Review! Nerve (2016) Directed by Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman. Starring: Emma Roberts, Dave Franco, Emily Meade. IMDB says “A high school senior finds herself immersed in an online game of truth or dare, where her every move starts to become manipulated by an anonymous community of “watchers.” “

In 2010, directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman delivered a movie about the anonymity of the social media world and how you may not really be talking to the person you think. Catfish was a film that made people rethink and realize just how easy it was for anyone to steal an identity via social media platforms by simply stealing pictures and information from real people. Since then the film has sparked a TV series of the same title that is produced by the duo. After their debut, the two friends have directed a series of shorts as well as the third and fourth installments of the Paranormal Activity franchise. This weekend, their newest flick Nerve will hit theaters after a four year hiatus from feature length films. Also, if that wasn’t enough, they also have another film out this weekend titled Viral, which looks promising as well, though I’m not sure if this will be a theatrical release or more of a VOD release.

Anywho, Nerve is about a high school senior named Vee (Emma Roberts) who after a turn of events decides to become a player in the hottest new phone-based game that dares contestants to commit acts for money. Shortly after starting the game, she joins up with Ian (Dave Franco) and delves deeper into a manipulative game whose outcome is based on a community of anonymous watchers who put up the cash for each challenge.

Before going into this movie, I never read up on what the film was about or even watched a trailer. I went in cold turkey and was pleasantly surprised by the movie I ended up seeing. The film was really fun all around and kept the audience invested with the characters and the world around them. This film reminded me of the “doing things for money” aspect of Cheap Thrills mixed with the Twitch culture in which we currently live in. The game in the film, Nerve, is not very far from where our society is now and seems like something that could likely exist in today’s world. It’s sorta funny that this movie comes out now just as a majority of the population is obsessed with their phones every waking moment as they play Pokemon GO. The movie also reminds viewers about how cruel people can be online and how many people feel they don’t have to take responsibility for the things they say online as they hide behind their usernames. With a story like this, the filmmakers also never take it too far. Everything that is happening in the world they’ve created seems realistic and completely doable. The dares are something that could have gotten unbelievable, but the filmmakers never cross that line and by doing so make for a much more believable and enjoyable film.

There weren’t really any amazing performances in this film but everyone involved brought their equal parts to the table. It was nice however seeing Kimiko Glenn and Samira Wiley in supporting roles and not in orange jumpsuits. The way the filmmakers chose to shoot certain sequences, the vibrant neon colors and also the editing style was also pretty rad and reminded me at times of early Danny Boyle. If that wasn’t enough the film also packs a pretty amazing soundtrack including everything from Roy Orbison to Wu-Tang Clan.

Overall, the film was a surprisingly fun film with only a few script/story grievances that I could pick out. This weekend is looking to be a decent one with this and the new film in the Bourne franchise hitting the big screen. I highly recommend checking this one out even for those who are a bit skeptical, you just might be surprised.