrees to play in a big international tournament in Berlin. During the tournament, Beth collapses on stage because of her drug relapse. She is disqualified and becomes a global scandal. Sponsors drop her, fans turn against her, and she isolates herself. At her lowest point, she considers giving up chess forever.
Slowly, she begins to understand that her trauma started long before fame from the death of her mother, to feeling unloved as a child. She also reconnects with Jolene, her childhood friend, who helps her heal. Beth decides to stop running from her past and face it boldly.

In the final episode, Beth returns to competitive chess not for fame but for love of the game. She travels to Shanghai for a special invitational match against the Russian Grandmaster. This time, she’s calm, focused and clear-minded. The final game is intense and beautifully crafted, with flashbacks to Mr. Shaibel, her childhood and her struggles. Beth wins not with aggression but with wisdom and control. After the match, she walks away from the cameras and enters a small street chess park just like in Moscow. She sits with local players, smiling, finally at peace. She doesn’t need a crown anymore, she has found herself.

REVIEWS AND RATINGS

This movie is more than a chess drama, it is a human story of pain, growth and rebirth. Whether you play chess or not, this series will speak to you. It teaches us that the greatest victory is not on the board but inside you.
The lessons learnt from this series is that addiction is not something you can fix once but it’s a lifelong journey. Beth’s struggle is honest and powerful. Beth mentoring Eliza shows that greatness is not just about winning but it’s about lifting others. Many people chase success but lose themselves. Beth learns that peace is more important than trophies. The chess world is still male-dominated, but ladies like Beth is changing that. The series shows that women can lead, win and inspire.

This movie is so interesting and well acted out. I highly recommend this movie to everyone and I will be rating it at 8 out of 10.
Here is the link to the thriller of the movie: