I went into Nerve hoping to see a pulse pounding thriller, and it did not disappoint. Emma Roberts, who I feel is a highly underrated actress, pulled off her classic character trope of a shy and withdrawn teen named Venus, or V, wishing only to keep herself under the radar. Following her story, I grew to actually care about her as a character, worrying for her more and more as she came across increasingly challenging dares for the game of Nerve. Dave Franco portrayed an excellent polar opposite to Roberts as Ian, an adrenaline junkie with a dark past that isn't revealed until late in the film. The feats that these two accomplish together had me closing my eyes or cringing while on the edge of my seat more than once.
V starts off as a quiet and introverted teenage girl, who is thrust into Nerve by the sudden realization that she's not the most exciting person in the world. Her friends describe her as basically a sidekick, and she sets off to prove that she has an edge, even if that edge hasn't exactly manifested itself yet. Against the wishes of her peers, she teams up with Ian and the pair undergo challenges that gradually increase in difficulty, until the drama and pressure placed on her become too much.
Ian counters V at every turn in terms of personality traits, and that's what attracts them to each other. The bad boy effect begins to take hold of V, and with Ian's influence, she becomes a true daredevil. The viewer begins to care about the duo, and love them together. The on-screen chemistry between Franco and Roberts wasn't the greatest, but it was definitely enough.
As always, I look at a movie and grade it on three things; did it make sense, did it serve its intended purpose, and was it entertaining.
As far as plot and character development, I had no problem with this film. The events made sense as they passed and continued on to the next, and the characters gradually were placed in different positions than they were at the beginning of the movie without being rushed.
Nerve was intended to be a nail-biting thriller, and it was just that. The excellent direction by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman delivered a heart-pounding experience that truly made me scared for each of the characters.
I was utterly shocked at some of the stunts V and Ian had to pull off, each one was a surprise, and some had me wanting to pass out from the sheer anxiety that would come from the stunts they pulled. The movie definitely did entertain me, and kept my attention the entire duration
Overall, Nerve is a solid movie for regular viewers and adrenaline junkies alike.
It receives a solid 3.5/5 from me.
