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Nerve

The concept of Truth or Dare has been the centre of movies for some time but the recent resurgence in the childish game has spawned a subgenre of its own. 13 SINS, CHEAP THRILLS and the aptly named TRUTH OR DARE are but a few of the recent movies to take the concept with extreme results and now NERVE aims to bring the thrills to a younger adult audience.

 

When introvert Vee (Emma Roberts) is pulled up by her friends for being unexciting, the opportunity to live a little comes in the form of social media game NERVE. The options of being either a watcher or a player, Vee jumps in at the deep end and is encouraged to team up with Ian (Dave Franco), another player in the huge world of NERVE. Dares for money and self discovery open Vee up and as she delves deeper into the night, so too does the danger as the stakes rise as the prize money gets higher.

 

To think of Emma Roberts playing an introvert after bitchy roles in SCREAM QUEENS and AMERICAN HORROR STORY seemed like an impossible task on paper but it's surprising at how believable she is. Take into consideration the realistic teenage angst that feuds her friendship with fellow NERVE player Sydney played by Emily Meade (MY SOUL TO TAKE) and you begin to see a complex yet real friendship that goes beyond the mean girls "us-and-them" mentality that fills the market of teen films. Add to the mix the instantaneous love story between Vee and Ian and what in theory is a teen flick, behind good direction, becomes an intriguing and adrenaline fueled popcorn flick that exudes as much tension as it does neon lights.

 

Behind the bubblegum pop soundtrack and nature of the dares, the film quickly escelates from a joyous trip to the city to a sinister fight for survival. Once the stakes rise, so do the dares and they are not for the feint of heart, especially those who have a fear of heights. NERVE manages to execute in 10 minutes what THE WALK failed in an entire film.

 

Julliette Lewis is criminally underused as Vee's stressed mother and a rushed scramble to take down NERVE feels almost too easy and unearned compared to how large, not to mention sinister, the game and organisers are. A sore point for those who want to see the dark side of the game only ever really get glimpses and the constant steer for the games hold on players is never really explored outside of the characters initial motives. Hopefully, the world of NERVE is not over as there is so much to learn, and with a history of players in different countries, could this be THE PURGE for teenagers?

 

The nature of the films target audience mean that the glossy ending is there to make the audience feel safe again but for a few moments, the gritty closure seems like it might be real and the films message of voyeurism is as guilty as the crime really begins to settle in.

 

THE RUNNING MAN meets GOSSIP GIRL in an adrenaline pumping game of discovery and survival. As with the movies key focal point, there's never too much risk taken and what you see is what you get, a glossy game of Truth or Dare with enough left open for a follow up. Stylish visuals, intense thrills and believable characters make NERVE a winner but one that shouldn't be taken too seriously.

Director: Henry Hoot and Ariel Schulman

Released: 11th August 2016

Running Time: 96 minutes

Age Rating: 15

 

Reviewer: Martyn Wakefield

RATING


Plot: 3
Fear: 3
Gore: 0


R3/5​

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