Nerve

'Nerve' is one of those films that quietly went under the radar at the cinema, but seem to catch on via word of mouth.

Truth is it's a decent film, inspired by a YA book. It also acts as a vehicle for up and coming talents such as Emma Roberts and Dave Franco, who both give good performances.

Roberts in particular shines in every scene, and it is her character of Vee who goes through the biggest journey throughout.

The plot doesn't hold up to much scrutiny, but it is an action packed film, that proves entertaining.

If you can stomach the fact that it's really just people doing lots of irresponsible things then you'll enjoy the film. Parents thinking of letting their teens watch it should be wary though.

This was a movie that I thought had a very cool premise, but at the same time, its trailer appeared to leave no surprises to be discovered.

The Good This film's premise is definitely a fun one, and at the least, this movie was almost constantly entertaining. The dares that these people are forced to do as well as the reasons for why people are playing this game are things I found very fun and interesting.

Emma Roberts and Dave Franco both give solid performances in this film, and they each work well off of each other. Roberts as Vee accurately depicts a high school senior struggling with social problems as well as college, even if Roberts herself looks like she graduated from high school six years ago. Franco's character was also an intriguing one, and he grew on me the more the film progressed.

I enjoyed nearly every moment when a legitimate dare was being done, as they were handled very well and created tension excellently. The style of this movie is also a reason as to why this film feels original, as the sleek visuals create some very cool scenes.

The Bad Nerve can be very fun when it wants to be, but the problem is that it also takes itself way too seriously in many scenes. This movie tries to get serious towards the end and become dramatic and have important themes, but it all comes across as incredibly dull and tedious.

Speaking of the ending, no matter how serious the movie thinks it is, it is absolutely stupid. The whole plan doesn't make much sense at all, and there are way too many unanswerable questions to just let go how convoluted it is.

While I did like Roberts and Franco, I had a massive problem with Emily Meade.

Whether it is the design of her character or the performance, Meade is completely unlikable and lacks any sense at all, and that would be okay if we are supposed to be against her. Instead, the movie expects us to feel sorry for her, which I found impossible to do.

My biggest fear coming in was that the trailer gave away too much of the main plot.

I wouldn't say the trailer gave away too much, I would say the trailer gave away everything. Every single scene, besides two, in particular, I saw coming a mile away because of one individual trailer, and I think it completely ruined my film going experience. Nearly every dare, every important conflict, and even the plot twist can be found within this movie's official trailer, and I highly recommend avoiding that trailer like the plague if you have any interest in seeing this movie.

Conclusion Nerve has good performances from its two leads and a unique visual style, and it certainly has its fair share of entertainment. However, though it might not be fair, the trailer absolutely ruined my experience by giving away the vast majority of the plot. Even besides that, there are issues in the film's storytelling, and whenever the movie tries to be taken seriously, it falls flat on its face. Nerve has its moments but falls apart towards its conclusion.

4.5/10

Vee Delmonico (Emma Roberts) is excited to be accepted to a college in California. She is concerned about leaving her mother (Juliette Lewis) behind in Staten Island after a family tragedy. Her best friend Sydney (Emily Meade) shows her an underground internet game called Nerve. Participants are divided between players and watchers. Players do dares for money and watchers pay to watch the players on their 24 hour adventures. After being embarrassed by Sydney, Vee decides to play. Her first dare is to kiss a stranger and she picks Ian (Dave Franco). They are then dared to partner up on an exciting journey into the city.

The premise, the style, and the actors make a fun, thrilling action adventure in the city. There are little problems that can be overlooked for the most part. The conclusion is key and it does certain things to wrap it all up too neatly. It takes the fun dark web idea and slaps on a Hollywood ending. Overall, it was fun while it lasted.

This movie comes at the perfect time with the craze of Pokemon Go; a time when you literally see millions of people obsessed with an app - where you can find videos of hordes of people in NYC all running after a particular Pokemon.

This is essentially the premise of the movie: a new app (game) comes out that takes teens in a particular city by storm, except the consequences can be much graver.

As to not give anything away, I try to be brief:

The acting was great; the pacing was great, the color pallet and tone of the movie were all top notch.

That being said, the plot - as it developed - felt "obvious", I wasn't surprised by anything and I wasn't ever emotionally "moved." The movie knows what it is, and it does it pretty well - it's a teen thriller.

What the movie explores is far more important: the way people interact with each other when they are hidden behind a wall of anonymity. The movie has a good message.

The BOTTOM LINE: I rate movies on whether it is worth spending the $$$ to see at a theater, in my opinion this one is worth seeing at a matinée showing ($5), but probably not dolling out $12 - $15. I hope that helps.

20 mins into this, I loved it - I was all in for the ride, then, you know, that la dee da, bulls*** ending happened. I really wish they'd gone dark with that ending. Actually, every moment after Vee snitches to that cop should be changed, I feel like up until that point it was so good. I was still entertained, but the magical hacker network taking down everything... in record time, uuugh, it was so, typical. Also, Vee's brother, he played Nerve, right? That's how he died?? lol, I can't've been the only one that thought that - why mention him at all, why even have a brother, if he's not central to the story or some breakthrough?? Him being "the fun was" can't've been it, can it?

This movie was good, almost great. Strong 6/10.