'Nerve' Review

Nerve takes place in a world similar to ours in which an online game, Nerve, has a massive surge in popularity. In Nerve you can be a "Watcher" or a "Player", the Watchers send dares to the Players and if the Players perform the dare they are rewarded quite handsomely. There's a catch though, The game escalates quickly, verging on the blurred lines of legality and if you rat out the game you will be punished. I won't delve into said punishment as that's a major plot point that I'd rather not spoil. It's basically like "Truth or Dare" on steroids, and with no truth option.

I went into Nerve hoping for an entertaining time and I'd say directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman delivered on the intriguing concept. Joost and Schulman bring a vibrant neon color palette to an otherwise very dark world and along with the cinematographer effectively execute seamless fresh angles from inside phone/computer screens and make nice use of actually using the phone's camera in moments to further integrate into the world. The co-directors manage to instill feelings of suspense, humor, and happiness through the crazy antics that make for a well rounded flick.

In addition to all this Nerve features a fun diverse soundtrack full of catchy pop songs that was entertaining to listen to. but at times was a tad generic. My only nitpicks lie with the logic behind the storytelling. The screenplay penned by Jessica Sharzer based on Jeanne Ryan's novel has plenty of clever twists and turns, but is lacking in logic behind the Nerve game itself. Like it's honestly difficult to believe that this game would actually happen in real life. However these small problems can be forgiven thanks to the fact I was entertained throughout Nerve's entire hour and thirty six minute runtime.

Emma Robert's Vee (Venus) made for an authentic female lead and entertaining presence that felt genuine. Dave Franco plays Ian opposite Roberts as potential love-interest and does a remarkable job playing coy and maintaining a shifty demeanor about him so that for most of the running time you're unsure if he can be trusted. Franco and Roberts' chemistry is electric as they energize the film that's already plenty charged visually. As for other supporting characters, Emily Meade and Miles Heizer are nice additions but the only ones with enough substantial material worth mentioning.

Teens will likely have an awesome time and I wouldn't be surprised if Nerve became a cult classic. While Nerve may lack intelligent writing, its certainly one of the more interesting young adult novel turned movies thanks to the bright aesthetic, poppy soundtrack, and charming leads.

Film Assessment: B-