Masked by a thriller quality and flashy graphics, the fundamental flaws in “Nerve” are made easy to ignore. The energy and basic storyline add up to a fascinatingly mysterious movie despite various plot holes.
The movie opens as high schooler Vee (Emma Roberts) debates college choices and gossips with best friend Sydney (Emily Meade). In the first few minutes of the movie, Vee discovers “Nerve,” a game in which players complete various and often illegal dares for money.
Wanting to break free from her cautious reputation, Vee joins “Nerve.” Soon after, she meets Ian (Dave Franco), a fellow player who takes her into “the city” to complete more dares. The majority of the movie takes place in New York City, where Vee dives into the wild world of twisted wagers, payment for large dares, and changing personalities. She quickly realizes the game is not as innocent as she had previously believed, but instead a violent competition put into place by the supporters, or watchers.
As the film progresses, common sense seems to be an unimportant factor to writer Jessica Sharzer. Why would these teenagers feel comfortable sharing valuable information, including access to their bank accounts and in-depth social media attainability, with an unknown server?
Another confusing aspect is the ambiguous game maker. While the film mentions that new members automatically become servers in the game, making its creator nearly impossible to track down, someone obviously had to create the game.
While “Nerve” had several gaps in its story, other parts were quite impressive. Directors Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost carried out the script in a way that nearly masked its flaws. The film’s fast-paced nature and its many twists and turns make for an exciting and, at times, comical equivalent to a thriller.
The movie’s soundtrack and graphic effects were admirable. “Nerve” features songs relevant to various scenes by Melanie Martinez, Halsey, Wu-Tang Clan, and other artists. The neon colors and technologies featured in the film were reminiscent of those used in “TRON” (1982). The desktop-inspired moving frames were thrown around throughout the entire movie, even during the credits.
“Nerve,” despite its several unnecessary complications, is an extremely interesting movie for teenagers who want a quick, suspenseful, modern take on an adventure and mystery.