Nerve (2016)

“Nerve” stars Emma Roberts, Dave Franco, Juliette Lewis, and Emily Meade.  Released on July 27, 2016, the film is about a young woman who competes in a popular online game while slowly learning about the truth about its existence.

The film is directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, who also directed films such as Catfish, Paranormal Activity 3, and Paranormal Activity 4.  It is based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Jeanne Ryan.  The Internet can be a messed up place to be on, whether it’s filled with a bunch of mean, immature comments, videos of people doing crazy stunts, or online popularity.  This particular film seemed to be focusing on how far people can go to achieve that kind of popularity.  Sure, it’s fun to be popular on the Internet, but it can lead to some problems.  That’s pretty much my way of explaining the concept of this film, which is about a truth-or-dare online video game that has nothing to do with the truth.  This has been on my radar since I saw the first trailer and I was curious to see how they’re going to pull this off.  Question is, am I a ‘watcher‘ or a ‘player’?

Pros:
Respectable performances.

The execution of the concept was passable, although it could’ve been done a bit better. 

Offered some nice thrills in terms of the dares.

Nice soundtrack.

Cons:
The third act felt a bit flat.

Final thoughts: I know that there’s no truth in this thrilling truth-or-dare survival scenario, but it has to be heard.  The truth is, I thought “Nerve” is a pretty decent summer treat.  Although its execution and third act could’ve been a bit stronger, the film itself was a daring, yet simple, ride.  But alas, it made me feel like a watcher because I am not brave enough to handle these types of dares.

B-