*WARNING SPOILERS*
A review of Nerve
It's been a while since I saw this film but it hasn't left my thoughts at all. I have never been so tense and on the edge of my seat as I was while watching this very modern film. Its morales and characters were so relatable that I couldn't help but think: this could happen to me.
The film itself is about a girl named Vee (Emma Roberts) who decides she doesn't want to be the "perfect" goody two shoes anymore. She winds up playing an online game called Nerve which allows for watchers to dare players into doing whatever they can think of, all for a cash prize. Vee signs up to the game as a player and ends up doing the most stress inducing and utterly horrifying dares, ending with her being shot.
Now, don't worry, she doesn't die and I think that is why I loved the film so much. I honestly did not know if she was dead or alive. Usually I can see the end of a film coming from a mile away but this film succeeded in sitting me in the dark and keeping me there. Part of me hoped she had died, just so a stronger message could be put across to the internet users of today but the sheer idea of truly not knowing caused me to feel extremely nervous. Something a film has never done before so I congratulate it for that.
In terms of acting, I was pleasantly surprised by Roberts performance. Over the past few years I have carried a real distaste for the actor but recently I have come to terms with the fact that yes, she may be typecast as the bratty teen but boy can she play it well. Nerve sees her in basically the same role but there is feeling and character there, where in previous roles there has just been bitchiness. In terms of Franco, he brought pretty much the same character to the screen as his one in Now you see me but with more strength and kindness. The other supporting actors all conveyed the perfect height of emotions to push me to the edge of my seat; one scene that stands out in my mind is when Vee's friend Sydney (Emily Meade) is dared to cross from her building to the adjacent one with nothing but an unstable ladder. The hair stood up on the back of my neck as I watched this actor crawl out into the unsafe. It was at this moment when it hit me. This character could fall and die; she wasn't necessarily a main, the story could go on. I ended up with butterflies in my stomach, as I watched with a completely open mind.
The concept of the film was probably what I enjoyed the most because here we are being offered an idea that is completely possible to execute in our day and age. The internet is unsafe. children and teens can be forced into doing dangerous things all because someone on the internet said to. We all know about The Fire Challenge (which is still going on today). This film really makes you think just how out of depth you can get in this digital age. We all care more for how many people are watching and liking us online that we forget the real world and the real friends we have.
Overall, I highly recommend anyone and everyone to watch this film. You are being given a perfect internet safety video. Utilise it but most of all enjoy it because at the end of the day it is a highly exciting, nail biting piece of cinema.
Thanks for reading,
Haynes
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